The managing director of Aughinish Alumina Ltd on the Shannon Estuary, Ms Cynthia Carroll, is to be made vice-president of Alcan Aluminium Ltd and is to take up the new role at Alcan headquarters in Montreal in Canada.

She will take over responsibility for bauxite, alumina and chemicals for the world-wide Alcan organisation. Her new appointment begins on October 1st and her successor at the west Limerick plant will be named at a later date.

US-born Ms Carroll, a mother of three children, has been managing director at Aughinish since January 1996. She is a member of the board of Shannon Development and of the governing body of the University of Limerick.