Mary Finan (born 2 August 1944) is an Irish businesswoman who worked in public relations. She was the first woman to serve as president of the

Dublin Chamber of Commerce Dublin is the capital and largest city of Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the province of Leinster, and is bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, part of the Wicklow Mountains range. Dublin i ...

, and served as the last chair of the RTÉ Authority.

Life

Finan was born on 2 August 1944 in Loughglynn, County Roscommon. She was the eldest of the 7 children. Her father was John Finan, a local TD and Senator. The family moved to

Dublin Dublin is the capital and largest city of Republic of Ireland, Ireland. Situated on Dublin Bay at the mouth of the River Liffey, it is in the Provinces of Ireland, province of Leinster, and is bordered on the south by the Dublin Mountains, pa ...

in 1951, first living in

Ballsbridge Ballsbridge () (from historic Ball's Bridge) is an affluent neighbourhood of the city of Dublin, the capital of Ireland. The area is largely situated north and west of a three-arch stone bridge across the River Dodder, on the south side of the ...

and later

Rathgar Rathgar () is a suburb of Dublin, Ireland Ireland (, ; ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe. Geopolitically, the island is divided between the Republic of Ireland (off ...

. She attended St Louis,

Rathmines Rathmines (; ) is an inner suburb on the Southside (Dublin), Southside of Dublin in Ireland. It begins at the southern side of the Grand Canal of Ireland, Grand Canal and stretches along the Rathmines Road as far as Rathgar to the south, Ranela ...

, going on to study French and English at

University College Dublin University College Dublin (), commonly referred to as UCD, is a public research university in Dublin, Ireland, and a collegiate university, member institution of the National University of Ireland. With 38,417 students, it is Ireland's largest ...

(UCD). After receiving her degree in 1966, she worked as a presenter on RTÉ television for 3 years. She completed a master's degree at UCD, and then took up a job with Kenny's Advertising, leaving to work at Peter Owens advertising in 1968. She married Geoff Mackechnie on 1 January 1972. They have one daughter, Victoria, born in 1980. Finan was the first woman to serve as president of the Dublin Chamber of Commerce in 1996. In 1999, Finan became the deputy chair of Ogilvy & Mather Group while also managing director Wilson Hartnell Public Relations, a position she held from 1983 having started with the company in 1971. Finan was a council member of the

Dublin Docklands Development Authority The Dublin Docklands Development Authority () (DDDA) was created by the Dublin Docklands Development Authority Act 1997 to lead a major project of physical, social and economic regeneration in the East side of Dublin, Ireland, along both banks of ...

and chair of the

Economic and Social Research Institute The Economic and Social Research Institute (Institiúid Taighde Eacnamaíochta agus Sóisialta in Irish) is an Irish research institute founded in 1960 to provide evidence-based research used to inform public policy debate and decision-making. ...

from 2003 having served on the council from 1996. She has served as a director of numerous companies and institutions including

Canada Life Assurance The Canada Life Assurance Company (French: ''La Compagnie d'Assurance du Canada sur la Vie''), commonly known as Canada Life (''Canada-Vie''), is a Canadian insurance and financial services company with its headquarters in Winnipeg, Manitoba. The ...

(Ireland), the

Gate Theatre The Gate Theatre is a theatre on Cavendish Row in Dublin, Ireland. It was founded in 1928. History Beginnings The Gate Theatre was founded in 1928 by Hilton Edwards and Micheál MacLiammóir with Daisy Bannard Cogley and Gearóid Ó Lochla ...

, the

Automobile Association An automobile association, also referred to as a motoring club, motoring association, or motor club, is an organization, either for-profit or non-profit, which motorists (drivers and vehicle owners) can join to enjoy benefits provided by the club ...

, ICS Building Society, the Dublin City University Educational Trust, the UCD Clinton Institute for American Studies, the

Irish Chamber Orchestra The Irish Chamber Orchestra (ICO) is an Irish classical music ensemble, administratively based at the University of Limerick. János Fürst founded the ICO in 1963. The ICO consisted only of strings as its regular ensemble for many years, adding wi ...

Opera Ireland Irish National Opera is one of Ireland's largest arts organisations and presents opera in Dublin, on tour across Ireland and internationally. Irish National Opera was created from a merger of the Opera Theatre Company (OTC) and Wide Open Opera in ...

, the

Tyrone Guthrie Centre The Tyrone Guthrie Centre, often known as ''Annaghmakerrig'', is a residential facility for creative artists. Located at Annaghmakerrig, Newbliss, County Monaghan, Ireland, it was founded in 1981. The house was the family home of theatrical dir ...

at Annaghmakerrig, the Cheshire Foundation, and the Buildings of Ireland Charitable Trust. She also served as the last chair of the RTÉ Authority from 2006 until the body was reformed as the

Broadcasting Authority of Ireland The Broadcasting Authority of Ireland (BAI; ) is a former broadcasting authority which regulated both public and commercial broadcasting sector in Ireland. It was established in 2009, effectively replacing the Broadcasting Commission of Irel ...

. In 2012 she completed the Advanced Leadership Fellowship Programme at

Harvard University Harvard University is a Private university, private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1636 and named for its first benefactor, the History of the Puritans in North America, Puritan clergyma ...

. In 2011, Finan was awarded an honorary Doctor of Law Degree by the

National University of Ireland The National University of Ireland (NUI) () is a federal university system of ''constituent universities'' (previously called '' constituent colleges'') and ''recognised colleges'' set up under the Irish Universities Act 1908, and signifi ...

. In 2015, she was given the Lifetime Achievement Award at

IMAGE An image or picture is a visual representation. An image can be Two-dimensional space, two-dimensional, such as a drawing, painting, or photograph, or Three-dimensional space, three-dimensional, such as a carving or sculpture. Images may be di ...

Businesswoman of the Year Awards, the second woman to receive the honour.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Finan, Mary 1944 births Businesspeople from County Roscommon 20th-century Irish businesspeople 21st-century Irish businesspeople Living people Alumni of University College Dublin Businesspeople from County Dublin RTÉ people Irish advertising executives