30 July 2026: Bank of Ireland (BOI) has appointed Prag Sharma to serve as its first-ever Chief Artificial Intelligence Officer (CAIO). Slated to officially assume the newly minted role this October, Prag will anchor the institution’s ambitious technology overhaul, a core pillar of its modernized operational strategy running through 2028.

Prag transitions to the Irish banking giant following a distinguished decade-long tenure at Citigroup. Most recently, he acted as the Director of Emerging Technologies within the Citi Institute’s Future of Finance think tank. During his time at the global bank, he established and steered the Global AI Centre of Excellence, successfully deploying end-to-end, machine-learning-powered financial products across an expansive 96-country footprint.

Ciarán Coyle, Group Chief Operating Officer at Bank of Ireland, framed the hire as a critical milestone for the company’s long-term trajectory. “AI is a core part of our updated strategy to 2028,” Coyle noted, highlighting that Prag possesses the specific vision, leadership, and technical rigor required to safely unlock the technology’s full value across the Group.

Tasked with architecting BOI’s enterprise-wide AI roadmap, Prag will focus on translating data intelligence capabilities into resilient earnings, process optimization, and enhanced customer experiences. His appointment signals a clear intent from the executive board to embed responsible, scalable artificial intelligence directly into the bank’s core business architecture.

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