Meet the Director-Gerard Donovan

At the Annual General Meeting last month, local business man Gerard Donovan was officially Co-Opted (voted) onto the Smart Money Cymru Community Bank Directors. As the newest addition to the team, we thought we'd get to know a little more about Gerard and what motivated him to volunteer with his local community bank.

Hi Gerard, it's great to meet you! First things first, how long have you been volunteering as a Director of Smart Money Cymru Community Bank?

I have been involved in SMC for three months already.

Time flies! I imagine you've been getting to grips with what the role of a Community Bank director is over the last few months. What is your role as a Director of SMC?

I've come on board as a Director with a financial background, to strengthen the team with my skills.

What interested you in volunteering in the Credit Union sector in particular?

It is important to me to feel that I can both contribute and add value to any organisation. I can best achieve this by using my transferable skills. A credit union is an ideal opportunity to achieve this.

Absolutely, why don't you tell us a bit about yourself and your background.

I'm a Chartered Certified Accountant. I took early retirement at the end of 2023 after serving 23 years in the spectacle manufacturing sector, holding operational, financial and managing director roles in Caerphilly and Bishops Stortford. I'm married with two children. I am lucky enough to be able to split my time between our family home in Newport and a retirement home in the Isle of Wight.

Your background and skills sound like a strong fit with the current Directors. What’s your proudest moment/favourite memory/greatest achievement at SMC so far?

Simply being invited to join as a director. It's too early to have achieved much beyond this at this early stage but I have ambitions.

Oh, tell me about more about these ambitions for your time at SMC. 

To give back to the community. I have a great deal to be thankful to the people of Caerphilly during my working life so take great pleasure in giving something back.

As a Director of a Community Bank, you have plenty of opportunities to give back and support our communities. Bonus question: Do you have a special talent that no one would expect you to have? What is it?

Sadly no! But as you'll see from my photo, I do love a BBQ!

We're looking forward to having Gerard on the Board of Directors. If you would like to know more about any of our volunteer opportunities, please get in touch for an informal discussion about what skills you could bring to your local Credit Union.