Michael Smurfit

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Sir Michael William Joseph Smurfit , KBE (born August 7, 1936 in St Helens ) is an Irish entrepreneur . In the Irish Independent's list of the richest Irish in 2010, he is in 25th place with a fortune of 368 million euros.

Career

Smurfit finished school at Clongowes Wood College in County Kildare , Ireland, at the age of 16. In 1955 he joined his father's company, the Jefferson Smurfit & Sons Ltd on. In 1967 he became co-managing director and two years later deputy chairman. In 1977 he took over the management as CEO and held it until his retirement in November 2002.

Entrepreneurial activity

During his tenure at the helm of the Jefferson Smurfit Group, Smurfit led the company's early expansion into Ireland and the UK . A series of company acquisitions followed in the United States , Latin America and Great Britain, with which Smurfit created Ireland's first major international company and one of the world's leading providers of paper-based packaging. As chairman, he also oversaw the merger of the Smurfit Group with Kappa Packaging BV to form the Smurfit Kappa Group , which employs 42,000 people in 33 countries and achieved sales of six billion euros in 2009. Michael Smurfit held 4.9% of the shares in Smurfit Kappa in 2010. He is also director of the Ballymore Group, an investment and project development company, and has interests in various smaller companies.

Private

Smurfit is a member of several sports clubs and social associations in Ireland, Great Britain, the United States, Monaco and Spain . He is the owner of the K Club in County Kildare, which hosted the 36th Ryder Cup in 2006 . Smurfit bought a yacht for 53 million euros and has an art collection worth over 50 million euros.

Michael Smurfit has two daughters and four sons and lives in Monte Carlo . He is the uncle of Irish actress Victoria Smurfit . His son Anthony PJ Smurfit, also resident in Monte Carlo, is the current CEO of the Smurfit Kappa Group.

Awards

In 2005, Smurfit was named Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire . He is Irish Honorary Consul in Monaco and has been honored by the governments of Colombia , France , the United Kingdom , Italy and Venezuela . Leading international universities recognized his philanthropic work and entrepreneurial achievements. University College Dublin's Postgraduate Business School , the Michael Smurfit Graduate School of Business , was named after him for his financial support.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ Ireland's Rich List: 21-30. Irish Independent , March 31, 2010, accessed February 21, 2016 .
  2. ↑ Queen's Birthday Honors List 2005. March 31, 2010, accessed March 5, 2016 .

Web links

personal data
SURNAME Smurfit, Michael
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Smurfit, Michael William Joseph (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION Irish entrepreneur
DATE OF BIRTH August 7, 1936
PLACE OF BIRTH St Helens