The next US ambassador to Ireland will be the multi-millionaire Irish-American founder of the computer giant EMC, Mr Dick Egan, The Irish Times has confirmed from unofficial sources. The White House would neither confirm nor deny the nomination.
The appointment to succeed the highly regarded Mr Michael Sullivan, a former governor of Wyoming, marks a significant shift in the US emphasis from political to economic support for the peace process.
This is understood to reflect the priorities of President Bush's National Security Adviser, Dr Condoleezza Rice.
Massachussetts-based Mr Egan, a long-time prominent Republican and Bush fundraiser, has brought his information storage company from its launch in a garage in 1979 to the ranks of the Fortune 500. It now employs 23,000 workers in 50 countries, including Ireland.
Some 1,549 workers are employed at Ballincollig, Co Cork. It was established in 1988 and has sales offices in Dublin and Belfast. From Ireland it runs its European finance operation, customer services, software services and e-business. In February EMC shares were named by the Wall Street Journal as top of its 10-year performance league. The company expects to turn over $12 billion this year. Mr Egan, who still has to be formally confirmed both by the Irish Government and the US Senate, has shown considerable interest in his Irish roots.
He has been a contributor to the American Ireland Fund and has been involved in encouraging investment in Ireland. Although he has no diplomatic experience, he has met a number of Irish ministers.
He began his professional career at Honeywell in 1961. His company was floated in 1986 and Mr Egan was elected chairman in 1988. He held the position of president and chief executive officer until January 1992. He was named founder and chairman emeritus last January.
Mr Egan was not available for comment.
Other names that had been tipped were the former chairman of the Republican Party, Mr Jim Nicholson, now expected to be nominated to the Vatican embassy; a former Reagan speechwriter, Ms Peggy Noonan; New York banker and former gubernatorial aide, Mr Mike Finnegan, and a former Democratic mayor of Boston, Mr Ray Flynn.
