Gavin O'Reilly
| Born | 1966 (age 45–46) Dublin, Ireland |
|---|---|
| Occupation | Chief Executive Officer of Independent News and Media |
| Spouse | Alison Doody (1994-2006) (divorced) |
| Children | Alanna and Lauren O'Reilly |
Gavin Karl O'Reilly (born 1966) is a Dublin-born businessman with Irish and Australian citizenship, the second son and fourth child of Irish media magnate Tony O'Reilly and Australian Susan Cameron.[1] He is currently Group Chief Executive Officer[2] of Independent News and Media, the largest press group in Ireland and South Africa, and one of the largest in Australia and New Zealand, with almost 200 titles and a readership of over 100 million. He is also President of the World Association of Newspapers (2005–2010),[3] and a director of the Ireland Funds.[3]
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[edit] Life
[edit] Education and early career
O'Reilly was born, the eldest of triplets, and fourth of six children, in 1966, in Dublin, and brought up in Dublin and Kilcullen, Ireland and Fox Chapel, Pittsburgh, USA.[1] After a year at Harrow School,[1] he completed school at Clongowes Wood,[4] a private school in a historic house near one of the then main family homes, Castlemartin in Kildare
After taking his Irish Leaving Certificate exam in 1985, he went to London, taking a summer job in advertising agency Doyle Dane Bernbach[4] (now part of DDB Needham), and staying there for around two years.[3] He then attended Georgetown University School of Business but interrupted his studies to work as a stockbroker in Hong Kong and London, before finishing his degree with honours.[4]
[edit] INM career
In 1993, O'Reilly was hired by the public company led by his father, Independent News and Media plc (INM), by then already the largest press group in Ireland, and worked on the Independent Directory and then in other areas. He was appointed CEO of the Irish operations of INM in 1999 and oversaw the move of the company's printing operations to Citywest Business Park in 2000.[5] He was additionally made Group Chief Operating Officer in December 2001[3] and appointed to the board in 2004.
In late March 2008, at a company Annual Meeting not attended by his father, he launched an attack on the second-largest shareholder in Independent News and Media, telecoms entrepreneur Denis O'Brien, who has been building a stake in the company which nearly rivals that of the O'Reilly family.[6]
On Friday 13 March 2009, INM announced the departure as CEO and board member of Tony O'Reilly, and the promotion of Gavin O'Reilly to CEO. along with a reduction in the board from 17 to 10 and the appointment of 3 Denis O'Brien nominees immediately.[2]
[edit] Other roles
In 2004, he was elected First Vice-President[7] of the World Association of Newspapers.,[8] and then re-elected in June 2006, and June 2008. When it merged with IFRA in 2009 to form the World Association of Newspapers and News Publishers, he was elected as the first President of the merged association, to hold office until June 30, 2011.[9]
He is also Chairman of the National Newspapers of Ireland, and of a hotel in which his family has interests, Dromoland Castle, a director of Norkom Technologies, Ashford Castle and numerous charitable foundations, including the Ireland Funds.[10] He is a Trustee of the O'Reilly Foundation([2]).
[edit] Personal life
O'Reilly married model and actress Alison Doody on June 25, 1994, at family residence Castlemartin, with 560 guests present. Making their home at Bartra House,[11] a 10,000 sq ft (930 m2) home overlooking the sea in Dalkey, purchased in 1996, with neighbours including singer Enya and U2 guitarist The Edge, the marriage produced two daughters (Alanna in 1996; Lauren in 1999). They divorced in 2006.[4]
[edit] Sources
- Cork, Ireland, 19 December 2001: Irish Examiner, "Gavin O'Reilly likely heir apparent to take over father's mantle" - Conor Keane.
- Dublin, Ireland, February 2002: The Dubliner, "Independent Man" - Trevor White.
- London, The Observer, 27 January 2008: "O'Reilly junior proves passion for print is in the genes / But Gavin insists Independent News & Media is not a family heirloom", James Robinson The Observer, retrieved online 27 March 2008 ([3])
[edit] Notes and references
- ^ a b c London: Hodder and Stoughton, 1994; Fallon, Ivan "The Player: The Life of Tony O'Reilly"; the authorised biography
- ^ a b Dublin, Ireland, The Irish Times, Fri 13 May 2009
- ^ a b c d Profile, listing as Chairman of APN
- ^ a b c d The Observer, London: Sun 27 Jan 2008, James Robinson
- ^ Cork, Ireland, 19 December 2001: Irish Examiner, "Gavin O'Reilly likely heir apparent to take over father's mantle" - Conor Keane
- ^ International Herald Tribune: Irish billionaires' feud over newspapers gets personal, p. 8 (Business/Media & Communications), Julia Werdigier
- ^ Asia Media - "Newspapers still the medium of choice"
- ^ Opening Remarks by Gavin O’Reilly, Acting President, WAN, 58th World Newspaper Congress / 12th World Editors Forum
- ^ WAN-IFRA elects Gavin O'Reilly as president
- ^ [1] Gavin O'Reilly profile on Board of Directors page of APN website, as retrieved 27 March 2008
- ^ Hughes, Emer (2003-03-02). "Rich chase streets of dreams". ThePost.ie. http://archives.tcm.ie/businesspost/2003/03/02/story521590034.asp. Retrieved 2008-05-18.
