Finan was born on 2 August 1944 in
Loughglynn, County Roscommon. She was the eldest of the 7 children. Her father was
John Finan, a local TD and Senator. The family moved to
Dublin in 1951, first living in
Ballsbridge and later
Rathgar. She attended St Louis,
Rathmines, going on to study French and English at
University College Dublin (UCD). After receiving her degree in 1966, she worked as a presenter on RTÉ television for 3 years. and then took up a job with Kenny's Advertising, leaving to work at Peter Owens advertising in 1968. She married Geoff Mackechnie on 1 January 1972. They have one daughter, Victoria, born in 1980. from 2003 having served on the council from 1996. She has served as a director of numerous companies and institutions including
Canada Life Assurance (Ireland), the
Gate Theatre, the
Automobile Association, She also served as the last chair of the RTÉ Authority from 2006 until the body was reformed as the
Broadcasting Authority of Ireland. In 2011, Finan was awarded an honorary Doctor of Law Degree by the
National University of Ireland. In 2015, she was given the Lifetime Achievement Award at
IMAGE Businesswoman of the Year Awards, the second woman to receive the honour. == References ==