With much trumpeting, Global Finance magazine this week unveiled its list of the "600 most powerful people in finance". Three people on the list are included as being Irish - Dermot Desmond, who made a tasty profit this week on his Celtic share, Tony O'Reilly and Tony Ryan. The few paragraphs on the latter begin: "Ireland adores its rascals" and goes on to laud Ryan as "a master of cash-flow and leverage . . . now making a remarkable comeback with low-fare airline Ryanair".
A little confusingly, listed under "Britain" is Peter Sutherland who, the magazine gushes, "is known in Ireland as `the best prime minister we never had'." Now the Margin is aware of quite a few who aspire to that title!
Meanwhile, in a nod to Unilever's peculiar corporate culture, Sligo-born Niall Fitzgerald is listed under "Netherland/Britain".
One thing that Global Finance did get right is including the ubiquitous Richard Branson in its "Who's Out" list, alongside a motley crew of retired Mexican central bankers, deceased corporate executives and the Margin's old friend "Chainsaw Al" - the legendary US cost-cutter who was axed himself for failing to turn around Sunbeam. And a big prize for anyone who can pronounce and place Chaiyawat Wibulswasidi. Of course, you all knew he was the Thai central banker who fell with the bhat.
