Ray O'Rourke (businessman)

Last updated

Ray O'Rourke
Born
Raymond Gabriel O'Rourke

January 1947 (age 77)
County Leitrim, Ireland
NationalityIrish
OccupationBusinessman
Known forFounder and 55% owner of Laing O'Rourke
TitleChairman and CEO, Laing O'Rourke

Raymond Gabriel O'Rourke (born January 1947) [1] is an Irish businessman, the chairman and CEO of the construction multinational Laing O'Rourke. [2]

O'Rourke was born in January 1947. [3] A native of County Leitrim, Ireland, [2] [4] he was raised in Corraleehan, near Ballinamore. [5] He runs the privately owned Laing O'Rourke with his brother Des (born 1950), and owns 55% of the company. [4] O'Rourke "started as a 'pony boy' carrying muck out from under London as the Victoria Line was being constructed." His estimated net worth was €800 million as of 2015. [2]

O'Rourke purchased the construction company Swift Structures, owned by his brothers-in-law, Jim and Matt Halligan from County Mayo. He then called in the receivers. [6] [4]

His son, Cathal, works for Laing O'Rourke, [2] and in March 2023 was appointed the company's chief operating officer. [7] In June 2024, it was announced that Cathal would succeed his father as Laing O'Rourke CEO. [8]

Honours

O'Rourke has honorary doctorates from the Dublin Institute of Technology, and Queen's University, Belfast. [1]

In 2011, he was awarded as Honorary Knight of the Order of the British Empire (KBE). [9]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">County Leitrim</span> County in Ireland

County Leitrim is a county in Ireland. It is in the province of Connacht and is part of the Northern and Western Region. It is named after the village of Leitrim. Leitrim County Council is the local authority for the county, which had a population of 35,199 according to the 2022 census.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Gabriel Byrne</span> Irish actor

Gabriel James Byrne is an Irish actor. He has received a Golden Globe Award as well as nominations for a Grammy Award, two Primetime Emmy Awards and two Tony Awards. Byrne was awarded the Irish Film and Television Academy Lifetime Achievement Award in 2018 and was listed at number 17 on The Irish Times list of Ireland's greatest film actors in 2020. The Guardian named him one of the best actors never to have received an Academy Award nomination.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Manorhamilton</span> Town in County Leitrim, Ireland

Manorhamilton is the second-largest town in County Leitrim, Ireland. It is located on the N16 26 kilometres (16 mi) from Sligo and 41 kilometres (25 mi) from Enniskillen.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jacobite peerage</span> Peers created by King James VII & II in Britain

The Jacobite peerage includes those peerages created by James II and VII, and the subsequent Jacobite pretenders, after James's deposition from the thrones of England, Scotland and Ireland following the Glorious Revolution of 1688. These creations were not recognised in English, Scots or Irish law, but the titles were used in Jacobite circles in Continental Europe and recognised by France, Spain and the Papacy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Patrick Collison</span> Irish entrepreneur (born 1988)

Patrick Collison is an Irish entrepreneur. He is the co-founder and CEO of Stripe, which he started with his younger brother, John, in 2010. He won the 41st Young Scientist and Technology Exhibition in 2005 at the age of sixteen. In 2020, he founded Fast Grants to accelerate COVID-19-related science with Tyler Cowen.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jensen Huang</span> American engineer and businessman (born 1963)

Jen-Hsun "Jensen" Huang is an American businessman and electrical engineer, serving as the president and CEO of Nvidia. He co-founded Nvidia in 1993 at age 30 and in June 2024, it became the largest company in the world by market capitalization. As of June 2024, Forbes estimated Huang's net worth at $118 billion, making him the 11th richest person in the world.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Joe McGirl</span> Irish republican (1921-1988)

John Joe McGirl was an Irish republican, a Sinn Féin politician, and the Chief of Staff of the Irish Republican Army.

John Laing Group plc is a British investor, developer and operator of privately financed, public sector infrastructure projects such as roads, railways, hospitals and schools through public-private partnership (PPP) and private finance initiative (PFI) arrangements. It was listed on the London Stock Exchange and was a constituent of the FTSE 250 Index prior to its acquisition of the company by the American private equity firm Kohlberg Kravis Roberts (KKR).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Laing O'Rourke</span> Multinational construction company in the United Kingdom

Laing O'Rourke is a multinational construction company headquartered in Dartford, England. It was founded in 1978 by Ray O'Rourke. It is the largest privately owned construction company in the United Kingdom.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kingdom of Breifne</span> Medieval kingdom in Ireland

The Kingdom of Breifne or Bréifne, anglicized as Breffny, was a medieval overkingdom in Gaelic Ireland. It comprised what is now County Leitrim, County Cavan and parts of neighbouring counties, and corresponds roughly to the Roman Catholic Diocese of Kilmore. It had emerged by the 10th century, as a confederation of túatha headed by an overking drawn from the Uí Briúin Bréifne.

Sir John Martin Kirby Laing was a British businessman in the construction industry.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Parker (businessman)</span> Businessman from the United Kingdom, born 1942

Sir Thomas John Parker is a British businessman. He is chairman of Laing O'Rourke and former chairman of Pennon Group, a director of Carnival Corporation & plc and lead non-executive director at the Cabinet Office. He has been a director or chairman of numerous other public companies including Airbus, Anglo American plc, Babcock International, British Gas, DP World, Lattice Group, National Grid plc and Ombu Group. He is a past President of the Royal Academy of Engineering, patron at the Centre for Process Innovation and a Visiting Fellow of the University of Oxford.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">West Breifne</span>

The Kingdom of West Breifne or Breifne O'Rourke was a historic kingdom of Ireland that existed from 1256 to 1605, located in the area that is now County Leitrim. It took its present boundaries in 1583 when West Breifne was shired and renamed Leitrim, after the village of Leitrim, which was an O'Rourke stronghold. The kingdom came into existence after a battle between the ruling O'Rourke clan and the ascendant O'Reillys caused the breakup of the older Kingdom of Breifne and led to the formation of East Breifne and West Breifne. The kingdom was ruled by the O'Rourke clan and lasted until the early 17th century, when their lands were confiscated by England.

Raymond G. Perelman was an American businessman, investor, and philanthropist who served as the founder, chairman and CEO of RGP Holdings. He was the father of Ronald Perelman and Jeffrey E. Perelman. He was known for his philanthropy and charitable giving, as well as his close ties with the city of Philadelphia and the University of Pennsylvania.

Tony Douglas is a British businessman. He is the Chief executive officer (CEO) of Riyadh Air, a Saudi Public Investment Fund subsidiary. He previously was the CEO of Etihad Airways from January 2018 to October 2022. He was chief executive of Abu Dhabi Airports Company (2013–2015), and was chief executive of Defence Equipment and Support department in the United Kingdom's Ministry of Defence (2015–2017). He has held senior positions with airport operator BAA, and was Chief Operating Officer of Laing O'Rourke.

Andrew William Wolstenholme is an English civil engineer, and group technical director of Laing O'Rourke.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anna Stewart (businesswoman)</span> British businesswoman

Anna Marie Stewart was a British businesswoman, CEO of the construction company Laing O'Rourke (2013–2015), and a non-executive director of Babcock International.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Feargal O'Rourke</span> Managing Partner of PwC, Dublin

Feargal O'Rourke is an Irish accountant and corporate tax expert, who was the managing partner of PwC in Ireland. He is considered the architect of the Double Irish tax scheme used by U.S. firms such as Apple, Google and Facebook in Ireland, and a leader in the development of corporate tax planning tools, and tax legislation, for U.S. multinationals in Ireland.

Pat Francis O'Rourke was an American businessman and politician based in El Paso, Texas. He is the father of politician Beto O'Rourke.

References

  1. 1 2 "Ray G. O'Rourke: Executive Profile & Biography – Bloomberg". bloomberg.com. Archived from the original on 9 October 2017. Retrieved 9 October 2017.
  2. 1 2 3 4 "Ray and Des O'Rourke". Irish Independent . 8 March 2015. Archived from the original on 9 October 2017. Retrieved 9 October 2017.
  3. "Raymond Gabriel O'ROURKE – Personal Appointments (free information from Companies House)". beta.companieshouse.gov.uk. Archived from the original on 9 October 2017. Retrieved 9 October 2017.
  4. 1 2 3 "The man and the Parliament millions". The Scotsman . 26 September 2003. Archived from the original on 9 October 2017.
  5. "Leitrim brothers rise to 25th spot on Irish Rich List". Leitrim Observer . 24 January 2019. Archived from the original on 2 September 2019. Retrieved 9 June 2023.
  6. Cronin, Sean (17 February 2000). "Builder O'Rourke buys out firm of family rivals". Irish Independent. Archived from the original on 9 October 2017. Retrieved 9 October 2017.
  7. Morby, Aaron (7 March 2023). "Cathal O'Rourke takes new COO role at Laing O'Rourke". Construction Enquirer. Archived from the original on 9 March 2023. Retrieved 9 March 2023.
  8. Marrs, Colin (24 June 2024). "Ray O'Rourke to hand chief executive reins to son Cathal". Construction News. Retrieved 24 June 2024.
  9. "Honorary awards" (PDF). gov.uk. 2011. Retrieved 6 June 2021.