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 2025. 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.
Tara McDermott
Deputy Financial Services and Pensions OmbudsmanTara 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
Claire Lehane
Director of Corporate and Communication ServicesClaire Lehane joined the Financial Services and Pensions Ombudsman in June 2026 as Director of Corporate and Communications Services. She brings extensive experience in public service, regulation, advocacy and organisational leadership, having previously served as an Assistant Commissioner with the Data Protection Commission, a senior manager in the Department of Children, Equality, Disability, Integration and Youth, and National Service Manager for the Patient Advocacy Service. Claire is a qualified solicitor with advanced legal qualifications, including an LL.M in International and Comparative Disability Law and Policy and an Advanced Diploma in Quasi-Judicial Decision-Making from King’s Inns.
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.
Louise McCarthy
Director of Registration, Early Resolution and TransformationLouise McCarthy is an established leader with a proven track record in public sector transformation and governance. She joined the FSPO in 2019 having come from a senior position overseeing and delivering vital commercial and funding workstreams for the National Broadband Plan, and previously undertook several strategic change projects in central government departments. Holding a Bachelor of Science degree from UCD, with additional credentials in Corporate Governance, IT management and mediation, she takes a customer-centric and values-based approach to organisational development.