Industry & Services >> CEO Interviews >> August 7, 2000
PATRICK HAREN, Chief Executive of Northern Ireland Electricity Plc since
1992, became Group Chief Executive of the newly formed Viridian Group
Plc in 1998, following the company's restructuring. As Chief Executive
of Northern Ireland Electricity (NIE), he was responsible for guiding
the company through privatisation and steered NIE through successive
periods of change in order to create today's top business performance.
He took a leading role in determining the company's new strategy for
growth in unregulated businesses under its new holding company,
Viridian. He is Chairman of the Northern Ireland Growth Challenge and of
the Northern Ireland Quality Centre. He is also a member of the Bank of
Ireland's Northern Ireland Advisory Board and honorary President of the
Northern Ireland Council for Voluntary Action. He believes strongly in
the responsibility of private enterprise to contribute to the social and
economic development of the community in which it operates. Prior to
joining NIE, he had an international profile in the electricity industry
as an active member of CIGRE in Paris and as a research fellow of CERN,
the European Centre for Nuclear Research in Geneva. He also held various
senior posts with ESB Ireland, including board level responsibility for
engineering consultancy in the US and UK markets and for international
financial services. He is a graduate of Queen's University, Belfast. Profile
experience with Viridian, and then give us a description of what you see
as the company and the business today. Mr Haren:
