Akshaya Bhargava

Akshaya Bhargava took up the position of Chair and Governor at Bank of Ireland Group on 1 January 2025, following an international search process that replaced Patrick Kennedy who held the position since 2018. Bhargava is a global banking and wealth management leader with experience across fintech, financial services and large scale transformation.

Bhargava spent 22 years in a number of roles with Citibank, and in 2002 he left Citibank to take up the role of founding CEO of Infosys BPO Ltd (formerly known as Progeon Ltd), leading the company to sale in 2006. He co-founded InfraHedge Ltd. in 2010 and served as its Chief Executive Officer, which was acquired by State Street Corporation in 2013. Between 2014 and 2017 Akshaya served as CEO of Global Wealth and Investment Management at Barclays plc.

He has previously served as a director on the boards of Wealthify Group, Mindtree, Barclays Asset Management, Vahanna, and Avendus Wealth Management. Bhargava is the founder of Bridgeweave Ltd., founded in 2018, serving as Executive Chairman since 2018. He holds an MBA from Indian Institute of Management Calcutta in 1980 and an undergraduate degree from the University of Pune.

Career history

• Chair and Governor, Bank of Ireland Group plc (2025–present)
• Founder and Executive Chairman, Bridgeweave Ltd. (2018–present)
• CEO–Wealth & Investment Management Business, Barclays PLC (2014–2017)
• Founder and CEO, InfraHedge Ltd. (2010–2014, acquired by State Street)
• Founding CEO, Infosys BPO Ltd. (2002–2006)
• Chairman & Country Manager, Citibank Europe Plc (Czech Republic) (1997–2000)

What Akshaya Bhargava could bring to Bank of Ireland Group: Bhargava's deep experience scaling fintech ventures and managing global wealth management at a major international bank positions him uniquely to drive digital innovation while modernizing legacy banking infrastructure. His track record of leading large-scale transformation initiatives and entrepreneurial mindset could accelerate Bank of Ireland's strategic evolution in an increasingly competitive and technologically-driven financial services landscape serving 4 million customers across Ireland.