[ad_1]
Former Junior Finance Minister Michael D’Arcy will leave the Seanad to join the Irish Association of Investment Managers (IAIM).
D’Arcy, who lost his seat in Wexford Dáil in this year’s elections, has been appointed director general of the representative body.
D’Arcy said he made the decision to walk away from politics and public life after a period of reflection over the summer.
He said it had been a privilege to represent the people of Wexford since 2003.
“I have made my greatest contribution to public life and now I want to start a new career.”
D’Arcy said that Brexit represents a unique opportunity to further develop Ireland as a leading and credible investment management center.
“Given my work for the past 13 years as a public representative and working with industry companies on initiatives such as the ‘Ireland for Finance’ strategy that I launched in 2019 as Minister of Financial Services, I understand the important role these organizations play in areas such as employment, talent and regional development, ”said the former Fine Gael TD.
“I think that crucially now, there is a great opportunity for Ireland, as the UK leaves the EU, to help shape the future agenda of not just investment managers and companies where there is potential for growth, but even more broadly for industry funds as a whole and for Ireland to become a global hub for industry. “
He added: “In that regard, Ireland will need to further develop its skills base, and promoting education and training will be key to equipping students with the necessary skills, as will the need to create greater awareness among graduates. and students who drop out of the various industry employment opportunities. “
He said he hoped to make Ireland the top destination for the advancement of sustainable and green finance, and to form strong links and grow our relationships abroad.
John Corrigan, IAIM President, said: “Ireland is one of the world’s leading investment management centers and the industry is uniquely positioned to play an integral role in the post-Covid-19 economic and social recovery.
However, we must ensure that regulation, policy and industry thinking in Ireland support this growth.
“The industry is growing exponentially in Ireland and our expectation is that this trend will continue.
“This is our first step in bringing in the experience and skills necessary to meet the challenge.”
Tánaiste and Fine Gael President Leo Varadkar said they regretted losing Mr. D’Arcy but understood his decision.
“I would have loved to see Michael return to Dáil as TD and Minister after the next elections, but understand that after 20 years in public life he wants to start a new chapter in his life.
“You will always be welcome if you decide to run for election again.
“He will be greatly missed at the Oireachtas, and also at the party where he has made many friends and where he has served so faithfully.
“His new employers are lucky to hire someone of his caliber.”
Mr. Varadkar said that the process of selecting a candidate to participate in the by-elections has begun.
[ad_2]