The death has taken place of Mr John Meagher, deputy chairman and former chief executive of Independent News & Media. Mr Meagher (62), died in Dublin on Wednesday after a short illness.

He is credited as one of the founders of market research in Ireland when, in 1963, he returned from an eight-year period in Canada to found Irish Marketing Surveys. Mr Meagher had gone to Canada directly from secondary school in Blackrock College and it was during this time that he developed a deep interest in the media.

His association with the then Independent Newspapers (now Independent News & Media) began in 1982 when he was appointed a non-executive director. The following year he was appointed deputy chairman and in 1985 he was appointed executive deputy chairman.

Shortly afterwards he was appointed chief executive of the group and served in this position during a period when Independent began expanding from its core Irish media operations. Its overseas newspaper acquisitions began with the acquisition of Australian Provincial Newspapers.

In December 1990, he retired as chief executive but retained his deputy chairman's position until last year when he was succeeded by Mr Liam Healy.

As well as being the largest shareholder in Irish Marketing Surveys, which includes Lansdowne Market Research and Ulster Marketing Surveys, Mr Meagher served on a number of other company boards.

In the late 1980s and early 1990s, he was a non-executive director of the State transport company CIE. More recently he has been chairman of the financial services group Friends First. He was also honorary treasurer of the National Maternity Hospital, Holles Street.

The executive chairman of Independent News & Media, Dr Tony O'Reilly, said: "John Meagher was a special man, generous in word and deed and untouched by envy. He had wit, good humour, candour, was a superb raconteur and had good sound business judgment. We will miss him sorely."