Harney Announces Enterprise Ireland Board

Mary Harney, Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment today (Thursday, 9th July 1998) announced the names of her appointees to the Board of Enterprise Ireland, the new State agency for enterprise development. The Industrial Development (Enterprise Ireland) Bill, 1998 establishing the new agency was recently passed by the Oireachtas.

Enterprise Ireland brings together the skills and resources of An Bord Trachtala, Forbairt and the Services to Business function of FÁS to deliver integrated developmental supports to Irish enterprise.

"Enterprise Ireland will be a dynamic new organisation dedicated to meeting the developmental needs of its clients in a streamlined, flexible way" said the Tánaiste. "The appointments to the Board reflect this by combining a broad spectrum of expertise and experience across a range of business sectors."

The Board will be headed up by Mr Pat Molloy, former Chief Executive of Bank of Ireland. Mr Molloy was appointed as Chairperson of Forbairt last February.

"The task of helping Irish industry to achieve a Sustainable Competitive Advantage leading to a significant long term increase in sales, exports and employment is a challenging one" said the Tanaiste.

Ms Harney indicated that the new Agency would have to operate within clearly defined strategic guidelines which she was at present in the process of finalising.

Details of the Board members are as follows:

The Board will be headed up by Mr Pat Molloy, former Chief Executive of Bank of Ireland. Mr Molloy was appointed as Chairperson of Forbairt last February.

Ms. Perdisatt is General Manager of EMC Ireland, a leading international electronics company employing a 1,000 people in Cork. Ms. Perdisatt has responsibility for the manufacture and test of all products destined for the company's international markets. Prior to her appointment as General Manager she was Materials Director with the company for 8 years. She previously held a number of positions with high tech companies.

Mr. Dilger is the Chief Executive Officer of Greencore and has an extensive track record in the Irish food industry. Mr Dilger is a member of the outgoing board of Forbairt.

Mr Mc Gowan is the outgoing CEO of IDA Ireland, having been mananging director of its predecessor since 1990.

Ms Mac Sharry is Marketing Manager of Boots Healthcare, an Irish based subsidiary of Boots Co. Plc and a leading supplier of over the counter medicines and cosmetics in the Irish Market. She previously worked for the IDA, specialising in the healthcare and pharmaceutical sectors. She is a member of the Marketing Institute of Ireland.

Mr O Halloran is the founder and Managing Director of BOCOM International, an indigenous high technology company which develops and sells products for the global digital communications market. Previously, Mr O'Halloran worked with RTE where he established the Aertel Teletext service and was its first Managing Editor. Mr O Halloran is a member of the outgoing board of Forbairt.

Mr. Flinter is the Chief Executive Officer designate of Enterprise Ireland. He was previously Chief Executive Officer of Forbairt and was formerly Executive Director of the Industrial Development Authority.

Mr. Costello is a Principal Officer at the Department of Enterprise Trade and Employment. His background is in science and technology and industrial policy. He has been centrally involved in the establishment of Enterprise Ireland. He previously worked in management in the private sector (FMCG).

Ms. O Callaghan is a founding partner in Callaghan Engineering, an indigenous Consulting Engineering Firm which was formed in 1990 and is currently Director of Finance and Marketing at the firm. She previously worked in the medical research field at Holles St Hospital.

Mr. Collins is a Director of Collins Consultancy Services. He previously held a range of positions in sales and marketing.

Mr Fitzpatrick has an extensive background in agriculture and the meat industry. A Member of the Association of Cost and Management Accounts, Mr Fitzpatrick is a member of the outgoing ABT Board.

Mr Kearney was a co-founder and is Executive Chairman of PM (Project Management Group). PM is the largest Engineering Design and Project Management company in Ireland, currently employing 700 people. The group has been responsible for wide range of significant engineering projects including the Bord Gais interconnector and the new IBM technology campus at Mulhuddart.