Dr Jack FitzPatrick founded the Planned Sharing Foundation in 1978 and published the definitive book on profit- sharing, entitled Planned Sharing — Practical Profit Sharing, in 1983. The PSF was subsequently became the Irish Profit Sharing Association and finally the Irish Proshare Association (IPSA) during the naughties.
An antagonist to successive ministers of finance and taoisigh, Dr FitzPatrick persevered and gained their respect and friendship. When negotiations became fraught, his ability to provide an apt quote or ameliorating anecdote ensured friendly relations were maintained.
Dr FitzPatrick was born in Mitchelstown in 1914, where his father was the creamery manager and where one can only suppose he had his first exposure to the benefits of worker co-operation. The family moved to Limerick, where he grew up and started his education in Sexton Street School. Dr FitzPatrick went to Roscrea as a boarder, where he excelled at his studies and also at rugby, and then moved to Dublin to continue his education.
With a B Comm from UCD and a PhD in economics from Trinity College, Dr FitzPatrick qualified as a chartered accountant, and with a BL he was also called to the Bar. He had a successful career as a chartered accountant with a practice in Ireland and the UK, and was elected president of the Federation of Irish Industries, the forerunner of IBEC.
He retired from his accountancy practice in 1976, moved to live in Bray in Co Wicklow, and turned his brilliant mind and energies to promoting employee participation at a time when such a thing was unheard of in this country.
Dr. FitzPatrick passed away in January 2008 and Ireland lost a great advocate of employee ownership and employee participation.
reproduced from Irish Independent 2008
