BDO in Ireland appoints New Partners, Mags Brennan, Turlough O’Brolchain and Ronan Harbourne

The new Partners have been appointed as part of BDO in Ireland’s strategy to grow market presence in key areas and assist the firm in meeting the growing demand for expertise and advisory on the diverse challenges facing businesses in Ireland today.  

Mags Brennan is an experienced banking professional with over 25 years of experience operating at senior leadership level across multiple areas of banking and geographies. She has considerable experience in leading strategic change for well-managed growth in business lending and supporting appropriate portfolio management in business lending units. She has led Business Lending teams in AIB and Permanent TSB across new business and restructuring in Ireland, Europe and North America. Mags has in-depth sector knowledge, broad market, and structuring experience.

Brennan has been involved with multiple market stakeholders over the years, including SFA/IBEC, Chambers, EI, SBCI, ISIF, and MicroFinance Ireland. Mags has been a board member of Cork Chamber and is a current board member of Chambers Ireland and MFI. Mags was also Past President and Chairman of the Chambers Ireland board.

She has an MBA from DCU and is a member of the Institute of Bankers and Institute of Directors, having completed the Chartered Director program in 2021.

In her role as debt advisory partner, Mags provides advice and support to businesses on their debt funding requirements supporting M&A, Capex and Working Capital. Mags works closely with the BDO Corporate Finance team providing Debt Advisory to Equity firms operating in the Irish market, supporting their M&A activities and ambitions.

Turlough O’Brolchain becomes a Partner in the Financial Services sector team with more than 20 years of experience providing audit and related services to a wide range of clients, working with BDO in Ireland, the Cayman Islands and Australia.

He leads the Financial Services team at BDO and holds particular expertise in aircraft leasing, structured finance and asset management. He has extensive experience in delivering a thorough and robust audit while at the same time giving the owners/management valuable feedback on the key audit findings and recommendations for how improvements can be made.

Through working with BDO in the Cayman Islands, Turlough acquired extensive knowledge within the Hedge Fund space and has established strong working relationships with major fund administrators across numerous jurisdictions whilst coordinating an extensive portfolio of asset management audits. Turlough holds a BBS from Trinity College Dublin and is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in Ireland.

Ronan Harbourne has vast experience in all aspects of accounting, auditing, financial management and reporting and has worked across various fields, including property, service, hotel and leisure, construction, manufacturing, and distribution. His specialties include the auditing of SMEs.

Ronan joined BDO in Ireland in 2002 as a Senior Manager before becoming an Audit Director in 2017. He is a Chartered Accountant with a BA in Accounting and Finance from DCU.

Commenting on the Audit Partner appointments, Managing Partner of BDO in Ireland, Brian McEnery, said:

“We are delighted to announce the appointments of Turlough O’Brolchain and Ronan Harbourne as Audit Partners. Both Turlough and Ronan bring a wealth of experience to their roles and have made tremendous contributions to the success of BDO in Ireland, I look forward to seeing them progress in their new roles.”

“We have a highly skilled Audit team advising our clients across a range of industry sectors and have ambitious plans to grow the practice in the coming years. I look forward to seeing the contributions Ronan and Turlough will make as members of our Audit leadership team.”

Commenting on Mags Brennan's appointment, Managing Partner of BDO in Ireland, Brian McEnery, said:

“As we continue to invest in BDO Ireland, the appointment of Mags Brennan is an important part of the continued growth of the company. The area of debt advisory has taken on significant importance in Ireland with the introduction of new lenders to the market along with the traditional banks. Mags’s extensive knowledge and experience in the field will undoubtedly enhance our capabilities and further strengthen our position as a leading financial advisory firm."

Commenting on her appointment, Mags Brennan said:

“I am honoured to be joining the debt advisory team at BDO as a partner in what is a very exciting time for the business. I’m really looking forward to working with Katharine Byrne, Brian McEnery and the broader experienced BDO team. My focus will be on helping Corporate and SME clients to navigate the ever-changing Irish Debt and Financing market to find the best outcomes for their business.”