Emer Finnan is to leave Investec Corporate Finance Ireland Ltd to head up the Dublin operation of Kildare Partners, a new investment fund being established by the successful American entrepreneur and Sunderland Football Club owner Ellis Short.

Managing director
Ms Finnan will be a partner with the UK-based private equity fund and managing director of its Irish arm. She is due to leave Investec at the end of next week.

Mr Short, who hails from Missouri and made his money as co-founder of Lone Star Funds, has yet to reveal how much funding Kildare Partners will raise but reports in the trade press earlier this year suggested it would be up to €1 billion. This is expected to be invested in distressed property assets and non-performing loans across Europe, including Ireland. Kildare Partners would be expected to eye the loans being put up for sale by the liquidators of Irish Bank Resolution Corporation. These are to be sold in tranches in September and October. The Government has decided that the IBRC loan sales must be agreed by the end of the year or be transferred to the National Asset Management Agency to be worked out over time. At Investec, Ms Finnan has led a team of five corporate financiers specialising in advising financial services clients.