“We often celebrate the successes of our great ambassadors - sportsmen and women, film makers and actors, people whose achievements are secured in the most public of arenas.

Today we pay tribute to a man whose achievements were often secured much more quietly, yet were profound in their impact.

Sir George Quigley was a colossus who succeeded in several theatres, carving out successful careers in both the public and private sectors.

As a civil servant, he rose to a most senior position, Permanent Secretary in DFP - and could easily have become Head of the NI Civil Service.

Instead, he switched to the private sector, becoming Chairman of Ulster Bank, at a time when banks enjoyed a better reputation in the Public's consciousness. He also headed the Institute of Directors, a chairmanship which reflected the esteem in which he was held by the business community.

As a third career, Sir George engaged as a civic leader, heading up a series of reviews in matters of social policy for both direct rule and devolved ministers.

I had the privilege of being an external consultant to both the bank and the Institute of Directors during Sir George's time as chair, and can testify to a brilliant, incisive mind. He demonstrated a faultless ability to analyse a situation, cutting straight to the underlying matters of principle that would inform a successful outcome. I owe him a huge debt of gratitude for the sort of learning experience money could not buy.

It was during that time that he started promoting the idea of an eastern economic corridor between Belfast and Dublin, identifying that the border should not be a barrier to business people expanding their reach by tapping into their closest and potentially easiest new market.

Sir George Quigley served Northern Ireland well across a long, busy and productive life.
He could have been anything he wanted. Indeed, on Radio Ulster this morning, I heard Sir Ken Bloomfield describe him as a polymath, a person of great and varied learning.

The Ulster Unionist Party is sorry to see him go, thankful for all he did, and mindful this morning of Lady Moyra Quigley, the wider family circle and Sir George's many friends.”