Key team members: Eoin Carroll, Group General Counsel & Margaret Maguire, Group General Counsel, David Millbourn, General Counsel Payments & FX Division

What are the most significant cases or transactions that your legal team has recently been involved in?

Our legal team takes a lead role in all key legal engagements across the Fexco’s multiple domestic and international businesses. On sustainability and renewable energy, recent highlights include advising Fexco on the design and launch of PACE, a net zero carbon analysis platform for the global aviation sector, on the establishment of its renewable energy portfolio and on a €10m investment in the sustainable loan initiative being overseen by the Strategic Banking Corporation of Ireland.

Additionally, on M&A, our legal department has advised Fexco on the sale of its controlling interest in Goodbody Stockbrokers to AIB Group, as well as on its investments in Taxamo and the subsequent sale of its stake to Nasdaq-listed Vertex, and lastly, on its investment in the latest Delta venture capital fund for early-stage technology companies.
What has been the number one challenge that has impacted you over the past year?

Our legal team is continually working to stay ahead of the curve in areas like technology and innovation and this approach has positioned us well to bring transformative solutions to our client businesses.

Over the past year, innovation in Fexco’s core technology sectors has accelerated at an even greater pace. For example, significant advances have emerged over the past year in areas like AI, digital assets and climate tech. However, this exciting acceleration in innovation has meant that we have had to work even harder to ensure that our team has the right mix of up-to-date technical expertise, professional development strategies and thought-leadership initiatives. This is a universal challenge across the technology sector but one which legal teams must view as a unique opportunity to grow professionally and, ultimately, to enhance the value proposition that in-house legal teams can deliver for internal clients and other key stakeholders.

Has the increasing consciousness of climate change and sustainability affected your company and the team’s priorities, and if so, how?

Fexco has recently set out a progressive new group-wide strategy which outlines the group’s overarching goals in the areas of ESG and sustainability. These goals continue to shape the group’s culture and priorities, including those of our legal department.

Our legal team has therefore been increasingly supporting the group’s businesses in taking a lead role in bringing transformational innovation to the areas of climate and sustainability. For example, our legal team recently advised on a fully in-house basis on the development and launch by Fexco of PACE – the platform for analysing carbon emissions. The PACE platform aims to enable lessors, airlines and other stakeholders in the aviation sector to accurately measure, manage and reduce their carbon emissions and to align with Net Zero targets. The PACE project, with support from our legal team, is continuing to evolve into other industries and use cases with the goal of empowering businesses to make better climate-oriented decisions.

Our legal team has also sought to make practical, climate-conscious changes to its ways of working and to encourage other areas of the group to follow suit. This continues to be a core strategic priority for our team. For example, in recent years our team has successfully transitioned to a fully paperless way of working, by introducing digital file management and electronic signing solutions.