Irish diplomat gets US bank job

THE IRISH vice-consul in San Francisco has left his post to take up a job with Silicon Valley Bank.

THE IRISH vice-consul in San Francisco has left his post to take up a job with Silicon Valley Bank.

Barry O’Brien, who has worked with the Irish diplomatic service on America’s west coast for four years, will be responsible for corporate innovation and establishing venture groups in some of Silicon Valley’s biggest companies.

The bank has €16.2 billion in assets and recently set up a base in the UK. It also announced an €80 million investment in Irish technology companies over the next five years.

Managing director of Silicon Valley Bank’s venture capital group, Gerald Brady, said Mr O’Brien will work with corporate innovation and help corporate clients establish venture groups.

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“A lot of these companies are global and will have bases in Europe, such as Google or Facebook,” he said. “A lot of the relationships Barry has developed in his role as vice consulate will be important. He has experience dealing with large corporates and he is also very innovative in his own right.”

Mr Brady said Mr O’Brien’s work on securing an internship for Irish students with Nasa and creating a programme for Irish graduates at Silicon Valley Bank had caught the attention of people at the bank.

Under the bank internship, two Irish graduates will be brought to north California every year, to work for a year at the world’s largest venture capital bank on a salary of €40,000.

“We think he will bring a huge amount of professionalism and positive energy to the bank,” said Mr Brady, “and his connections to Ireland are also important as Ireland and the UK are among our nearest markets,” Mr Brady said.

Over the past four years the Irish consulate in San Francisco has been involved in many projects under the guidance of consul general Gerry Staunton.