Donal Geaney, the former chairman and chief executive Officer of Elan and current chairman of the National Pensions Reserve Fund has died.
Mr Geaney also served as non-executive chairman of the Irish Aviation Authority since 1998 and was a director of Bank of Ireland.
Mr Geaney is best known for his stewardship of Elan which he led from a small drug delivery company with a turnover of $2 million to become the biggest company listed company on the Irish Stock Exchange.
Dr Michael Somers, chief executive of the National Treasury Management Agency, paid tribute to Mr Geaney's chairmanship of the National Pension Reserve Fund which now has assets worth in excess of €14 billion.
"We will deeply miss his enthusiasm, his wit and the vast experience he brought to the Fund, as well as the extraordinary amount of time and dedication he gave to this most difficult task," Dr Somers said.
Mr Geaney is survived by his wife Anne and three sons.