About

Having worked as a senior solicitor in New Ireland Assurance since 2010, Valerie Barlow assumed the role of head of legal of in March 2015 and was appointed in September 2018 to the expanded role of head of legal for Bank of Ireland Group Insurance and Wealth. Barlow highlights that she enjoys the variety in the work carried out as an in-house legal advisor, including providing expert legal counsel to the board, senior management and internal stakeholders on corporate and commercial law matters, investments, protection, pensions, trusts, contracts and outsourced arrangements. She is responsible for anticipating, assessing and reporting legal risks, monitoring and reporting on legal and regulatory developments, managing and developing a team of legal professionals. She and her team participate in multi-disciplinary projects, negotiate and draft material legal contracts governing arrangements such as investment management services, custodial services, agency management and significant risk and financial reinsurance. Barlow also collaborates with compliance to promote a strong compliance culture and handles dispute resolution and litigation portfolio management. She highlights that, ‘the variety in [my] role demands an agile approach and a broad knowledge which requires [me] to personally develop and expand my knowledge all the time. As an in-house solicitor, maintaining a commercial focus and providing advice in a concise and on point manner is key. This requirement demands that [I] develop and maintain strong working relationships with business colleagues and understand fully how the business operates’. Barlow has innovated the team’s work through the introduction of an agile and paperless environment, permitting faster turn-around times and offering staff more flexibility in how they carry out their work. Transferring the responsibility for handling repetitive requests back to business units with appropriate training and tools to support them has resulted in fewer touch points and faster turn-around times. It also empowered the business to make better and faster decisions. She and her legal team carried out the largest bulk annuity transaction in the Irish market in 2018, as well as concluding significant and high value reinsurance arrangements.