Dr John Hogan, who died on March 21st aged 53, was for the last 30 years one of Ireland's foremost professional financial analysts.
Since the 1980s he was also one of the country's leading corporate finance advisers. This pre-eminence, gained at a very young age, was based on an outstanding academic record along with a great ability to apply the theory. His winning card though was his great sense of fun.
John Hogan was born in Derreen, Mullagh, Ennis, Co Clare on April 4th, 1946. He was one of four children born to Mai (nee O'Loughlin) and Patrick Hogan, both of whom pre-deceased him.
Following an injury to his hand when he was just two he needed specialist medical care which was only then available in Dublin. Whilst there, he attended Colaiste Mhuire, Parnell Square for both his primary and secondary education. Subsequently he went to UCD on a scholarship at 16 years of age. In 1966 a B.Comm was conferred on him followed by an M.EconSc. He won the Irish University Graduates of New England Association scholarship to Boston College where he came first in the MBA class of 1969.
He was one of the first in Ireland with an American MBA and on his return home he was eagerly sought after by both the academic and business worlds. He joined UCD's Faculty of Commerce and shortly afterwards, in 1970, he also started work for Dudgeon Stockbrokers as a financial analyst and where he eventually became a partner. It was here also that he met many of his future colleagues who would set up Riada Stockbrokers.
He met his future wife, Aideen Peyton, of Charlestown, Co Mayo, a nurse in Baggot St Hospital, Dublin in 1968. They married in 1970.
Despite his work with UCD and Dudgeon and the birth of his daughter, Aideen, in 1972, he qualified as an Associate of the Certified Accountants in 1977, becoming a Fellow in 1982. He also took and subsequently lectured in the Stock Exchange exams.
In the late 1970s, along with his wife and daughter, he emigrated to Africa. He worked for one year on the treasury side of a copper mining company in Zambia (which President Kaunda asked him to run - an offer he declined) and for a further year he ran the Accounting School of East Africa in Nairobi. Along with his family, he returned to Ireland in 1980, enticed home by Professors Michael McCormack and Des Hally who both wanted him to come back to lecture in UCD. Within a fortnight of his return he was also working for the fund management firm, Frank Fagan and Associates which was subsequently taken over by Hill Samuel. In 1985 he completed his Ph.D thesis entitled The Public Policy Implications of the Growth of Long Term Institutional Funds in Ireland. In 1987 he joined Riada Stockbrokers where, according to industry surveys, he became the country's leading banking analyst. While with Riada he also advised the trustees of the ESB Pension Fund. With the take-over by ABN Amro Bank of Riada in the early 1990s he turned his attention to corporate finance where he worked on many major deals including Telecom Eireann, Irish Permanent and the proposed ICC/ACC merger. In July 1999 he was diagnosed with cancer but continued to work almost until the day he died.
But if his work outlined the man it was a sense of fun that coloured him. A former colleague described him as having a sense of humour which was "puckish but never malicious".
Another colleague described how he always attracted a grouping because he was sure to have "the latest gossip" gleaned over a lunch table or picked up in the locker room after tennis, a game he played twice weekly. He also skied, flew an aeroplane, worked for his favourite charity, Eyes for Africa, and advised Fianna Fail on a number of policy committees.
John Hogan is survived by his wife Aideen, daughter Aideen, brother Michael and sisters Nora and Anne.
Dr John Hogan: born 1946; died March, 2000