Danske Bank has named Dr Fiona Browne as its inaugural head of Artificial Intelligence (AI), with responsibility for directing the bank's AI strategy and adoption across the organisation.

Browne joins the bank from fintech firm 9fin and brings more than 18 years' experience in AI and machine learning across industry and academia. She was previously Chief Technology Officer at Datactics, where she led the delivery of AI-driven solutions for banking and government clients.

In the new role, she will establish and lead an AI centre of excellence in Belfast and work alongside Danske Bank’s Head of Data & Analytics, Lyndsay Shields, as part of the bank’s targeted investment in AI and data. The centre, together with the bank’s data strategy and market-leading technologies, is intended to create additional value for customers. Liam Curran, Danske Bank's Chief Information Officer, said: "We've been leveraging AI for some time and more recently, exploring potential applications of Generative AI, investing in upskilling and making significant progress in adoption, simplification, and the development of new solutions. Yet we're really only scratching the surface. Fiona's expertise in artificial intelligence and machine learning will strengthen our capabilities and help us unlock the transformative potential of both AI and data to drive innovation, make daily banking more convenient, and ultimately free up time for our colleagues to spend time on the things that add the most value."

Browne added: "Danske Bank has demonstrated real leadership in adopting Generative AI responsibly and driving innovation. I'm delighted to join the team at Danske at a time of significant digital development and investment and look forward to helping the bank realise the opportunities AI offers to provide an even better banking experience for our customers and to help colleagues in their roles."