2026 Speakers

Mairead McGuinness shaped Europe’s financial architecture during one of its most transformative periods. As European Commissioner, she drove policy on financial sector stability, Capital Markets Union, and Banking Union, the frameworks that govern European finance today. Before her Commission role, she served sixteen years as MEP, including as First Vice-President of the European Parliament, giving her unparalleled insight into how Brussels works and where it’s heading. She currently serves as Vice-President of the European People’s Party, keeping her at the centre of Europe’s strategic direction. What makes her exceptional is her ability to translate complex policy into clear insight. She spent 24 years as an award-winning journalist and broadcaster in Ireland before entering politics, so she knows how to cut through the noise and explain what actually matters. She brings an insider perspective on the EU’s approach to digital innovation, the balance between regulation and growth, and how policy decisions in Brussels impact global business. University College Dublin recognised her impact with an Honorary Doctorate in 2024.

Sara is the Treasury Services Head for the UK, Europe and Canada and Global Lead for Industry Advocacy. She partners with corporates and financial institutions to design and deliver integrated payments solutions that move money securely and seamlessly across borders, currencies, and platforms. By uniting product strategy, modern technology, and client experience, she turns complexity into simple, scalable outcomes—helping clients optimize liquidity, reduce friction, and accelerate growth while navigating diverse market infrastructures and regulatory regimes. With experience spanning wealth management, retail banking, and transaction banking, Sara brings a broad, end‑to‑end perspective on how payments should work in a digital, real‑time economy. She collaborates across the ecosystem with clients, networks, and industry bodies to shape standards and advance innovation in global payments.

Matt Cooper is a broadcaster, podcaster, author and journalist. He presents The Last Word daily on TodayFM. He is the host of the Path to Power and Magnified podcasts. His latest book, his sixth, is Dynasty, the story of Dunnes Stores and the family that created and still owns it. He writes for the Business Post and Irish Daily Mail weekly. 

Emma Magill is a Senior Treasury Transformation Manager at Flutter Entertainment, where she leads global treasury transformation initiatives spanning banking, cash management, payments and treasury technology. She is passionate about positioning Treasury as a strategic partner to the business and enjoys solving complex problems by simplifying processes and leveraging technology to deliver better outcomes.

Steven is the Group Treasurer of Flutter Entertainment plc, based in London. Steven has global responsibility for Treasury at Flutter, with a c. 30 strong person treasury team located in Dublin, London, the Isle of Man and Leeds. Steven has over 30 years of experience in corporate treasury with the last 9 years in Flutter and prior to that, Steven was the Group Treasurer of Pearson Plc.

Responsible for treasury operations across 21 countries outside the US. In over five years with Equifax, he has been at the centre of Equifax’s treasury journey spanning everything from aligning global cash policies, implementing a multi-currency notional pooling structure, to implementing a TMS. He is also a company director of the three Equifax subsidiaries in Ireland. An ACT small team of the year winner in 2023, and a highly commended entry for the IACT awards in 2024. He has worked in treasury for over 12 years, previously working at CRH Plc and Bank of America. Paul has a BSc in Medicinal Chemistry and Chemical Biology from University College Dublin.

John heads the Ireland Subsidiary Payments Sales team for J.P. Morgan which focuses on delivering tailored Cash Management & Working Capital solutions to solve client challenges. John joined the firm in 2023 and leads a team responsible for driving new business opportunities across a portfolio of eCommerce, Technology, Healthcare and Diversified Industries clients. 

Prior to joining J.P. Morgan, John spent 18 years at Citi, where he held various roles across banking, sales and implementation. John holds a Bachelor’s degree from Dublin City University and a Masters in Finance from University College Dublin.

Michelle is a recognised leader in the cybersecurity industry, specializing in cyber threat intelligence, malware defence, network defence, and application monitoring. With extensive experience leading cybersecurity teams, Michelle is the Dublin site lead for Global Information Security (GIS) and leads the Cyber Threat Defense team in EMEA. In her current role, Michelle drives strategic initiatives to safeguard critical infrastructure and sensitive data, leveraging deep expertise in threat detection, response, and mitigation. Michelle originally joined Bank of America in 2019 as the Country Information Security Officer with responsibility for Information Security risk management in Ireland and the European entity, BofA Europe DAC. In her professional capacity, Michelle is a committee member of the EMEA Threat Intelligence Community.

Andrew Paranthoiene is a Director at S&P Global Ratings, where he leads a global analytical team specializing in institutional fixed-income fund credit ratings. Drawing on over two decades of international expertise, Andrew plays a pivotal role in developing the global criteria, risk frameworks, and rating models that define industry standards. He is a founding member of the S&P Global Market Liquidity Lab and serves on several influential industry councils. His deep technical knowledge and global perspective make him a key voice in discussions regarding fund structures, regulatory shifts, and market liquidity. He holds multiple advanced degrees, including a recent Executive MBA from Imperial College Business School.

Nick has been part of Bank of America’s Global Information Security (GIS) team since 2011, working in Cyber Threat Intelligence, Business Information Security Officer, Governance Risk and Compliance and Cyber Crime roles.

He is currently part of the GIS International team, where he is responsible for building strategic partnerships to protect the integrity of the financial system. He is a member of multiple national and international coalitions, including the G7 and European Banking Federation cyber experts groups and EUROPOL’s cyber crime advisory groups.

Rónán Clifford serves as Senior Director of Treasury at Honeywell Technologies, where he leads key treasury initiatives and collaborates across global teams to support financial operations and strategic growth. Based in Dublin, Rónán brings deep expertise in banking, liquidity & cash management and corporate M&A divesture/integration planning and execution, combined with a practical leadership style. He is passionate about building strong relationships and treasury innovation & technology. He is also on the board of the IACT. When he’s not navigating the complexities of global finance, he enjoys running, a variety of sports and is a member of Dublin Front Runners.

Emer Murnane is Senior Vice President Treasury & Tax and Group Treasurer of Smurfit Westrock. She was appointed Senior Vice President Treasury & Group Treasurer in 2024, following the merger of Smurfit Kappa and WestRock, with her responsibilities expanding in 2026 to include Group Tax and Insurance. Having started her career in banking, she joined Smurfit Kappa in 2006 as a Treasury Accountant and advanced through a series of treasury leadership roles before being appointed Group Treasurer in 2022. Emer is a Fellow of the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants and the Association of Corporate Treasurers and holds a degree in European Studies from the University of Limerick and a Postgraduate Diploma in Applied Economics from University College Cork.

Lee Cumbes is a Managing Director within Barclays Investment Bank, Co-Heading Global Treasury Coverage (GTC) for the UK and Europe. This business encompasses our International Corporate Banking, Debt Capital Markets, Risk Solutions Group, Corporate FX and Sustainable Banking teams. Lee has also led the Debt Capital Markets team in EMEA since 2021, having headed coverage of Sovereign, Supranational and Agency borrowers globally for many years, across debt issuance and risk management needs.