The board of building materials group CRH has appointed former IDA Ireland chief executive Kieran McGowan as chairman designate.
He will succeed the current chairman Pat Molloy, who will retire after the company's AGM on May 9. Mr Molloy has been chairman since May 2000 and a board member since 1997.
Mr McGowan joined the board of CRH in 1998. He was IDA chief until December 1998. He is a non-executive director of a number of companies including Elan, Irish Life & Permanent and United Drug. He is also a director of Enterprise Ireland.
