The Supervisory Board of the European Insurance and Occupational Pensions Authority (EIOPA) has appointed John Maher, SETU Business School, to its Occupational Pensions Stakeholder Group for a 30-month term from 1 September 2018.
The Group, which includes 16 nationalities, consists of top ranking academics, pension beneficiaries, pension providers, professional associations, employees and SMEs. It meets four times a year in Frankfurt where EIOPA is based. Each regulatory authority for occupational pensions in the European Union is a member of EIOPA.
John, from Waterford, is a Lecturer in Accountancy in the Department of Accountancy & Economics since 1995, including modules on the MSc in Global Financial Information Systems and the BA (Hons) in Finance & Investment.
Speaking about his appointment, he said, “It is a responsibility and an honour to obtain this role. I welcome the opportunity to make a research and critically informed contribution to European pension policy”.
His most recent research involved a European Commission project focused on residential property and private pensions. Together with colleagues Dr Richard Burke, Dr Sean Byrne and research student Yogesh Jaiyawala, they worked with partner institutions in the UK, Germany, Italy, Hungary and the Netherlands and were supported domestically by the Pensions Authority, Irish Life and New Ireland.
Welcoming the appointment, Dr Tom O’Toole, Head of the School of Business said, “John has specialised in pension research for many years and has been engaged in many national and international collaborations. The School welcomes and is delighted with John's appointment to the EIOPA”.
Gabriel Bernardino, Chairman of EIOPA said, “Stakeholder groups play an essential role in our work, providing us with valuable input to policy developments and with a vital connection to industry, consumers and beneficiaries of insurance and pension products. Through this continuous dialogue, we can ensure that we are able to take informed but importantly independent decisions in the best interest of European citizens.”
About EIOPA
The Insurance and Reinsurance Stakeholder Group (IRSG) and the Occupational Pensions Stakeholder Group (OPSG) are set in accordance with Article 37 of EIOPA’s founding Regulation.
EIOPA consults its stakeholder groups on actions concerning regulatory technical standards and their implementation as well as guidelines and recommendations to the extent that these do not concern individual financial institutions. Members of stakeholder groups can submit opinions and advice to EIOPA on any issue related to its tasks. Additionally, stakeholder groups are expected to notify EIOPA of inconsistent application of European Union law as well as inconsistent supervisory practices in the different European Member States.
Each group consists of 30 individuals appointed to represent, in balanced proportions, (re)insurance companies and intermediaries (for the IRSG) and institutions for occupational retirement provision (for the OPSG) as well as consumers, scheme beneficiaries, representatives of SMEs and of relevant professional associations. At least five members of each group shall be independent top-ranking academics.