Former Mayboler Andrew Hastings will become President of the Institute of Bankers in Ireland in March of 2012. The Institute is the educational body for the banking industry in Ireland with a membership in excess of 33,000 across Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland.  Press release.

 

Although Andrew didn’t move into Maybole until 1977, aged 13, and having attended Maidens Primary School, he considers himself very much to be a Maybole man. He attended Carrick Academy (as did his sister Janice and brothers Alistair & David). In 1981/82 he was Vice Captain before leaving to study at Dundee University.

 

Always a keen swimmer, Andrew continued to swim long after leaving school and has completed several 5km charity events over the years. At the moment he is focused on running distances of up to half Marathon (best time recently was 1 hour 53 mins in the Great Scottish Run in Glasgow last September).

 

Following the Christmas break, he is gradually getting back into his stride and is preparing for the Caledonian Challenge in June, in which his nephew Duncan McKellar has persuaded him to take part.

 

Andrew joined The Royal Bank of Scotland as a Graduate Trainee in 1985 and worked with them in a variety of jobs and locations (Ayr/Edinburgh/London/Singapore/Birmingham) until 1996, when he joined Banque Paribas in London. In 2001 Paribas was acquired and became BNP Paribas for whom he continued to work in London until 2007 when he moved to Dublin as CEO of BNP Paribas’ Irish operations. In July 2011 Andrew made a renewed commitment to his banking career in Ireland when he joined Barclays Bank Ireland plc as Chief Executive, where he has responsibility for the business in both Republic of Ireland and the Corporate and Wealth Management businesses in Northern Ireland.

 

After a spell of almost twenty years in which he returned to Maybole only for family visits, in 2008 Andrew and his wife Colleen, who is originally from Enfield in London, re-established a local connection when they bought a second home in Maybole. After a period of four years at school in Dublin, their two youngest children Ross and Lorna are living in the town and attend Carrick Academy, whilst their elder brother Callum is studying for his Leaving Certificate at Sutton Park School in Dublin.

 

Andrew is a regular visitor to Maybole and maintains a keen interest in events in the local community.