It is his time as chief executive of Beaumont Hospital in Dublin, from 1988 to 1994, that has really qualified Michael McLoone for the troubled chair of the IBTS.
This was a fraught period in the neurosurgery department and included the sacking of a consultant by the hospital board. The controversy involved allegations of professional misconduct, a Medical Council investigation, High Court hearings and much negative publicity.
Mr McLoone was chief executive throughout this period and emerged with his reputation and that of the hospital unscathed. He also emerged with a reputation as a manager well able to handle the most difficult of situations.
The difficult situation which he faces in the IBTS could be said to date back to 1994. Then, Dr Joan Power, in the Cork centre of the then Blood Transfusion Service Board, uncovered the Hepatitis C scandal.
Part of the fall-out from that scandal and the catalogue of horrors that flowed from it was an expert report which recommended that all blood-testing facilities be concentrated in state-of-the-art facilities in Dublin. This was, naturally, seen as a threat to the Cork centre but the policy was firmly backed by the Minister for Health, Mr Cowen.
But last year his successor, Mr Martin, appointed three Cork people to the board of the IBTS as well as Mr Pat Farrell, former general secretary of Fianna Fail.
By effectively giving the Cork region a dominating position on the board, Mr Martin could hardly have expected the transfer of blood-testing to Dublin to go ahead smoothly.
And it did not. Last January, Dr Power was removed from a number of key committees and lost some of her managerial functions. Staff were threatening industrial action.
Today those who passionately want to retain a blood-testing centre in Cork must be hoping that with a general election looming, they might eventually extract from Mr Martin a decision to retain the blood-testing centre there.
All this makes Mr McLoone's job look daunting but he has sailed through stormy waters before and might just do so again - if he can be sure where the ship is headed.