THE DEATH has occurred of Neil McCann, a pivotal figure of the Irish business world for more than 40 years.

Mr McCann, who has passed away at the age of 87, was responsible for transforming the Fruit Importers of Ireland into Fyffes plc in the 1980s.

The McCann involvement with Fyffes began in 1902, when Dundalk grocer Charles McCann became the first agent for Fyffes bananas in Ireland.

His son, Neil, was the face of Fyffes for more than five decades, having cut short his accountancy studies to join his father’s importation and distribution firm in 1948.

He set up the fruit importers in the 1960s, incorporating the old family business into it in 1980, before purchasing Fyffes from United Brands in 1986, its first overseas acquisition and a transformative move for the company.

Neil McCann retired as chief executive in 1995, with his sons David and Carl taking up the mantle. His son David is the current chairman of the company, while his son Carl chairs Fyffes spin-off Total Produce.

In 2005, Neil McCann retired as non-executive chairman of Fyffes, a week before the High Court was due to deliver the verdict in an insider-dealing case involving Fyffes shares. Fyffes took the case against DCC and its chief executive, Jim Flavin, a former director of Fyffes, in relation to the 2000 sale of a €106 million stake in firm.

The High Court ruled in favour of Mr Flavin, though this was overturned by the Supreme Court in 2007. However, a report into the case, initiated by the Office of the Director of Corporate Enforcement, found no evidence that anything illegal had occurred.

Neil McCann is survived by his wife Mary, his six children and extended family.