Name: Dan O'Connor.

Age: 41.

Family: Married to Kathleen, they have two children, Aisling (10) and Ciaran (7).

Career: Qualified as a chartered accountant and worked with KPMG. From there he moved to become financial controller at the B&I Line and joined Woodchester in 1987. It was taken over by GE Capital, the financial services arm of the giant General Electric conglomerate.

Interest and hobbies: Sports fan with a particular love for Leeds United.

Why he is in the news: He is president and chief executive officer of General Electric's global consumer finance operations in Europe. He was recently appointed by GE's chairman and chief executive officer, Mr Jack Welch, to join the 150 key figures in the group.