Tony O'Reilly
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| Player information | ||
|---|---|---|
| Full name | Anthony Joseph Francis Kevin O'Reilly | |
| birthday | May 7, 1936 | |
| place of birth | Dublin , Ireland | |
| society | ||
| society | Career ended | |
| position | Outer three-quarters | |
| Clubs as active | ||
| Years | society | Games (points) |
|
Old Belvedere RFC Leicester Tigers London Irish |
||
| National team | ||
| Years | National team | Games (points) |
| 1955–1970 1955, 1959 |
Ireland British and Irish Lions |
29 (12) 10 (18) |
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 ruled him for years as one of the richest people in the world.
O'Reilly went to Belvedere College in Dublin and later studied law at University College . He made his debut for the Irish national team at the age of 18 . After four international matches, he was accepted into the ranks of the British and Irish Lions for their tour to South Africa in 1955 . Shortly after his 19th birthday, he broke the record for attempts in the Lions jersey. He put 16 attempts in 15 games, including two in the friendly 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. He put four of them against the All Blacks . He ended his career as a rugby player in 1963, but returned for a game in 1970.
After his playing career, O'Reilly worked as a consultant for various companies in Ireland. He received his PhD from the University of Bradford . In 1962 he was already a member of the Irish Dairy Board , the marketing organization of the Irish dairy industry. There he developed the Kerrygold brand . In 1966 he headed the Irish Sugar Company. Three years later he made a name for himself as a manager of an international company when he started working at Heinz . After two years he became vice-president there, and two years later he became chairman. In 1987 he was ultimately the successor to Henry John Heinz II and thus the first managing director who did 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 thus also reached markets outside Ireland. In the 1990s, he bought magazines, radio stations and telecommunications companies in South Africa, Australia and New Zealand. He also invested in the Fitzwilton and Waterford Wedgwood companies . However, these final investments left him in debt.
In 2001, O'Reilly was knighted by Queen Elizabeth II and has been called "Sir" ever since. He is married to Chryss O'Reilly. He founded the O'Reilly Foundation, which is committed to a variety of purposes in the education sector. Among other things, the Foundation financed numerous libraries and university projects in Ireland.
In 2009 he resigned from his position with Independent News & Media . His son Gavin took over the management.
He is the godfather of the show jumper Cian O'Connor .
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ Anthony O'Reilly . Forbes , 2004, archived from the original on July 16, 2012 ; accessed on January 20, 2016 (English, original website no longer available).
- ↑ Dirk Heilmann: With hard elbows. Handelsblatt, January 5, 2009, accessed on October 11, 2009 .
- ↑ CEO Speaks: Q&A Sir Anthony O'Reilly. Time, November 13, 2007, accessed October 11, 2009 .
- ^ Grainne Gilmore: Tony O'Reilly steps down as head of INM. Times Online, March 13, 2009, accessed October 11, 2009 .
| personal data | |
|---|---|
| SURNAME | O'Reilly, Tony |
| ALTERNATIVE NAMES | O'Reilly, Anthony Joseph Francis Kevin |
| BRIEF DESCRIPTION | Irish rugby player and entrepreneur |
| DATE OF BIRTH | May 7, 1936 |
| PLACE OF BIRTH | Dublin , Ireland |