DCC appoints former-AG Byrne to board

INDUSTRIAL HOLDING company DCC plc has appointed as its incoming deputy chairman and senior independent director David Byrne SC, who as a former attorney general was chief law officer of the State for two years.

The selection of Mr Byrne, also a former EU commissioner for health and consumer protection, comes amid a High Court inquiry into the firm's illegal sale of its shares in Fyffes in early 2000.

His appointment, which takes effect in January, is one of a number of board changes at DCC which were notified to the market yesterday.

From December, former Iona Technologies chairman Kevin Melia will become a non-executive director and Donal Murphy, managing director of DCC Energy, will join the board as an executive director.

DCC said former Irish Association of Pension Funds chairman Paddy Gallagher, a board member for 32 years, had notified the firm of his retirement from December 1st. Former CRH chief Tony Barry, a director since 1995, similarly notified DCC of his intention to retire from February 28th next.

Mr Byrne was attorney general from June 1997 until July 1999 and left to become EU commissioner for health and consumer protection, a post he held until 2004. He was appointed attorney general and nominated to the European Commission by the then taoiseach, Bertie Ahern.

Recently he gave evidence to the Mahon tribunal about the ownership of St Luke's in Drumcondra, the headquarters of Mr Ahern's constituency organisation in Dublin.

While any shares he acquires in DCC will not have to be declared to the market until he takes up his duties, a DCC spokesman declined to say whether he will acquire any shares in the business.

The position of senior independent director in DCC has been open since former AIB chief Michael Buckley became non-executive chairman of the company last May. This followed the resignation of executive chairman Jim Flavin, who was found by the Supreme Court to have been in possession of insider information on Fyffes when executing DCC's sale of its stake in that business.

The entire DCC board repeatedly voiced support Mr Flavin. His departure followed a statement by the Irish Association of Investment Managers that he should not continue in his position and moves by Paul Appleby, the director of corporate enforcement, to seek a High Court inspection of the dealing affair. Bill Shipsey SC was appointed by the court and his work continues.