Obituary: Tributes following the death of Kerrygold and Heinz magnate Tony O’Reilly
Taoiseach Simon Harris has led tributes following the death of Tony O’Reilly, one of Ireland’s leading business figures, at the age of 88.
He described Mr O’Reilly as a “trailblazer” who forged a path that other business leaders from Ireland would follow.
In a statement, Mr O’Reilly’s family said: “In the coming days there will be many worthy tributes made to Tony O’Reilly’s unique and extraordinary achievements in the fields of business and sport.
Born in Dublin in 1936, Mr O’Reilly made his international debut for Ireland in rugby in 1955 and soon became the youngest player to be selected for the Lions. He played in two Lions tours and still holds the record for the most tries scored.
In his business career he pioneered the dairy brand Kerrygold, turning it into one of Ireland’s best-known global consumer brands.
Establishing Kerrygold
Having worked as a management consultant in the UK, and for Sutton’s of Cork, in 1962, the then 26-year-old O’Reilly took up the role of general manager of An Bord Bainne, the Irish Dairy Board, and set to work creating a brand that would become a synonym for dairy excellence around the world – Kerrygold butter.
Launched initially in the UK, and then in other European and international markets – it has been the number one butter brand in Germany since 1973 – today Kerrygold is rivalled by perhaps only Guinness as the Irish food or drink brand best known internationally.
In a statement following his death, Ornua, the former Irish Dairy Board, praised O’Reilly for taking what was a commodity category and turning it into a transformative brand with global appeal.
‘This vision would define the future of the industry, bringing Irish food to a world stage and great joy to millions of consumers in markets around the world, as well as supporting the livelihoods of Irish dairy farming families across rural Ireland,’ the statement read.
In 1966, he was named managing director of the Irish Sugar Company, another state agency, transforming the nascent Erin Foods wing of the business (established by General Michael J Costello in 1960) into Ireland’s most celebrated convenience foods brand.
He later became the chairman of the food giant Heinz and in 1973 took control of Independent Newspapers, publisher of the Irish Independent, Sunday Independent and Evening Herald.
It was a joint marketing deal between Erin Foods and Heinz in the UK that led to the Pittsburgh-based food giant taking a keen Mr O’Reilly’s management skills, and in 1969, O’Reilly declined the offer of the position of Irish Minister for Agriculture to take charge of Heinz’ UK operations, before joining the group’s US business two years later.
Initially taking the role of senior vice president in charge of North American operations, in 1972 O’Reilly was named Heinz’ chief operating officer, rising to the role of CEO in 1979, following the retirement of Robert Burt Gookin. He was also named chairman of the business in 1987, becoming the first non-Heinz family member to hold the position.
He was also known for his philanthropy, setting up The Ireland Funds, which gave money from US donors into reconciliation projects around the Irish border.
Mr O’Reilly was knighted in the 2001 New Year Honours by the late Queen Elizabeth II “for long and distinguished service to Northern Ireland”.
