Smurfit Kappa chief executive Gary McGann has said that business leaders and professional bodies have a key role to play in addressing unsustainable business trends such as the dotcom boom and the scandals that brought down Enron and Worldcom.

Speaking at a lunch organised by the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants (ACCA), Mr McGann, who is also chairman of the Dublin Airport Authority (DAA), said there was an increasing need for people of influence to "call it" when their common sense tells them that unsustainable business trends are obvious.

"In hindsight, the bursting of the dotcom bubble or the recent subprime mortgage malaise should not be such a surprise to well-grounded people," said Mr McGann.

"Organisations like ACCA have the opportunity to teach students about rule-based systems but also to hammer home the importance of integrity and the courage to put their hands up when things go seriously amiss," said Mr McGann.