CFO Outlook: Overseeing Ireland’s health budget to make a difference, with Stephen Mulvany, HSE

Managing the finances of any organisation is challenging at the best of times, but when that organisation is the Health Service Executive, and the country is in the midst of a pandemic, the role of CFO takes on a whole new meaning.  

Stephen Mulvany is acutely aware that the HSE and the services it provides touches the lives of every citizen in the country. As such, his position as CFO is particularly high-profile, requiring an impeccable approach to accountability and transparency, and an ability to deal with the pressures of public opinion. However, he believes that one “could not expect anything less in a democracy”.    

In this episode of The EY CFO Outlook Podcast, HSE CFO Stephen Mulvany talks to host Vincent Wall about his role in securing, managing and accounting for the largest health budget in the history of the State. They discuss: 

• The relationship between the HSE and the Department of Health – a strong partnership, forged over many years, with some ‘healthy tensions’ 
• His pride about the major investment being made in community care and why this strategy is so important 
• The HSE position as largest property holder in the State, maintaining over two thousand buildings across the country 
• The modernisation and integration of the HSE’s financial system 
• His admiration for Nelson Mandela.