Michael O'Leary (Ryanair)
Encyclopedia
Michael O'Leary is an Irish businessman and the Chief Executive Officer of the Irish airline Ryanair
. He is one of Ireland's wealthiest businessmen.
in Westmeath. He was educated at Clongowes Wood College
, County Kildare
. In 1979 he began a four-year Bachelor in Business Studies programme at Trinity College
. He graduated from Trinity in 1983. He then worked as a trainee with Stokes Kennedy Crowley (later known as KPMG
). He studied the Irish tax system. He left after two years in 1985, setting up profitable newsagents in Walkinstown
and Terenure
, Dublin.
In SKC, O'Leary met Tony Ryan
, head of GPA (Guinness Peat Aviation
, a leasing company), who was one of the firm's clients. He advised Ryan on his personal income tax affairs. In 1987, Ryan hired O'Leary as his personal financial and tax advisor. Ryan's main interest was in GPA. Ryanair was established around this time. The fledgling airline followed a traditional business model, but quickly began to lose money. O'Leary was sent to the USA to study the novel Southwest Airlines
business model.
originated by Southwest Airlines
. O'Leary may have described the inauguration of the ancillary revenue movement during a 2001 interview in The Sunday Times
. "The other airlines are asking how they can put up fares. We are asking how we could get rid of them." The business model envisioned by O'Leary uses receipts from on board shopping, internet gaming, car hire and hotel bookings to replace the ticket revenue from selling airline seats.
The deregulation of Ireland's major airports and a transformation of traditional full-service airlines are among his demands.
He claims he was approached to front the BBC
's version of The Apprentice but declined as it was "too much of a distraction".
He has been criticized by a judge for lying, who said he was lucky not to be found guilty of contempt of court .
In a press conference discussing Ryanair's planned intercontinental service RyanAtlantic, O'Leary jokingly described the airline's planned business class travel experience as featuring "whores and rum." In 2002 he said that his company is against any long-haul transatlantic services., stating that:
Reacting to the decision to close European airspace in April 2010 over worries about the ash plume from an erupting Icelandic volcano he said "there was no ash cloud. It was mythical. It's become evident the airspace closure was completely unnecessary". Scientists later concluded that serious structural damage to aircraft could have occurred if passenger planes had continued to fly.
, to enable it to be classified as a taxi
so that he could legally make use of Dublin's bus lane
s to speed up his car journeys around the city. A press report suggested that since he was stopped driving his own taxi, he has employed a driver with full PSV licence. In 2005 the Irish transport minister expressed concern at this abuse by O'Leary and others.
in County Westmeath
. He married Anita Farrell in 2003 and their first child a son was born in 2005 Luke followed in April 2007 by Matthew. Their daughter Tianna was born in 2009.
He breeds Aberdeen Angus cattle and horses at his Gigginstown House Stud in County Westmeath.
In 2006, his horse War Of Attrition
won the Cheltenham Gold Cup
. This is the blue riband
of steeplechasing
.
O'Leary has also been a Manchester City supporter
since a young age and notably wore a Manchester City shirt when unveiling Ryanair's new destinations to and from Manchester Airport in 2011. O'Leary once declined a Manchester United sponsorship by burning the shirt that United sent to him.
Ryanair
Ryanair is an Irish low-cost airline. Its head office is at Dublin Airport and its primary operational bases at Dublin Airport and London Stansted Airport....
. He is one of Ireland's wealthiest businessmen.
Early life
Michael O'Leary was born 20 March 1961, the second in a family of six, in MullingarMullingar
Mullingar is the county town of County Westmeath in Ireland. The Counties of Meath and Westmeath Act of 1542, proclaimed Westmeath a county, separating it from Meath. Mullingar became the administrative centre for County Westmeath...
in Westmeath. He was educated at Clongowes Wood College
Clongowes Wood College
Clongowes Wood College is a voluntary secondary boarding school for boys, located near Clane in County Kildare, Ireland. Founded by the Society of Jesus in 1814, it is one of Ireland's oldest Catholic schools, and featured prominently in James Joyce's semi-autobiographical novel A Portrait of the...
, County Kildare
County Kildare
County Kildare is a county in Ireland. It is part of the Mid-East Region and is also located in the province of Leinster. It is named after the town of Kildare. Kildare County Council is the local authority for the county...
. In 1979 he began a four-year Bachelor in Business Studies programme at Trinity College
University of Dublin
The University of Dublin , corporately designated the Chancellor, Doctors and Masters of the University of Dublin , located in Dublin, Ireland, was effectively founded when in 1592 Queen Elizabeth I issued a charter for Trinity College, Dublin, as "the mother of a university" – this date making it...
. He graduated from Trinity in 1983. He then worked as a trainee with Stokes Kennedy Crowley (later known as KPMG
KPMG
KPMG is one of the largest professional services networks in the world and one of the Big Four auditors, along with Deloitte, Ernst & Young and PwC. Its global headquarters is located in Amstelveen, Netherlands....
). He studied the Irish tax system. He left after two years in 1985, setting up profitable newsagents in Walkinstown
Walkinstown
Walkinstown is a suburb of Dublin, Ireland, situated on the Southside of the city, approximately 6 kilometres south-west of Dublin city centre. The suburb borders Crumlin to the east, Drimnagh to the north, Greenhills to the south and Ballymount, Bluebell and Clondalkin to the west...
and Terenure
Terenure
Terenure is a mainly residential suburb of Dublin, Ireland, largely in the administrative area of Dublin City Council but with parts in the administrative county of South Dublin County .-Location and transport:...
, Dublin.
In SKC, O'Leary met Tony Ryan
Tony Ryan
Thomas Anthony "Tony" Ryan was an Irish multi-millionaire, philanthropist and businessman.He was a founder of Guinness Peat Aviation as well as co-founder of Ryanair with Christy Ryan and Liam Lonergan...
, head of GPA (Guinness Peat Aviation
Guinness Peat Aviation
Guinness Peat Aviation was a Commercial Aircraft Sales and Leasing company set up in 1975 by Aer Lingus, the Guinness Peat Group and Tony Ryan, then an Aer Lingus executive.-History:...
, a leasing company), who was one of the firm's clients. He advised Ryan on his personal income tax affairs. In 1987, Ryan hired O'Leary as his personal financial and tax advisor. Ryan's main interest was in GPA. Ryanair was established around this time. The fledgling airline followed a traditional business model, but quickly began to lose money. O'Leary was sent to the USA to study the novel Southwest Airlines
Southwest Airlines
Southwest Airlines Co. is an American low-cost airline based in Dallas, Texas. Southwest is the largest airline in the United States, based upon domestic passengers carried,...
business model.
Ryanair career
O'Leary was deputy chief executive of Ryanair between 1991 and 1994. In January 1994 he was promoted to chief executive of Ryanair. Under O'Leary's management, Ryanair further developed the low-cost modelLow-cost carrier
A low-cost carrier or low-cost airline is an airline that generally has lower fares and fewer comforts...
originated by Southwest Airlines
Southwest Airlines
Southwest Airlines Co. is an American low-cost airline based in Dallas, Texas. Southwest is the largest airline in the United States, based upon domestic passengers carried,...
. O'Leary may have described the inauguration of the ancillary revenue movement during a 2001 interview in The Sunday Times
The Sunday Times
The Sunday Times is a British Sunday newspaper.The Sunday Times may also refer to:*The Sunday Times *The Sunday Times *The Sunday Times *The Sunday Times...
. "The other airlines are asking how they can put up fares. We are asking how we could get rid of them." The business model envisioned by O'Leary uses receipts from on board shopping, internet gaming, car hire and hotel bookings to replace the ticket revenue from selling airline seats.
The deregulation of Ireland's major airports and a transformation of traditional full-service airlines are among his demands.
He claims he was approached to front the BBC
BBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
's version of The Apprentice but declined as it was "too much of a distraction".
Controversy and reputation
O'Leary has a reputation for loose talk in the airline industry and among its regulators. Many press articles have often described him as arrogant, and prone to making comments which he later contradicts. He has been extravagantly outspoken in his public statements, sometimes resorting to personal attacks and foul language. His abrasive management style, ruthless pursuit of cost-cutting and his explicitly hostile attitude towards corporate competitors, airport authorities, governments, unions and customers has become a hallmark. He was reported to have been aggressive and hostile in dealings with a woman who was awarded free flights for life in 1988. In 2007, he was forced to retract a claim that Ryanair had cut emissions of carbon dioxide by half over the previous five years; the claim should have been that emissions 'per passenger' had been cut by half. O'Leary has been reported to have impersonated a journalist in an attempt to find information passed on to a newspaper following a safety incident on a Ryanair flight. On occasion he has apologised for personal attacks under threat of legal action.He has been criticized by a judge for lying, who said he was lucky not to be found guilty of contempt of court .
In a press conference discussing Ryanair's planned intercontinental service RyanAtlantic, O'Leary jokingly described the airline's planned business class travel experience as featuring "whores and rum." In 2002 he said that his company is against any long-haul transatlantic services., stating that:
The low-cost model only really works for short-haul flights [...] If we started flying farther afield, we'd have to do something stupid like introducing what I call a 'rich class' to make it pay.
Reacting to the decision to close European airspace in April 2010 over worries about the ash plume from an erupting Icelandic volcano he said "there was no ash cloud. It was mythical. It's become evident the airspace closure was completely unnecessary". Scientists later concluded that serious structural damage to aircraft could have occurred if passenger planes had continued to fly.
Registration of private car as taxi
In 2004 he purchased a taxi plate for his Mercedes-BenzMercedes-Benz
Mercedes-Benz is a German manufacturer of automobiles, buses, coaches, and trucks. Mercedes-Benz is a division of its parent company, Daimler AG...
, to enable it to be classified as a taxi
Taxicab
A taxicab, also taxi or cab, is a type of vehicle for hire with a driver, used by a single passenger or small group of passengers, often for a non-shared ride. A taxicab conveys passengers between locations of their choice...
so that he could legally make use of Dublin's bus lane
Bus lane
A bus lane or bus only lane is a lane restricted to buses, and generally used to speed up public transport that would be otherwise held up by traffic congestion...
s to speed up his car journeys around the city. A press report suggested that since he was stopped driving his own taxi, he has employed a driver with full PSV licence. In 2005 the Irish transport minister expressed concern at this abuse by O'Leary and others.
Personal life
O'Leary lives in Gigginstown House near DelvinDelvin
Delvin is a small town in east County Westmeath, Ireland located on the N52 road at a junction with the N51 to Navan. The town is from Mullingar and is the setting of the book Valley of the Squinting Windows by Delvin native Brinsley MacNamara, described under the fictitious name of "Garradrimna"...
in County Westmeath
County Westmeath
-Economy:Westmeath has a strong agricultural economy. Initially, development occurred around the major market centres of Mullingar, Moate, and Kinnegad. Athlone developed due to its military significance, and its strategic location on the main Dublin–Galway route across the River Shannon. Mullingar...
. He married Anita Farrell in 2003 and their first child a son was born in 2005 Luke followed in April 2007 by Matthew. Their daughter Tianna was born in 2009.
He breeds Aberdeen Angus cattle and horses at his Gigginstown House Stud in County Westmeath.
In 2006, his horse War Of Attrition
War Of Attrition (horse)
War Of Attrition is a National Hunt racehorse and winner of the Cheltenham Gold Cup in 2006....
won the Cheltenham Gold Cup
Cheltenham Gold Cup
The Cheltenham Gold Cup is a Grade 1 National Hunt chase in the United Kingdom which is open to horses aged five years or older. It is run on the New Course at Cheltenham over a distance of about 3 miles and 2½ furlongs , and during its running there are twenty-two fences to be jumped...
. This is the blue riband
Blue Riband
The Blue Riband is an unofficial accolade given to the passenger liner crossing the Atlantic Ocean in regular service with the record highest speed. The term was borrowed from horse racing and was not widely used until after 1910. Under the unwritten rules, the record is based on average speed...
of steeplechasing
Steeplechase (horse racing)
The steeplechase is a form of horse racing and derives its name from early races in which orientation of the course was by reference to a church steeple, jumping fences and ditches and generally traversing the many intervening obstacles in the countryside...
.
O'Leary has also been a Manchester City supporter
Manchester City F.C. supporters
Since their inception in 1880 as St. Mark's , Manchester City F.C have developed a loyal, passionate and dedicated fanbase.Despite finishing 5th in English football's top division, the club were the third best supported team in English football by average league attendance in the 2009–10 season and...
since a young age and notably wore a Manchester City shirt when unveiling Ryanair's new destinations to and from Manchester Airport in 2011. O'Leary once declined a Manchester United sponsorship by burning the shirt that United sent to him.
External links
- Ryanair
- Fortune magazine name Michael O'Leary as the European Businessman of the Year