Tony O'Reilly
Sir Anthony Joseph Francis Kevin " Tony" O'Reilly AO ( born May 7, 1936 in Dublin, Ireland ) is a former Irish rugby union player and now a successful entrepreneur. Forbes led him for years as one of the richest people in the world.
O'Reilly went to the Belvedere College, Dublin, and later studied law at University College. He was already at the age of 18 years, made his debut for the Irish national team. After four internationals he was inducted in 1955 in the ranks of the British and Irish Lions for their tour to South Africa. Shortly after his 19th birthday, he broke the record for scoring attempts in the jersey of the Lions. He put in 15 games 16 attempts, including two in the test matches against the Springboks. Four years later, when the national team traveled to New Zealand, he was again one of the most successful players on the tour with 22 attempts in 24 games. Four of them he appealed against the All Blacks. In 1963, he finished his career as a rugby player, returned in 1970 but returned for a game.
After his playing career O'Reilly worked as a consultant for various companies in Ireland. At the University of Bradford, he obtained his doctorate. In 1962, he was already a member of the Irish Dairy Board, the marketing organization of the Irish dairy industry. He developed there the Kerrygold brand. In 1966, he led the Irish Sugar Company. Three years later he made his name as a manager of an international company, when he began his work at Heinz. After two years he became vice-president, another two years later as chairman. In 1987, he was ultimately the successor of Henry John Heinz II and becoming the first manager who does not come from the Heinz family. In 1998 he resigned from this post.
In 1973, O'Reilly had bought the Independent Newspapers in Dublin. He expanded the range of the company and reached some markets outside of Ireland. In the 1990s he bought magazines, radio stations, and telecommunications companies in South Africa, Australia and New Zealand. In addition, he invested in the company Fitzwilton and Waterford Wedgwood. However, these recent investments brought him a debt.
In 2001, O'Reilly was defeated by Queen Elizabeth II knighted and bears since the title "Sir". He is married to Chryss O'Reilly. He founded the O'Reilly Foundation, which campaigns for a variety of purposes in the education sector. Among other things, the Foundation funded numerous libraries and university projects in Ireland.
In 2009 he resigned from his post at the Independent News and Media. His son Gavin took over the management.
He is the godfather of the show jumper Cian O'Connor.