The vastly experienced former Department of Enterprise secretary general aims to improve Irish academic levels as principal of UCD's new business college, writes Una McCaffrey

It is probably best to get one thing straight at the very start, just to avoid confusion: Paul Haran is not an arrogant man. He does not wish to be arrogant and he does not behave in an arrogant manner. In fact, the only reason you might be thinking of the word "arrogant" at all is that Haran himself keeps insisting the term doesn't apply to him.

His worst fear seems to be that people will look at his achievements, link them to him and assume he should take all the credit.

He might be fighting a losing battle with that one, but he will persevere all the same.

Haran, a career civil servant who retired late last year after 29 years in the job, is best known for his seven-year tenure as secretary general of the Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment.

Coinciding as it did with the most rapid economic expansion in the State's history, the job allowed Haran to live through the interesting times that many careers fail to provide (alas he never kept a diary).

And even better: retiring before he reached 50 has allowed him the freedom to seek more career stimulation in a completely new arena. This has brought him to his new position: principal of UCD's newly created College of Business and Law.

It is indeed a departure, but one which Haran would describe more as an evolution. He used to work on business and jobs and now he works on education - the bit that comes before business and jobs.

It makes sense when you think about it, but that does not mean it is naturally easy to become the first outsider to head a college at the university. The job has an awkward combination of academia and commercialism, of money and intellectual thought.

"It is about having to lead rather than direct," says Haran diplomatically.

He says he was attracted to the post by Dr Hugh Brady, the university's president, who, he says, has a "very focused approach".

Haran took on his new chairman-like position over the summer, starting work about a week after he did the interview.

As far as the Smurfit school and UCD go, there is a "great challenge to make sure that we can compete globally", says Haran. He argues that this should not be measured by league tables but by "absolute performance".

In judging UCD's presence in business and law, Haran is reluctant to look back at how things may have worked in the past for fear of offending others.

He acknowledges, however, that the college needs to raise its profile abroad to attract more international students. This could come, he says, by selecting an area of excellence in which it could be globally recognised.

"It's no good being the first person in Europe to understand something," says Haran, who has his eyes on UCD people being first in the world to make waves.

His current role involves overseeing a budget of more than €30 million which is provided centrally by UCD. This amount, which would be staggering to some, does not faze the former secretary general of a department that had an annual spend of about €1 billion; but then little does.

The lightness with which Haran carries his responsibilities is indeed striking, particularly since his new job has coincided with his appointment to no fewer than three company boards. Nowadays, Bank of Ireland and Glanbia must jostle for his attention alongside the Mater Private Hospital, while Haran has also chaired a Government working group on legal costs and is involved with august institutions such as the Economic and Social Research Institute and the Irish Management Institute. He also chairs Forfás's taxation advisory committee and is a trustee of the Millennium Trust.

The main difference between his old and new lives, he suggests, is that where he once had a job with a range of activities, he now has a "portfolio".

It is no surprise that private sector firms have been lining up to recruit him - he has an almost unrivalled insight into the place where politics and business meet.

His old job also brought him into contact with all the movers and shakers in the business world, bringing him a perspective on commercial activities that many others might lack.

There is an irony, for example, in the corporate governance duties that come with directorships, given that Haran was a driver behind their development.

He acknowledges that there are "myriad" stakeholders in companies these days and says he is responsible in many ways for ensuring their welfare.

"I try to make my contribution," he says, adding that his "plate is not necessarily full".

Haran admits that his new life is not the result of a plan, with all of his current roles having emerged after he retired in 2004. They have thrust him into a new world, one which he acknowledges is very different to the "objective reality" of life around politics.

There, he explains, you always have a minister (it was mostly Mary Harney) in front of you, or behind you. He says the important thing is always to "do what you think is right for proper reasons".

"If you're constantly looking over your shoulder, you can't be effective," is a classic Haran philosophy. Another is that, while you need to influence the collective view, you should always realise that it is just that: the collective view.

As far as the results of his reign go, Haran is typically philosophical: "I was delighted but not terribly surprised that we eliminated long-term unemployment," he says. Equally, there was no surprise at the inflows of foreign direct investment that helped to transform the economy. "I don't think that you can have ambition and then be surprised when you achieve it," he says.

As secretary general, Haran came into contact with a wide universe of people around the world - from chief executives of multinationals to Chinese premiers. The common theme, he says, was an interest in the Republic and how it has moved itself along over the past couple of decades. This has, of course, led us into a new reality which requires a new approach.

Now that other countries are "aping" what happened in the Republic, we need more people who "make ideas", Haran says.

"Ireland needs to be in the forefront of wealth creation and to do this, we need to be at the forefront of skills creation."

Quantifying the way we have to go, Haran suggests that the 20 per cent difference between GNP and GDP - about €5 billion in the third quarter of 2004 alone - is "the price we pay for other people's ideas". "We should try to ensure that GNP rises to catch up with GDP," he says.

The vision is all about internationalising, with Haran pointing to a number of Irish firms such as Jefferson Smurfit, CRH and Kerry that have already done this successfully.

Irish companies should have no fear of expanding operations into China and India, he suggests.

He also highlights the input of individuals, such as Taoiseach Bertie Ahern, in negotiating the EU Constitution.

Irishwoman Catherine Day's recent appointment as secretary general of the European Commission, which saw her filling an Irishman's shoes, is another example of Irish greatness, in Haran's eyes. Roy Keane is also a "leader" in his own field, he says.

These people are all representative of a change in Irish society, one which allows "a general acceptance that Irish people can aspire to being the best", according to Haran.

All of this may sound overly evangelical coming from the wrong person, but Haran is so bright-eyed in his pronouncements that he gets away with it.

The hard bit, of course, is in making his wishes come true. The route to this, he believes, will be paved with educational achievement - third-level, fourth-level and fifth-level degrees, as well as research.

This is where Haran's new job comes in. He believes that social and economic development are one and the same, and sees himself as having some responsibility in helping to achieve both.

Rather than having a career, it is almost as if he has a self-imposed duty.

"You can wear your coat as a heavy coat, or you can just say that it's your responsibility," he says, smiling as though he can't understand why everybody doesn't feel the same way.

Name: Paul Haran

Age: 48

Career: Spent 29 years in the Civil Service, culminating in his appointment as secretary general in the (now) Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment in 1997. Retired last year after seven years in the job.

Education: Coláiste Choilm, Swords, Co Dublin. Holds a BSc in computer science and an MSc in public sector analysis from Trinity College, Dublin.

Family: Married to Anne with three sons and one daughter.

Hobbies: Collecting art, spending time in Kerry, sport and reading.

Why he is in the news: Has recently taken up a role as head of UCD's newly-created College of Business and Law