Tony O'Reilly, Junior
Encyclopedia
St. John Anthony O'Reilly, generally Tony O'Reilly, Junior (born 1966 in Dublin) is a businessman with Irish
and Australia
n citizenship, the third son and sixth child of Irish media magnate Tony O'Reilly
and Australian Susan Cameron. He is currently CEO of the Irish mineral exploration company Providence Resources. He is also a director of the Ireland Funds
, a former CEO of Wedgwood
, and is married for the second time, with three children and three stepchildren.
in Kildare
, and Fox Chapel, Pittsburgh, US. After a difficult time at Harrow School
, he moved to London at the age of fifteen for 6 months, living in a bedsit flat for £25 a week, working at a supermarket and with a landscape gardener. He then returned to the family, later finishing secondary eductation at Clongowes Wood Colelge and then studying economics and history at Brown University
, Rhode Island
, with an exchange year at the London School of Economics.
In 1992, he re-located to Ireland, working for mining company Arcon
, part-owned by his father, responsible for Planning and Corporate Development. He was Chief Executive from 1996 to 2000 and Chairman from 2001 to 2005. In 2005, he sold Arcon to Lundin Mining, a Canadian based mining company, and joined their board. He was appointed a director of Waterford Wedgwood
, dominated by his father, in 1998, and deputy CEO of the division of famous ceramics brand Wedgwood
from 1 January 2001. He was made CEO of Wedgwood soon after. At the same time he was a director of Independent News and Media, Lockwood Financial Group and EMAT.
He moved from Wedgwood in September 2005 to take up his current role as CEO of Providence, which he had had founded in 1997 by divesting the hydrocarbon assets out of Arcon. Providence is involved in oil and gas exploration and production in Ireland, the UK, US and Nigeria. The Company is in partnership with a number of international firms including ExxonMobil, Chevron, Transocean and Petronas. He remains a director of Lundin Mining and was until 2009 a director of Independent News and Media.
In 2005, O'Reilly led a listing of Providence on the Alternative Investments Market (AIM).
, Columbia
(for an MBA), subsequently studied at the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland
, qualifying as a doctor, and later specialising in oncology
. She also became a major figure on the Dublin social scene, often seen with her sister-in-law Alison Doody
and winning an award as "Dublin Party Person of the Year" in 2002.
The couple became estranged and then divorced in 2006, and in mid-2007 Mrs O'Reilly's Dublin home was sold, with a statement saying she planned to move to the UK to work in the art industry.
He then divided his time between Dublin and weekends in Malta
, as his new partner, an interior designer, was Maltese, with a business in Sliema
. His three children, daughter Grey-Alexandra ("Grey"), and sons Shane Anthony ("Tony") and Miles, live with his estranged wife.
He became engaged to Michele Clements in August 2007, and married for the second time on July 4, 2008, at Lake Como
in Italy
, with a reception at the Villa Pizzo. His children, and his new wife's three children, Josh, Sasha, and Alana also, attended, along with family and friends. Born Calascione, Ms Clements is the second of four children of Alfred Calascione and Stephanie Decesare, and was previously married to Andrew Clements.
and is a Trustee of the O'Reilly Foundation
(http://www.oreillyfoundation.ie/).
Republic of Ireland
Ireland , described as the Republic of Ireland , is a sovereign state in Europe occupying approximately five-sixths of the island of the same name. Its capital is Dublin. Ireland, which had a population of 4.58 million in 2011, is a constitutional republic governed as a parliamentary democracy,...
and Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
n citizenship, the third son and sixth child of Irish media magnate Tony O'Reilly
Tony O'Reilly
Sir Anthony Joseph Francis O'Reilly is an Irish businessman and former international rugby union player. He is known for his involvement the Independent News & Media Group, which he led from 1973 to 2009, and as former CEO and Chairman of the H.J. Heinz Company. He was the leading shareholder of...
and Australian Susan Cameron. He is currently CEO of the Irish mineral exploration company Providence Resources. He is also a director of the Ireland Funds
The Ireland Funds
The Ireland Funds are a global fundraising network for people of Irish ancestry and friends of Ireland, dedicated to raising funds to support programs of peace and reconciliation, arts and culture, education and community development throughout the island of Ireland...
, a former CEO of Wedgwood
Wedgwood
Wedgwood, strictly speaking Josiah Wedgwood and Sons, is a pottery firm owned by KPS Capital Partners, a private equity company based in New York City, USA. Wedgwood was founded on May 1, 1759 by Josiah Wedgwood and in 1987 merged with Waterford Crystal to create Waterford Wedgwood, an...
, and is married for the second time, with three children and three stepchildren.
Early life and career
He was born, the youngest of six, and one of triplets, in 1966, in Dublin, and brought up in Ireland, at CastlemartinCastlemartin House and Estate
Castlemartin is the name of a historic house and estate, and the townland in which they sit, on the banks of the River Liffey in Kilcullen, County Kildare, Ireland...
in 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...
, and Fox Chapel, Pittsburgh, US. After a difficult time at Harrow School
Harrow School
Harrow School, commonly known simply as "Harrow", is an English independent school for boys situated in the town of Harrow, in north-west London.. The school is of worldwide renown. There is some evidence that there has been a school on the site since 1243 but the Harrow School we know today was...
, he moved to London at the age of fifteen for 6 months, living in a bedsit flat for £25 a week, working at a supermarket and with a landscape gardener. He then returned to the family, later finishing secondary eductation at Clongowes Wood Colelge and then studying economics and history at Brown University
Brown University
Brown University is a private, Ivy League university located in Providence, Rhode Island, United States. Founded in 1764 prior to American independence from the British Empire as the College in the English Colony of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations early in the reign of King George III ,...
, Rhode Island
Rhode Island
The state of Rhode Island and Providence Plantations, more commonly referred to as Rhode Island , is a state in the New England region of the United States. It is the smallest U.S. state by area...
, with an exchange year at the London School of Economics.
Career
He started work at Morgan Grenfell but was let go after less than three weeks when his division was closed. After six months looking for a job, Tony O'Reilly Senior brought him on a business trip, on which he was speaking at the international convention of Coopers & Lybrand partners, after which he worked for that company for two and a half years working in the New York corporate fiannce department.In 1992, he re-located to Ireland, working for mining company Arcon
Arcon
Arcon is a commune in the Loire department in central France....
, part-owned by his father, responsible for Planning and Corporate Development. He was Chief Executive from 1996 to 2000 and Chairman from 2001 to 2005. In 2005, he sold Arcon to Lundin Mining, a Canadian based mining company, and joined their board. He was appointed a director of Waterford Wedgwood
Waterford Wedgwood
Waterford Wedgwood plc is the former holding entity for a group of companies headquartered in Ireland, which specialised in the manufacture of high quality china, porcelain and glass. The group was dominated by Tony O'Reilly and his immediate family, and the family of Mr. O'Reilly's second wife,...
, dominated by his father, in 1998, and deputy CEO of the division of famous ceramics brand Wedgwood
Wedgwood
Wedgwood, strictly speaking Josiah Wedgwood and Sons, is a pottery firm owned by KPS Capital Partners, a private equity company based in New York City, USA. Wedgwood was founded on May 1, 1759 by Josiah Wedgwood and in 1987 merged with Waterford Crystal to create Waterford Wedgwood, an...
from 1 January 2001. He was made CEO of Wedgwood soon after. At the same time he was a director of Independent News and Media, Lockwood Financial Group and EMAT.
He moved from Wedgwood in September 2005 to take up his current role as CEO of Providence, which he had had founded in 1997 by divesting the hydrocarbon assets out of Arcon. Providence is involved in oil and gas exploration and production in Ireland, the UK, US and Nigeria. The Company is in partnership with a number of international firms including ExxonMobil, Chevron, Transocean and Petronas. He remains a director of Lundin Mining and was until 2009 a director of Independent News and Media.
In 2005, O'Reilly led a listing of Providence on the Alternative Investments Market (AIM).
Personal life
He became engaged to Robin Rafford, two years his senior, whom he met while she was an advertising planner with Peter Owens, in November 1992, and they married mid-1993. Mrs O'Reilly, a graduate of CornellCornell University
Cornell University is an Ivy League university located in Ithaca, New York, United States. It is a private land-grant university, receiving annual funding from the State of New York for certain educational missions...
, Columbia
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
(for an MBA), subsequently studied at the Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland
Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland
The Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland , is a Dublin-based medical institution, situated on St. Stephen's Green. The college is one of the five Recognised Colleges of the National University of Ireland...
, qualifying as a doctor, and later specialising in oncology
Oncology
Oncology is a branch of medicine that deals with cancer...
. She also became a major figure on the Dublin social scene, often seen with her sister-in-law Alison Doody
Alison Doody
-Early life:The youngest of three children, she was born in Dublin, Ireland. Her mother, Joan, was a beauty therapist, and her father, Patrick, worked in the property business and farmed...
and winning an award as "Dublin Party Person of the Year" in 2002.
The couple became estranged and then divorced in 2006, and in mid-2007 Mrs O'Reilly's Dublin home was sold, with a statement saying she planned to move to the UK to work in the art industry.
He then divided his time between Dublin and weekends in Malta
Malta
Malta , officially known as the Republic of Malta , is a Southern European country consisting of an archipelago situated in the centre of the Mediterranean, south of Sicily, east of Tunisia and north of Libya, with Gibraltar to the west and Alexandria to the east.Malta covers just over in...
, as his new partner, an interior designer, was Maltese, with a business in Sliema
Sliema
Tas-Sliema is a city located on the northeast coast of Malta. It is a centre for shopping, restaurants and café life. Tas-Sliema is also a major commercial and residential area and houses several of Malta's most modern hotels. Tas-Sliema, which means 'peace, comfort', was once a quiet fishing...
. His three children, daughter Grey-Alexandra ("Grey"), and sons Shane Anthony ("Tony") and Miles, live with his estranged wife.
He became engaged to Michele Clements in August 2007, and married for the second time on July 4, 2008, at Lake Como
Lake Como
Lake Como is a lake of glacial origin in Lombardy, Italy. It has an area of 146 km², making it the third largest lake in Italy, after Lake Garda and Lake Maggiore...
in Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, with a reception at the Villa Pizzo. His children, and his new wife's three children, Josh, Sasha, and Alana also, attended, along with family and friends. Born Calascione, Ms Clements is the second of four children of Alfred Calascione and Stephanie Decesare, and was previously married to Andrew Clements.
Charitable work
O'Reilly supports the work of The Ireland FundsThe Ireland Funds
The Ireland Funds are a global fundraising network for people of Irish ancestry and friends of Ireland, dedicated to raising funds to support programs of peace and reconciliation, arts and culture, education and community development throughout the island of Ireland...
and is a Trustee of the O'Reilly Foundation
O'Reilly Foundation
The O'Reilly Foundation is a personal charitable trust set up in 1998 by media magnate, and former CEO of Heinz, Sir Anthony "Tony" O'Reilly. Its function is the funding of educational projects; the two main work areas are capital developments at Irish colleges and an annual post-graduate...
(http://www.oreillyfoundation.ie/).
See also
- Brothers: (Anthony) Cameron O'ReillyCameron O'ReillyAnthony Cameron O'Reilly, generally known as Cameron O'Reilly, is a Dublin-born businessman with Irish and Australian citizenship, the son of Irish media magnate Tony O'Reilly and Australian Susan Cameron...
and Gavin O'ReillyGavin O'ReillyGavin Karl O'Reilly 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... - Stepmother: Chryss GoulandrisChryss GoulandrisChryss Goulandris, Lady O'Reilly , also known as Christina or Chryssanthie, is one of the richest women associated with Ireland, and holds both USA and Greek citizenship, she owns a major horse breeding operation located in Ireland, France and other countries and has been Chairperson of the Irish...
Sources
- London, The Daily Telegraph: Business Profile: His Father's Providence, 24 July 2006, Topaz Amoore