THE new chief executive of the Health Service Executive (HSE) can expect a pay cut of up to 25% when he or she replaces outgoing chief Prof Brendan Drumm whose term ends next year.

FIVE key investment opportunities with the potential to create thousands of jobs have emerged from the Global Irish Economic Forum and are likely to receive strong backing from international financiers.

FIVE-year tax breaks for industries prepared to set up in Ireland should to be introduced to attract companies that have a high technology content.

ANTI-POVERTY campaigner Bob Geldof has warned that the Government is not spending enough on developing new technologies.

Almost 200 influential figures from the business and cultural worlds will descend on Dublin today for a major economic forum to help pull the country out of recession.

THOSE who fear the Government will sell the taxpayer short in the case of NAMA might take some comfort from the rumour that the banks hate the National Treasury Management Agency.

Hundreds of Belfast community workers have not been paid since the end of August because of a funding crisis, representatives said today.

DONEGAL-BORN Gerry Robinson, who was a key speaker at the annual Irish Management Institute conference, accused government departments in Britain of being obsessed with strategy, but incapable of making decisions to implement it.

HAVING watched recent programmes on the BBC in which businessman Gerry Robinson attempted to sort out waiting lists and management issues in an NHS hospital, I wondered what he would make of our health service.

Pest control and hygiene firm Rentokil Initial continued its restructuring today by agreeing to sell its conference venues business for £325m (€474.7m).

A bumper crop of corporate results sent the FTSE 100 Index soaring above the key 5400 mark today.

Chemicals giant ICI kept the FTSE 100 Index in positive territory today as investors welcomed a better-than-expected set of results.

Troubled Rentokil Initial said its recovery was on course today as it revealed costs of £10m (€14.7m) to fight off a takeover approach from Gerry Robinson.

The FTSE 100 Index ended a choppy week in positive mood today as it broke through the 5200 barrier buoyed by a strong session on Wall Street and impressive gains by drugs giant GlaxoSmithKline.

London’s leading shares finished a miserable week in the red today as stocks lost favour with investors.

Former Granada boss Gerry Robinson today abandoned his three-month campaign to take charge of pest control-to-hygiene firm Rentokil Initial.

Surging oil and mining stocks put some gloss on an otherwise lacklustre session for the London market today.

Former Granada boss Gerry Robinson continued to pursue the top job at Rentokil Initial today – despite ruling out a full-scale takeover.

Former Granada boss Sir Gerry Robinson is to spark a leadership battle at Rentokil Initial by calling on shareholders to let him run the firm.

Troubled Rentokil Initial today said it hoped to get more than £300m (€439.7m) from the sale of its conference centres.

Medical devices firm Smith & Nephew led an exodus from the London market today after warning of slower sales growth.

Losses by oil heavyweights and a spate of profit-taking brought the recent rally by the London market to an end today.

The FTSE 100 Index was in lacklustre form today as the latest batch of corporate updates failed to inspire investors.

The London market suffered a sharp reversal of fortunes today to lose hold of lunchtime gains and close deeply in the red.

Shares in Rentokil Initial cooled today after it emerged former Granada boss Gerry Robinson was not yet ready to put forward a takeover proposal.

Banking group Lloyds TSB was one of the best top flight performers for a second consecutive session today as bid talk continued.

The problems at Rentokil Initial were laid bare today as its new boss outlined ways to reverse the latest fall in profits at the services company.

Rentokil Initial led the FTSE 100 Index to a positive finish today after news of a possible takeover offer sent its shares surging.

Takeover action helped generate some excitement during an otherwise quiet session for the London market today.

Irishman Gerry Robinson today revealed his interest in tabling a takeover offer for pest control-to-hygiene group Rentokil Initial.

SHAREHOLDERS in pest control group Rentokil Initial are rumoured to want former Granada boss Gerry Robinson to take over running the company.

Investors in beleaguered UK pest control-to-hygiene group Rentokil Initial are rumoured to want former Granada boss Gerry Robinson to take over running the company, it was reported today.

A US-based consortium was today given an ultimatum to bid for drinks giant Allied Domecq within the month or walk away.

Drinks giant Allied Domecq has held secret merger talks with privately-owned rum distiller Bacardi about a deal which would value the combined group at around £10bn, according to reports today.