Mark MurphyOccupation: Chief executive, The Irish Kidney Association.
Personal/family: Wife Frances.
What figure from the world of medicine or health do you most admire?
Dr Willem Kolff, the 95-year-old Dutch man who invented the kidney dialysis machine in 1945 using a cellophane membrane. Around 1.3 million people are on the treatment worldwide. The man should get a Nobel Prize.
What other career might you have chosen?
I've had various careers in my life so far. I used to work as a plant and machinery auctioneer and valuer for Lisney and I also co-founded a dog-food manufacturing business. Having done what I've done I'm very happy trying to achieve my current ambitions.
If you could grant three wishes for the health service, what would they be?
Establishment of a living kidney transplantation programme in Ireland; the start of humane dialysis treatment times for patients between 8am and 8pm (some people have to be dialysed in the middle of the night in Ireland because of pressures on the service); and introduction of holidays with treatment as a right for dialysis patients.
What is your greatest fear?
Blindness. If I'm going to lose any sense, my sight is the one I want to hold on to.
Have you ever been a patient and were you a good one?
Yes, I had a back operation and my doctors found me too cynical and too demanding of real answers to my questions.
When or where are you happiest?
Playing golf on a foreign championship course with my wife Frances.
How do you cope with stress?
I don't get stressed. People I work with tell me it's because I laugh a lot and I've a warm sense of humour. I think it's because I can departmentalise and move on.
What is the trait you most admire in yourself?
I can get to the root of a problem quickly by listening properly to both sides of the argument.
What is the trait you most dislike in yourself?
With all I've learned from the medical profession, I still have no desire to give up smoking.
Do you use alternative medicine or therapies?
No, I've no time for them. Complementary therapies have their uses. But I have no need to use them yet.
Who or what makes you laugh?
Off-the-cuff comedy programmes where people have to find their wit live on TV like The Panel and Have I Got News For You.
What is your motto?
If you lose the ability to laugh at a situation, you're in trouble.
What is your favourite TV or radio programme?
I'm addicted to the West Wing and I'm willing to confess that I admire and enjoy Pat Kenny's radio show.
What books would you bring to a desert island?
A crossword, sudoku and puzzle book and maybe a DIY manual.
(Interview by Fiona Tyrrell)