FORMER CIE chairman Mr Eamon Walsh and Irish Trade Board chief executive Mr Alan McCarthy have been appointed to the advisory board of ABN AMRO Bank. They will act with the bank's chairman, Mr Edmund Williams and former deputy chairman of GPA, Mr Maurice Foley, on its advisory board.

Announcing the appointments yesterday, ABN AMRO's chief executive and country manager, Mr Ed Merbis, said their experience and advice would be of "considerable benefit" in determining the bank's strategy for development of its products and services.

Mr Walsh, who resigned as chairman of CIE last year, is the former chief executive of the Hibernian Group.

Mr McCarthy is to retire as chief executive of the Irish Trade Board this year and is a director of Forfas.

ABN AMRO has a Dublin branch, a company in the International Financial Services Centre and owns Riada Stockbrokers.