Patricia Callan was yesterday named as the new director of the Small Firms Association (SFA).

Ms Callan, who has held the position of assistant director at the SFA since 2000, is replacing the former head Pat Delaney, who was appointed as director of business sectors at lobby group IBEC in January.

The SFA, a unit of IBEC, is a national organisation that represents the needs of small enterprises in Ireland. It provides advice to small business on issues ranging from the economy to employee relations and social affairs. The SFA provides professional support to its 8,000 member companies.

In the run-up to the budget, the SFA's main campaign was for an increase in the National Pension Reserve Fund. It criticised the Government, saying that instead of managing the pension time bomb, it was in fact continuing to create one.

Ms Callan holds a BA in Economics from Trinity College Dublin and an MA in International Studies from the University of Limerick.

In his eight years at the head of the SFA, Mr Delaney built the profile of the small business sector in Ireland, something Ms Callan will be hoping to continue.