THE FORMER taoiseach Bertie Ahern has joined the international advisory board of one of Ireland's most successful property and investment groups.
Mr Ahern yesterday attended the inaugural meeting of the Parker Green International advisory board in Malta, where it was presented with various investment possibilities on the Mediterranean island. The advisory board and senior executives of Parker Green also met Maltese prime minister Lawrence Gonzi.
Parker Green, based in Newry, is owned by Dr Gerald O'Hare, who founded the group in 1996. It has development and investment property in Ireland, Britain, mainland Europe and in the US.
Mr Ahern's resignation as taoiseach in May coincided with the decision of Parker Green to set up an international advisory board containing international figures.
"Bertie Ahern happened to come up at the time and we're delighted to get him," Dr O'Hare told The Irish Times. "We see Bertie Ahern as a great ambassador for our company as we go forward." He said he had no relationship with Mr Ahern prior to the appointment.
The firm said it would not disclose any information on how much Mr Ahern would be paid. It is envisaged the advisory board will hold quarterly meetings.
In July it was announced that Mr Ahern had been appointed to the World Economic Forum's Global Agenda Council on Negotiation and Conflict Resolution.
The advisory board of Parker Green also includes two members of the UK House of Lords - Lord Alf Dubs, a Labour Party politician, and Lord Dennis Rogan, a prominent crossbench peer and businessman and leader of the Ulster Unionist Party in the Lords.
Other board members include Harvard University's Prof Richard Peiser, an expert in real estate development and urban planning; Michael Gibbons, a senior executive with French bank BNP Paribas, and Gregory Tosko, a vice-chairman of property services firm CB Richard Ellis in New York.
Parker Green concentrates on commercial and retail developments but is considering widening its interests, "though we'll probably never stray too far" from property, Dr O'Hare said. It developed the Fairgreen centre in Carlow and in 2005, it bought a development site from Waterford Crystal.