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Thursday, 9th September 2010 |
| Master of education |
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| As CEO of the not-for-profit Institute of Bankers in Ireland, Dr. Anthony Walsh’s remit spans both commercial and educational. Walsh is passionate about education and believes the scale of investment in education by financial institutions in Ireland has been a key driver for the growth and success of the industry in the last decade. |
7.00am The start of another week and I’m walking to Castleknock station for the 7.11 train to Docklands. Being from Waterford originally, I had hoped to be celebrating this week after the all-Ireland hurling final but, Kilkenny had other plans. Yesterday’s ‘friendly comments’ from the Cats’ supporters in Croke Park still ring in my ears. All in all, I have the seasoned Waterford hurling supporter’s sense of Deja (‘Deise’)-Vu, but not enough to lose the faith.
7.30am Arrive at the Institute of Bankers at North Wall Quay, firmly refocused on work. As usual, my week begins in a meeting with Pat Ahern to plan and review the day and week ahead. The Institute, as a not for profit educational body, must deliver top quality courses and excellent value for money for members, both individual and corporate. Therefore, my role as CEO spans both the educational and the commercial. Having planned the day and the week as best we can, Pat and I deal with emails, letters and telephone calls.
8.15am Given the nature of my role, it’s often a challenge to get time to think. But today, I spend most of the next 2 hours reading and writing. I digest the agenda and papers for upcoming meetings as well as accounts, management updates and reports. I follow up with colleagues - some in person and some on the phone. We are all pleased with the reaction to the Institute’s new website and progress towards the launch of new e-learning initiatives. I also use this time to finalise my speech for this evening’s graduation ceremony.
10.15am Leave for a meeting of the Confederation of Financial Services Institutes in the offices of LIA. With Bill Hannan, the CEO of LIA, chairing, Pat O’Sullivan, CEO of the Insurance Institute of Ireland, Denis Hevey and I discuss issues of common concern. Today, we concentrate on key decisions on the QFA Diploma for 2008/9. This programme, which is a joint qualification of the three bodies, is recognised by the Financial Regulator as meeting the competency requirements for financial advisers across five categories of retail financial products. There are many advantages to the three bodies jointly delivering the QFA, including lower unit costs and selling prices and enhanced recognition among consumers and across all sectors of financial services.
12.05pm Back at North Wall Quay and a quick walk along the river bank as far as O’Connell bridge to clear my head. Grey river, grey sky – Croke Park slips back into my consciousness… try to think of something else!
12.30pm In 2006, as part of a wide-ranging strategic alliance, the Institute of Bankers’ School of Professional Finance became a recognised school of UCD. Today, I am chairing a lunch meeting of the UCD-Institute Strategic Review Group (SRC). It’s a very productive meeting. First, we review the progress of the school to date (including the success of the Bachelor of Financial Services, MSc in Risk Management, MBA in Financial Services and MBA in Compliance and Regulation). Second, we make recommendations on student recruitment for research masters and doctorates. And, lastly, we refine our plans for the Global Finance Academy - a UCD-Institute joint venture, aimed at underpinning the growth and development of the financial services industry by making Ireland a world centre for research in finance.
2.20pm Another forty-five minutes on phones calls, emails and a couple of one to one meetings. I also get a chance to talk to our customer service team. September is our busiest time of the year. We receive up to 60 per cent of the total registrations for some courses in the three days before the closing date. This is a common phenomenon in Irish education but not elsewhere – I wonder what that tells us about the
Irish psyche.
3.00pm It’s time for our management meeting. This weekly meeting helps us plan and control, both operationally and strategically, and stay well-informed across disciplines and functional areas. We have a lot to get through this week. This reflects the rapid growth of the Institute of Bankers in recent years. With more than 12,500 students, 33,000 members and 35 qualification courses, we are now Ireland’s largest professional body. At this time of year, preparations for the new academic year and other operational issues dominate our agenda. But we still find time to focus on strategic issues. During the meeting, one colleague summarised our role in education as ‘providing world-class financial services education, which is both relevant and rigorous, to students who combine work and study’.
4.30pm Quick teleconference with members of the Institute’s Belfast Committee to review plans for the President’s dinner in Belfast in October. As usual, the committee has everything under control and the good news is that the First Minister’s office has confirmed his attendance as the guest of honour.
4.45pm Walk to the headquarters of one of the Institute’s corporate members for a graduation ceremony for staff who qualified in 2007/8. Nearly 800 staff receive their Institute parchments. The awards range from foundation certificate to master’s degree. The ceremony reminds me again of the scale of investment in education by Irish financial institutions. This has been a key driver of the growth and success of the industry in the last decade. The ceremony also re-affirms my pride in the educational role the Institute of Bankers plays at the heart of the industry.
19.15pm On the train home to Castleknock. Croke Park no longer in my ears. It’s Leonard Cohen on my iPod instead. |
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