Name: Tadhg O'Donoghue.

Position: ESB chairman.

Why he is in the news: The power company wants to secure two crucial deals with its unions before the end of this month.

What does it want? To reduce staff by almost a quarter, to 6,500 from 8,500, and to secure access for outsider contractors to work on the national network.

A challenging task? Talks have been under way since last year, though Mr O'Donoghue seems confident. A tax partner with PricewaterhouseCoopers, he sees leadership and persuasion as crucial to the job. He is also a director of Aer Rianta and of the American Chamber of Commerce.

Family: Married to Eilis, they have five grown children.