Michael Smurfit
 |
Michael Smurfit | |
|---|---|
| Born | 7 August 1936 St Helens, Merseyside, England |
| Education | Clongowes Wood College |
| Occupation | Businessman |
| Years active | 1955–present |
| Known for | |
| Relatives | Tony Smurfit (son) Victoria Smurfit (niece) Alan Smurfit (brother)[1] |
Sir Michael Smurfit, KBE (born 7 August 1936), is an English-born Irish businessman. In the "2010 Irish Independent Rich List" he was listed as 25th with a €368 million personal fortune.[2]
Early life
[edit]Smurfit was born in St Helens, England, and educated at Clongowes Wood College, County Kildare, Ireland.[3] He left school while a teenager and joined his father's company, Jefferson Smurfit & Sons Ltd, in 1955.[3][4] In 1967, he was appointed joint managing director and was made deputy chairman in 1969. He was appointed chairman and chief executive officer of the Jefferson Smurfit Group in 1977, a position he held until his retirement as CEO in November 2002.
Business
[edit]At Jefferson Smurfit Group, Smurfit led the early expansion of the Group in both Ireland and the United Kingdom. He followed this with a series of acquisitions in the US, Latin America and Continental Europe. As chairman, Smurfit oversaw the merger of the Smurfit Group with Kappa Packaging BV to form Smurfit Kappa,[4] with the merged company employing 42,000 employees in 33 countries on 5 continents. His share of the merged company was 4.9%. He is also a director of Ballymore International, a property development and investment group, and has investments in other small companies.
He owned the K Club in County Kildare, which was sold for €70 million in November 2019.[5]
Interests
[edit]Smurfit formerly owned the Lyons Demesne, until he sold it in 1996 for £Ir3.5 million to Tony Ryan.[6]
Smurfit is a member of a number of sporting and social clubs in Ireland, the United Kingdom, United States, Monaco and Spain. He owns a €53 million super yacht and the Smurfit Art Collection, which contains works by Irish artists such as John Lavery, William Orpen, Louis le Brocquy and Jack B. Yeats.[7]
Smurfit also commissioned Anna Livia, a bronze monument formerly located on O'Connell Street in Dublin. It was affectionately known as the Floozie in the Jacuzzi.[8]
Personal life
[edit]He has two daughters and four sons and lives in Monte Carlo. His son Tony is the current CEO of Smurfit Kappa.[9] He is an uncle of Irish actress Victoria Smurfit.
He was appointed as a Knight Commander of the Royal Order of Francis I in November 2002 at a ceremony in Dublin in recognition his of contribution to charitable and humanitarian endeavour.
Recognition
[edit]In 2005, Smurfit was appointed to be a Knight Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (KBE) in HM The Queen's Birthday Honours List 2005, published in June 2005.[10][11] The postgraduate business school of University College Dublin, the Michael Smurfit Graduate School of Business, is named after him as a result of his financial support. In 1996, he received the Cross of Merit with Gold Star from the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem, for his support for Christians in the Holy Land.
References
[edit]- ^ "Alan Smurfit dies suddenly at age of 77". The Irish Times.
- ^ "Ireland's Rich List: 21–30". Irish Independent. 31 March 2010. Retrieved 25 February 2011.
- ^ a b "How an Irish paper tiger clawed his way to the top". independent.ie. Independent News & Media. 18 June 2002. Retrieved 28 June 2020.
- ^ a b "Michael Smurfit honoured at inaugural Principals Club event in Dublin". businessandfinance.com. Business and Finance Magazine. 7 April 2017. Retrieved 28 June 2020.
- ^ "Michael Smurfit says 'time to move on' after €70m K Club sale". irishtimes.com. Irish Times. 26 November 2019. Retrieved 28 June 2020.
- ^ "Danielle on roads and the Lyons". Independent.ie. 24 May 2015. Retrieved 29 August 2023.
- ^ Birdthistle, Elizabeth. "Smurfit Irish art to headline at Sotheby's London sale". The Irish Times. Retrieved 31 July 2020.
- ^ "Dublin's Floozy in the Jacuzzi returns to the city". BBC News. 25 February 2011. Retrieved 25 February 2011.
- ^ "December 2016: Tony Smurfit, CEO, Smurfit Kappa Group". businessandfinance.com. Business and Finance Magazine. 18 January 2017. Retrieved 28 June 2020.
- ^ "Irish Delegation member Dr Michael Smurfit knighted by HM Queen Elizabeth II". constantinian.org.uk. June 2005. Retrieved 28 June 2020.
- ^ "British Embassy press release - Queen's Birthday Honours For Irish Citizens And Residents". britishembassy.ie. 10 June 2005. Archived from the original on 12 March 2007.
External links
[edit]| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
- 1936 births
- 20th-century Irish philanthropists
- 21st-century Irish philanthropists
- Living people
- 21st-century British businesspeople
- British expatriates in Monaco
- English philanthropists
- 20th-century Irish businesspeople
- Irish expatriates in Monaco
- People educated at Clongowes Wood College
- People from St Helens, Merseyside
- Knights Commander of the Order of the British Empire