Financial Services Chief proud of his Ratoath links
November 27, 2010A native of Walkinstown in Dublin, PIBA Chairman Michael Hoare is now happily settled in Ratoath where his son Adam plays for the local GAA's under 8 team and Thomas plays for the under 13's. Michael's daughter Michelle also plays ladies senior Gaelic Football.
"I've been living in Ratoath for the past 10 years and couldn't be happier," enthuses Michael, who also heads up Mentor Financial Planning Consultants with his brother Dermot.
"It's a great community to be a part of and it has maintained its character, despite experiencing a huge housing and population boom in recent years. I live right beside the GAA club, which has to be one of the most progressive in the country. Their facilities are second to none, they have a wonderful underage structure and I think it's only a matter of time before the dedicated club members are rewarded with major success at adult level.
"There is great talent coming through and hopefully Ratoath will have plenty to celebrate in both football and hurling over the next few years."
A Qualified Financial Advisor with over 25 years' experience in the financial services sector, Michael is currently serving his second and final year as chairman of the Professional Insurance Brokers Association (PIBA). After becoming a member of the Association in 2002, he was elected onto the board executive in 2005 and served a term as Vice-Chairman before his election as Chairman (which is a voluntary position) in 2009.
PIBA was formed in 1995 and quickly grew into the largest representative body for insurance brokers in Ireland with approximately 900 members. There is a PIBA member in practically
every local community in Ireland and the organization promotes the highest standards of advice and customer care in the market. Given that the illusion of banks in Ireland providing financial advice has been shattered in recent times, for most communities the only remaining source of independent financial advice and guidance is through the local PIBA broker. Many of PIBA's members are active participants in their local GAA Clubs throughout the country and they have an intimate knowledge and understanding of the needs of local people.
"Our aim is to promote the best practice within the industry," explains Michael. "We work closely with our members to ensure that they are up to speed on the latest regulatory practices and technology changes in order to provide a first class service to their clients. In turn clients benefit from the peace of mind that they have partnered with specialists in their field to protect their family, business and assets now and in the future."
The Chairman's role is demanding but rewarding, according to Michael. It has brought him into contact with senior industry professionals on a regular basis and also with the key political figures who have a key input in relation to the financial services environment. "I receive tremendous support from the Chief Executive of PIBA, Diarmuid Kelly, and his staff who make my life quite easy really. My fellow board members are also hugely committed to ensuring the continued growth and success of the Association. They are always available to provide words of wisdom when the situation warrants it."
Michael's own business, Mentor, provides financial consultancy services to business owners, self-employed professionals and senior employees. "It is clearly a challenging time to be in business and our clients are no different. We work closely with them to ensure that their financial plans reflect the new realities of the current business environment so that they can survive the storm and prosper in the near future. Irish business people are extraordinarily resilient, a quality not to be underestimated. Their ability to adapt and move with the times will lead us out of the prevailing gloom. I'm not naïve to the extent that I do not realize that there have been, and will be, serious casualties of the crisis, but I also believe in the fighting spirit of our entrepreneurs to rise above it."
Mentor works closely with clients to develop a robust financial plan that will stand the test of time. They have a particular focus on protecting an individual's income stream in all circumstances. Clients have become much more conscious of protecting what they have accumulated and gone are the days of foolishly wasting scarce resources. Mentor helps clients to understand the important difference between earning a living and building wealth for the future.
Michael has a wealth of experience in the sector, having performed many senior management roles within Bank of Ireland Lifetime, Standard Life and Friend's First. He also spent a period of time in the IT sector as commercial director of Cambridge Technology Partners, a global, e-business strategic consultancy.
A talented soccer player in his younger days, the affable 47-year-old played for Shamrock Rovers, Home Farm and Drogheda United in the League of Ireland and was also capped by the Republic of Ireland at Schoolboy and Youths level. The Irish team was managed at the time by TV pundits John Giles, with Eamon Dunphy as coach.
Despite his Gaelic football career being confined to his school days in Drimnagh Castle, Michael has always taken a keen interest in the GAA and is a proud Dublin supporter. And since moving to Ratoath, he has followed Meath's fortunes closely.
2010 has been a controversial year for the Royal County with the fallout from the Leinster final victory over Louth leading to Eamonn O'Brien's dismissal as manager and the appointment of former Monaghan boss Seamus McEnaney as the county's first 'outside' manager.
"Meath have hardly been out of the news since the Leinster final, but hopefully Seamus McEnaney's appointment will finally bring closure to what has been a very difficult period for the county," he says.
"Giving McEnaney the manager's job was a big step for Meath, who until now have chosen their managers from within. He will have his own ideas and hopefully people will get behind him and allow him to get on with the job in hand."
On his native Dublin, Michael says: "You would have got long odds on them reaching an All-Ireland semi-final after the beating they took from Meath in Croke Park last June, but you have got to hand it to Pat Gilroy, he kept faith with the young players and they had a very good run after that.
"To run the eventual All-Ireland champions (Cork) to a point was a good achievement and if they can show the same rate of progress in 2011, they should be there or thereabouts when the Sam Maguire is being handed out." Tweet
