BIOGRAPHY
John Bruton is a renowned expert on global economic issues. He is currently the president of IFSC Ireland, a body promoting international financial services activities in Ireland and associated with two major European think tanks – the Centre for European Policy Studies and the Centre for European Studies.
As finance minister and prime minister he played a key role in both the development of the euro and in the extraordinary success of the Irish economy. Mr Bruton also served as the EU ambassador to Washington from 2004 to 2009. He helped transform the Irish economy into the “Celtic Tiger”, one of the fastest growing economies in the world.
As Irish prime minister, John Bruton presided over the Irish Presidency of the European Union in 1996. At the Dublin Summit, he helped finalise the Growth and Stability Pact which governs the management of the euro. He also helped develop the Strategic Management Initiative (SMI) for public sector reform in Ireland. Previously, as minister for finance he was responsible for the reform of the tax collection system in Ireland, introducing “self-assessment” which greatly improved tax compliance and reduced business costs. He was first elected to the Irish Parliament in 1969 at the age of 22.
Mr Bruton is a board member of Trane Technologies, Terrebellum, IDLF and the Centre for European Policy Studies.