DR Eddie O'Connor (49), has been chief executive of Bord na Mona for nine years. He joined the company from the ESB, where he was fuel purchasing manager.
Born in Elphin, Co Roscommon, he was educated at Blackrock College, Dublin, and studied chemical engineering at UCD. He took a strong interest in politics while at college and said he once held views that were "left of Mao". His involvement with left wing politics while at college earned him the epithet "The Red". He was the first paid president of the Student Representative Council, but rejected the idea of a full time career in politics and instead went to work for the ESB.
He worked his way up through the ESB, taking a masters in industrial engineering. In 1985 he was appointed fuel purchasing manager. He applied for the top job at Bord na Mona when it became vacant following the departure of Mr Paddy MacEvilly. Dr O'Connor was seen as the protege of the then chairman, Mr Brendan Halligan, a former Labour Party general secretary. Mr Halligan, who has his own public affairs consultancy, CIPA, retired as chairman last year and was replaced by Mr Pat Dineen.
A good rugby player, Mr O'Connor won a senior cup medal for Connacht and captained a cup winning team for the Dublin club, Lansdowne. He also trained rugby teams at Lansdowne and his training techniques included pre match yoga.
He recently attracted attention making a speech criticising the Government's policy towards enterprise. He criticised the State's ownership of commercial assets, claiming it had been a recipe for "poor decision making, uncommercial timescales and interference".
He said: "I hold the State, in all its manifestations, wholly responsible for the lack of flair, creativity and innovation in Irish business."