Name: Arnold O'Byrne

Positions: Former chairman and chief executive of General Motor's Irish subsidiary, Opel.

Why he is in the news: Just retired

Consumer-focused philosophy: known as "Mr Opel" due to his straight-talking television advertisements which redefined the company's image in the mid-1980s.

Greatest coup: The sponsorship of then national soccer squad immediately prior to their successes in the 1988 European Championships and 1990 World Cup.