The chief executive of the Kerry Group, Mr Denis Brosnan, has been conferred with the first honorary membership of the MBA Association, the alumni organisation for graduates with a masters in business administration.

The president of the MBA association, Mr Denis McCarthy, said Mr Brosnan was the choice of members because of his "general management and leadership skills, as well as the success of the Kerry Group under his stewardship".

All MBA members were polled and asked to nominate a business person who "best personified the standards of management excellence to which the association aspired".