MY BACKGROUND & STORY
I grew up in Limerick where both my parents were born.
As a child, my father worked as a communications engineer on large ships which meant he was often away for long periods of time. As I was the eldest of four, I took on some of his roles while he was away. I think this made me quite independent.
As a teenager, I had a confident and non-conformist streak. Although I played hurling, I never considered myself especially sporty.
I did my degree with the University of Limerick, majoring in Accounting and Finance. After graduation, I joined Irish National Petroleum Corporation – state oil company where I worked in the trading department – buying and selling oil products in the domestic and international oil markets. I then moved to London and joined ConocoPhillips, a US multinational where I traded gasoline internationally.
I enjoyed living abroad but after a while, I wanted to move back to Ireland.
I was looking for opportunities when a chance meeting with diamond dealers from Antwerp decided my next move. Following a year of market research in Ireland and UK and studying by night with the Gemmological Institute of America (GIA) I returned to Dublin to set up Voltaire Diamonds. After several years, I co-founded Merrion Vaults and later, Merrion Gold. The success of these ventures had led to us expanding our Vault and Bullion businesses into multiple locations in the UK.
CHARITIES
I actively support multiple charities, and in recent times, especially the excellent and worthwhile work of Make A Wish and Respect.
