Name: Lucy Gaffney

Born: Dublin, 1959.

Education: Loreto Convent, Foxrock; Dun Laoghaire tech; University College, Dublin.

Family: Married to Gerard Maguire, two daughters.

Career: Secretary in a personnel agency; advertising executive with Bell; advertising and marketing manager for 98FM; established The Ideas Company, her own marketing company; sales and marketing director for Esat; appointed chief operations officer of Esat, due to start in February.

Why she is in the news: One of Denis O'Brien's longest-standing associates, she stands to become a multimillionaire as a result of British Telecom's purchase of Esat.