Mr William Burgess, the chairman and managing director of IBM Ireland, has been elected vice-president of IBEC, the employers' lobby group. Mr Burgess has been on IBEC's executive council since 1994, and was chairman of the Federation of Electronics and Informatics Industries from then until 1999.

Welcoming the announcement, IBEC Director General John Dunne said Mr Burgess's appointment reflected the significance of the Republic's fast-growing technology sector: "He has played a pivotal role in the evolution of Ireland as a major international hub for the technology industry - both through his own company and through his broader involvement in the business community."