Executive and Leadership
Liam Sloyan
Financial Services and Pensions OmbudsmanLiam Sloyan commenced as Financial Services and Pensions Ombudsman on 1 December 2022. He has significant policy and operational experience as a regulator and as a leader of state agencies having held the positions of Chief Executive of the National Treatment Purchase Fund, Regulator of the National Lottery and Chief Executive/Registrar of the Health Insurance Authority. Prior to joining public service in 2002, Liam worked in the insurance sector in actuarial and compliance areas. He is a Fellow of the Society of Actuaries in Ireland and holds an M.Sc. in Mathematics and Statistics from UCD and an Executive Certificate in Management and Leadership from MIT Sloan.
Ian Larkin
Deputy Financial Services and Pensions OmbudsmanIan Larkin joined the FSPO as Deputy Financial Services and Pensions Ombudsman in March 2024. Prior to this appointment, Ian was the Head of the Bankruptcy Division at the Insolvency Service of Ireland. He has over 25 years’ experience in financial and legal matters, holds a Bachelor in Business Studies degree from Trinity College Dublin and a MBA from Imperial College London. He also qualified as a solicitor and has additional qualifications in project management and risk.
Diarmuid Byrne
Director of Dispute Resolution ServicesDiarmuid Byrne has worked with the Financial Services & Pensions Ombudsman since its inception in April 2005, having previously worked with the Insurance Ombudsman of Ireland (the former voluntary scheme). He was appointed Head of Administration with the Financial Services Bureau in 2007 with responsibility for Administration, HR, IT and Finance. In January 2016 he was appointed Director of Dispute Resolution Services and is an accredited mediator. Before entering the public sector, Diarmuid worked in the private sector, predominantly in the areas of IT and Finance.
Tara McDermott
Director of Customer Operations and Information ManagementTara McDermott joined the Financial Services and Pensions Ombudsman in December 2017. Previous to this appointment, she held various Civil Service roles including as a member of the start-up team in both the Office of Government Procurement and the Garda Síochána Ombudsman Commission. Tara holds a Bachelor of Theology and Arts from St. Patrick’s Pontifical University Maynooth, a Diploma in Ethics from Dublin City University, a Certificate in Managing Risk and Systems Change from Trinity College, Dublin and various qualifications in the areas of Supervisory Management, and Procurement.
Úna Gately
Director of Investigation Services
Aoibhín de Búrca
Director of Corporate and Communication ServicesAoibhín de Búrca is the Director of Corporate and Communication Services for the FSPO. Prior to this role, she was the Deputy Director of Corporate Services for the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission (CCPC), and previously the Head of Operations with the Nursing and Midwifery Board of Ireland (NMBI). She has also worked in corporate affairs roles with the Royal Irish Academy and RTÉ, and started out in news and current affairs with Newstalk Radio. She was an Ad Astra Research Scholar in UCD where she was awarded a PhD in politics and international relations. She holds a BA in Journalism (DCU), MA in International Politics (QUB) and an MSc in Business, Leadership and Management Practice (UCD).
Alistair Thacker
Director of ICTAlistair Thacker joined the FSPO as the Director of ICT in 2024. He has over two decades of experience in ICT leadership, strategic planning, and digital transformation. Before joining the FSPO, Alistair held director-level positions including Head of Product, and Chief Technology Officer at Kefron Limited. Prior to Kefron, Alistair's career began as a software developer at Microsoft Ireland, followed by project management roles at Nightline and SoftCo. In 2006 he founded Evolution, a software development company, which was ultimately acquired by Kefron in 2014.
Alistair holds a Diploma in Strategy and Innovation, a Diploma in Management from University College Cork, and a BSc. in Computer Studies from Napier University, Edinburgh. Alistair is also an Advanced Certified Product Owner with the Scrum Alliance.