Former Prime Minister of Ireland Bertie Ahern was recently in Malta as a member of the international advisory board of one of Ireland’s most successful property and investment groups. Mr Ahern attended the inaugural meeting of the Parker Green International advisory board at Hotel Phoenicia, Floriana, where it was presented with various investment possibilities in Malta.

The Hotel Phoenicia provided the appropriate venue for the meeting, as the hotel itself is owned by an Irish investment.

Parker Green, based in Newry, is owned by Gerald O’Hare who founded the group in 1996. It has development in Ireland, mainland Europe and in the US.

Parker Green concentrates on commercial and retail developments but is considering widening its interests, “though we’ll probably never stray too far” from property, said Dr O’Hare.

It is envisaged that the advisory board hold quarterly meetings.

The other members of the board include Harvard University’s Prof. Richard Peiser, an expert in real estate development and urban planning; Michael Gibbson, a senior executive with French bank BNP Paribas; and Gregory Tosko, a vice-chairman of property services firm CB Richard Ellis in New York.

“This board can bring its global expertise to the management table and in doing so, match the business approach already expressed in our portfolio”, Dr O’Hare was quoted as saying in the Irish newspaper The Irish News.