Deirdre O’Connor is the CFO of BlackRock Alternatives Investment Funds, accounting for $300+ billion of assets under management, and is a managing director. Previously, she was a managing director at Goldman Sachs Asset Management.

Deirdre is Chair of the Nicsa Diversity Project, North America. She holds/held various board of directors’ roles, including all the Women’s Bond Club, the Irish Repertory Theatre, and Goal and Concern.  Deirdre was the international adviser to the Irish Financial Services Advisory Committee. She is a founding member of New York Digital Irish and Digital Irish Angels. She sits on the SIFMA Digital Assets Blockchain Forum. She studied Blockchain at MIT.  She is a fellow at the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants and a Chartered Global Management Accountants member.

Born in Cobh, County Cork, Deirdre lives in New York City with her husband, Feargal, and their three children, Cliona, Colin, and Ava. She is “extremely proud of her Irish heritage” and calls it “the foundation upon which I approach life and work. Key values ingrained in the Irish culture are hard work, building long-term relationships, and sharing lessons learned with the next generation.”