Finnegan revs up for the big job at 3

I hope they have a Maserati-sized parking space down at O2's Dublin headquarters on Sir John Rogerson's Quay. Robert Finnegan, the sports car driving chief executive of 3 Ireland, is going to need it now that the European Commission has cleared 3's €850 million buyout of its larger rival.

Despite some last-minute bleating from the communications regulator Comreg, which thinks the commission was wrong to clear the deal but has no power to stop it, the formal consummation of the telcos' marriage is only weeks away.

There has been plenty of speculation about who would run the merged entity, with its near 40 per cent share of the market.

Tony Hanway, the incumbent chief executive of O2 Ireland, was never in the running and months ago accepted a new job as chief commercial officer of Telefonica's unit in Germany.

Some wondered if Finnegan, who has run 3 Ireland for almost nine years, would take on the challenge but it is now clear that he is. The executive, who is quite close to the top brass at Hutchison Whampoa, has confirmed he will be taking the reins.

3, which is boxed into a bulging office complex near Grafton Street, will move to O2’s HQ “in a number of months”, said Finnegan.

He was non-commital on whether he’d be driving the Maserati to the office.