EBS BUILDING society has appointed Emer Finnan, an executive director of the building society since 2007, as finance director. She will succeed Alan Merriman, who left the mutual society last May.

Ms Finnan, who has responsibility for strategy, legal and company secretarial services, had been filling the role of finance director on an acting basis since then.

Mr Merriman and chairman Mark Moran stepped down after the building society posted a loss of €38 million in 2008 and admitted making mistakes by moving into development lending at the peak of the property boom.

Prior to joining EBS, Ms Finnan was a director with NCB Corporate Finance with responsibility for financial services, advising on a number of financial transactions.

Ms Finnan previously worked with ABN Amro, Citibank and KPMG. NCB is, with KPMG Corporate Finance, advising EBS in its merger talks with the Irish Nationwide Building Society.

The building society has yet to appoint a new chairman following Mr Moran’s departure last May.

Ms Finnan is one of the few female bankers holding senior roles across the domestic banks. She joins Gillian Bowler, who is chairman of Irish Life Permanent, and Margaret Sweeney, chief executive of Postbank, a joint venture with An Post as a partner.

Mr Merriman has recently taken up a role as a director and chief operating officer of Elkstone Capital, a new boutique corporate finance firm set up by former Barclays executive Roger Jenkins and run out of the IFSC in Dublin.

Fergus Murphy, chief executive of EBS, said that Ms Finnan brings “exceptional experience and skills to the role of finance director”.

The building society said that in line with regulatory requirements, EBS has “considered potential conflicts of interest and is satisfied that none exist”.