Mr O’Connor was chosen following an open competitive process, where requests for expressions of interest were sought by the Minister, and a competitive interview process was held. He has worked as an economist for over 20 years and joined the Department of Finance in 2011, where he is currently head of macroeconomics. He has built up an excellent profile with key domestic and international stakeholders on economic issues and in international working parties. He leads the Department’s macroeconomic engagements with international institutions including the IMF, the European Commission and the OECD, along with ratings agencies. He is the co-chair of a key OECD working party and a member of the EU Economic Policy Committee. In addition, he has published a number of policy and academic articles and was jointly awarded the Miriam Hederman-O’Brien prize by the Foundation for Fiscal Studies in 2018.
Minister McGrath stated “I am delighted to nominate Mr. O’Connor to this important strategic role at the EBRD in London. Mr. O'Connor has played a critical role in the Department of Finance over the last decade. Pending approval by the EBRD Board of my nomination, I believe Mr. O’Connor will be an excellent representative for Ireland and our EBRD Constituency partners at the EBRD, in what will be a critical period in the Bank’s existence, and I will look forward to working with him in this new role.”
A formal process of election at the EBRD has commenced to confirm Mr. O’Connor’s appointment.
