Karen Sloan is head of payments and cash management at HSBC Corporate Banking, Ireland. Sloan spends most of her day discussing treasury and cash management topics with both local and international colleagues, while maintaining close relationships with Irish and international clients. She says client activity is at a high at the moment as a result of the Single European Payment Area (SEPA), which she says is a unique opportunity for clients 'to re-engineer their bank account and liquidity management structures to streamline processes.'

Wealth managers are likely to be in ever greater demand as the Irish economy continues to thrive, but Kevin Quinn, an associate director with Bank of Ireland Private Banking, writes that experience of other financial sectors, from accounting to life and pensions, is as important as the right qualifications.