AIB chief financial officer Declan McSweeney is to retire at the end of next month. His departure - at the age of 52 - brings to four the number of top managers to leave AIB since Eugene Sheehy succeeded Michael Buckley as chief executive of the Republic's biggest bank at the start of July.
Mr McSweeney will continue to provide financial consultancy services to AIB and he will remain as a board and audit committee member of its business in Poland, Bank Zachodni WBK.
"He has decided to retire from full-time employment with the organisation in order to pursue other business interests both in Ireland and abroad," said AIB in a statement.
Mr McSweeney's retirement after 27 years in the bank gives Mr Sheehy an opportunity to consolidate the top-tier management team he has put in place since he took over from Mr Buckley at the start of last month.
The most high-profile departee is group finance director Gary Kennedy, who is to leave the bank by the end of the year. Mr Kennedy will be replaced in the bank's second most senior management position by John O'Donnell, head of investment banking.
Mr McSweeney's successor will report to Mr O'Donnell, who is joining AIB's board and group executive committee. With responsibility for the financial management of all the group's operations, the role is crucial to the bank's day-to-day performance.
The weeks since Mr Buckley's departure have also seen AIB announce the retirement at the end of the year of Aidan McKeon, who is managing director of its British operation. Mr McKeon, who has been with the bank for 40 years, will be replaced by Robbie Henneberry, general manager in charge of AIB's British branch network.
In addition, Mike Lewis left the role of head of group strategic human resources to establish his own consulting business. His successor was Mary Toomey, formerly deputy head of human resources.
Mr Sheehy praised Mr McSweeney's work for AIB, saying that he held a number of key and influential posts in the financial management area in the bank's Irish and British operations. "The depth of knowledge and experience Declan has brought to all these roles together with the consistent excellence of his professionalism and advice have been greatly appreciated and valued by everyone who has worked with him.
"He will be very much missed and on behalf of myself and all of his colleagues I would like to wish him the very best for the future."
The Buckley era at AIB came to a close last week when the bank reported a 21 per cent increase in profits in the first six months of the year.
With demand for loan and savings accounts on the rise, the bank raised its full-year profit forecast after reporting that pretax profits grew in January-June to €851 million from €706 million in the same period last year.
