Colin Hunt

Colin Hunt

CEO of Allied Irish Bank (AIB)

Finance / Ireland

“By 2030, 70% of our lending will be green”

Ireland’s leading financial institution, Allied Irish Bank (AIB), is becoming a full-service provider, with an attractive digital offering and ever greener loan book, CEO Colin Hunt says.

What makes AIB a consolidator?

Allied Irish Bank (AIB) has a clearly formulated and deliverable strategy, and a proven ability to execute it at pace from a position of strength. We are well capitalized, with strong liquidity. We have a leading presence in one of the fastest growing devel­oped economies and a clear plan for where we’re going, as well as the track record of execution.

How important is sustainabili­ty for the future of AIB?

There’s a great opportunity for us to become an ever more import­ant player given our credentials in the green financing space. But as­piration is not enough: it has to be measurable. We’re committed to net zero in all operations by 2030 and are progressing well. We’ve reshaped our supplier code to in­clude sustainability, and we’re committed to 70% of lending be­ing green or transitional by 2030.

How is AIB adapting to the changes brought on by the pandemic?

We are living in a far more dy­namic world than five years ago. With AIB’s presence in Ireland and its capabilities, we have a strong foundation. We offer our customers a comprehensive range of products and services.

The pandemic accelerated the shift to digital banking, and we’ve kept pace with this. AIB has the most attractive Irish fi­nance app, with continually en­hanced functionality. Further­more, we’ve moved towards a hybrid model of remote and on-site working, which will ulti­mately determine our attractive­ness as an employer.

How do you assess the global economic outlook?

Notwithstanding the challenges created by the Russian invasion of Ukraine and lingering concerns about COVID-19, we are entering a new cycle and I’m cautiously optimistic about the short to me­dium term. But we all need a massive global effort to ensure long-term sustainability.