The North's enterprise minister, Sir Reg Empey, has announced the outstanding seven appointees to the board of Invest Northern Ireland, the new economic development agency which came into being yesterday, writes Monika Unsworth, in Belfast.

Prof Fabian Monds, who has chaired the shadow board since it was set up in August 2001, has been confirmed chairman. He is emeritus professor of information systems at the University of Ulster.

The other appointees are Ms Deborah Boyd, proprietor and director of waste management and environment consultancy for Would-U-Like Group business advice centre; Prof Roy Crawford, the pro-vice chancellor for R&D at Queen's University, Belfast; Prof Bernie Hannigan, dean of the faculty of life and health sciences at the University of Ulster, Coleraine, Co Derry; Ms Debra Jenkins, managing director of B9 Energy Biomass; Ms Rotha Johnston, strategic development, marketing and human resources director of Variety Foods, Belfast, who will serve as deputy chairwoman of the board; Mr Owen Lamont, chairman and chief executive, GEM; Ms Rosemary Peters-Gallagher, partner in Moore Stephens chartered accountants and registered auditors, Coleraine.

They will join seven existing board members who have been in office since last August - Mr Frank Bunting, Northern Secretary of the INTO; Dr Patrick Haren, chief executive of Viridian; Mr Gilbert Little, founder and shareholder of a number of companies; Dr Alan McClure, president and chief executive of Perfecseal; Mr Bill McGinnis, chairman of McAvoy Group; Mr Derek Shaw, director of Elmfield Management Services, Linden Foods Ltd and Shaws Farms; and Ms Teresa Townsley, MTF's managing partner.