Mr Brian Patterson has been appointed chairman of The Irish Times Ltd. He succeeds Mr Don Reid who retired from the position yesterday. Mr Patterson is chairman of the newly-formed Irish Financial Services Regulatory Authority.
He is also chairman of the National Competitivness Council which advises the Government on issues of public policy for the enterprise sector.
He is a director of Waterford Wedgwood plc and a member of the board of the National College of Ireland.
Mr Patterson was formerly chief executive of the Wedgwood Group, chief operating officer of Waterford Crystal and director-general of the Irish Management Institute.
Mr Michael Austen has been appointed Deputy Managing Director of The Irish Times Ltd. In this role Mr Austen will have a brief to co-ordinate the restructuring of the company across all departments. He will retain responsibility for Human Resources and take on additional board responsibility for distribution, circulation, marketing and promotions.
Mr Austen joined The Irish Times in 1995 and was appointed to the board as Director of Human Resources in 1999. He was formerly director, employee relations services with IBEC.
Mr Alex Burns has been appointed a director of The Irish Times Ltd with effect from May 1st. He is a senior partner in KPMG with extensive experience as a business adviser. He will be retiring from KPMG on April 30th after 45 years in the firm and as a partner for 37 years.