Dermot Desmond

Dermot Desmond
Dermot Desmond
Born 14 August 1950 (1950-08-14) (age 61)
Macroom, Co. Cork
Residence UK, Gibraltar, Barbados[1]
Net worth decrease1.45 billion[2]
Spouse Pat Desmond
Children 4

Dermot Desmond is an Irish businessman and financier. He is estimated to be worth €1.45billion and is ranked by the Sunday Independent as the sixth-richest person in Ireland.[3]

Contents

Background and education

Desmond was born in Macroom, Co. Cork in 1950 and grew up in Marino, Co. Dublin. He was educated at Scoil Mhuire, Marino and Good Counsel College in New Ross. Upon leaving school in 1968, he took a junior position with Citibank in Dublin.[4] He then took a job with Pricewaterhouse coopers in Kabul, Afghanistan.[4]In 1981, he founded the Irish stockbroking company National City Brokers (NCB).[4] He was appointed chairman of the board of Aer Rianta in 1990 under the Haughey government, but resigned in October 1991 amid the scandal over the puchase of the Johnston Mooney & O'Brien site by Telecom Eireann.[5]

International Investment & Underwriting (IIU)

International Investment & Underwriting (IIU) was founded in 1995 by Dermot Desmond. It is a private equity firm and the primary investment vehicle for Desmond. It is located in Ireland's International Financial Services Centre (IFSC) and is regulated by the Irish Financial Services Regulatory Authority. Companies that are controlled through IIU include BETDAQ (an international betting exchange) and DAON (a biometric enabling technology company). IIU Asset Strategies Limited is the hedge fund arm of the company, offering convertible bonds and equity funds.[6]

In August 2008, Desmond was offered the position of Chairman of the Irish airline Aer Lingus. Desmond turned down the offer citing prior commitments as a factor which would not allow him the sufficient time necessary to do the job. Former GPA Chief Operating Officer and current Babcock & Brown Air Chief Executive Colm Barrington was subsequently named Chairman of Aer Lingus.[7]

Business career

In 1981 Dermot Desmond founded National City Brokers in Dublin. The company competed with already established stockbroking names in Dublin such as Davy's and Goodbodys. Desmond sold the company to Ulster Bank in 1994, which at the time was part of the National Westminster Group, for a reported £39 Million. Subsequently as a result of Natwest's takeoever in 2003 by RBS, NCB was bought out by its management with the support of Billionaire businessman Sean Quinn who is believed to now control 25% of the company.[citation needed]

In 1997, together with business partners John Magnier and J.P. McManus, Desmond purchased the luxurious 5 star Barbados resort Sandy Lane Hotel. The Hotel underwent a $450 Million USD renovation and was re-opened in 2001.[citation needed]

In 1996 Desmond backed a consortium headed by Fran Rooney to purchase Baltimore Technologies for £300,000. The company quickly purchased an E - Commerce license from the EU and it experienced rapid growth over the following years. It was briefly a member of the FTSE 100 and had a market Capitalization of £4.5 Billion. The company though fell victim to the dotcom bust and all but collapsed.[citation needed]

Desmond purchased London City Airport from Mowlem for £23.5m in 1995. The investment was considered a large risk as London's Docklands was in recession and the neighbouring Canary Wharf development was in receivership. The airport has since become one of the more profitable in the United Kingdom. Desmond sold London City Airport in October 2006 for a reported £750 million to a consortium consisting of insurer AIG, GE Capital and Credit Suisse.[8]

BETDAQ is the trading name of Global Betting Exchange, a betting exchange operator based in Ireland. It is the second largest betting exchange operator in the market, with Betfair being the largest. The company was founded in 2000 by Dermot Desmond and started trading in September 2001. Its headquarters are located in the International Financial Services Centre in Dublin.[citation needed]

Desmond was a major shareholder in Irish food company Greencore for a number of years. He sold his shares in 2006.[9]

In 2005 Desmond opened the Sporting Emporium, a Dublin-based private members gaming club. It was reported Desmond had invested €5.5 Million of his own money in the venture. After being open for only seven months it faced closure.[10]

Desmond purchased 33.1% of Latvian Rietumu Banka in 2005 for a reported €66 Million. He invested in the bank as a result of being very impressed with its management team and capital structure. The investment in Rietumu initially looked a successful one with Desmonds holding at one stage being valued at €200 million. However the subsequent economic downturn has reduced the value of Desmonds holding in the bank significantly.

Desmond owns a stake in Toronto mining company Mountain Province Diamonds that is valued at £25 million. The Company's sole asset is the Canadian Gahcho Kue Diamond Mine Project.

Glackin report

In 1991, a company law inspector, solicitor John Glackin, was appointed by the then Government to investigate complicated dealings involving Mr Desmond and the purchase and sale of the former Johnston Mooney and O’Brien site in Ballsbridge, Dublin. While Mr Desmond represented himself as an intermediary in the sale, Glackin’s report said Mr Desmond and businessman JP McManus were the major beneficiaries of the sale. Mr Desmond strenuously disputed Glackin’s findings.[11]

Flood Tribunal

Mr Desmond gave evidence relating to the Century Radio module of the Flood Tribunal. He said he had given former Fianna Fail press secretary PJ Mara a loan of £46,000 between 1986 and 1989, as Mr Mara had run into financial difficulties. He said he made the payments by cheque.[12]

Moriarty Tribunal

The Moriarty Tribunal found that Mr Desmond made substantial payments to Taoiseach Charles Haughey. In 1994 Mr Desmond made a payment of £100,000.00 sterling to Mr Haughey and in 1996 he made a payment of £25,000 sterling. While Mr Desmond claims these payments to be loans, repayable by Mr Haughey, the Tribunal did not accept this explanation. Ultimately Mr Haughey was forced to settle with the Revenue Commissioners, as it appears he had failed to declare the payments from Mr Desmond. The Tribunal noted that the payments were made via the Swiss bank account of a company called Anesia Etablissement, of which Mr Desmond was the beneficial owner, via an account at Henry Ansbacher & Company to an account at Cayman International Bank Trust Company, held for Mr Haughey's benefit. [13]

Celtic Mist

Mr Desmond also paid £75,456 for the refurbishment of Mr Haughey's yacht, the Celtic Mist, between 1990 and 1991, at a time according to the Tribunal, that Mr Haughey earned between £69,764 and £72,354 a year as Taoiseach. Mr Desmond again claimed this payment was a loan, but the Tribunal disagreed, noting again that Mr Haughey had settled with the Revenue Commissioners in relation to the sum, having failed to pay Capital Gains Tax at the time. The Tribunal also found that the yacht itself amounted to an indirect benefit to Mr Haughey. This was it despite being unable to find the source of the £167,073.90 paid for the yacht. [14]

Mr Haughey's son Conor told the Tribunal in 1999 that he had learned money to refurbish the yacht had come from the bank account of Freezone Limited. Money from the sale of the Johnston Mooney & O'Brien site had ended up in the same account - a revelation that Conor Haughey said he was "very concerned" about.[15]

The yacht was subsequently given to the Irish Whale and Dolphin Group by the family of Mr Haughey and now operates as a maritime research vessel [16]

Esat Digifone

Mr Desmond was an investor in Esat Digifone through his International Investment Underwriters (IIU) vehicle, ultimately owning 20% of the company.

Football

Desmond is the majority shareholder of Scottish Premier League football club Celtic FC.[17]

Desmond previously held a stake in Manchester United. He sold out to Malcolm Glazer in 2005.

Business

Desmond's past and present business interests and investment holdings include;

References

  1. ^ "Profile: Dermot Desmond". The Sunday Times (London). 25 April 2010. http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/ireland/article7107101.ece. 
  2. ^ "Ireland's Rich List 1-10". The Sunday Independent (Dublin). March 13 2011. http://www.independent.ie/business/rich-list/irelands-rich-list-110-2116314.html. Retrieved March 27 2011. 
  3. ^ "Ireland's Rich List 1-10". The Sunday Independent (Dublin). March 13 2011. http://www.independent.ie/business/rich-list/irelands-rich-list-110-2116314.html. Retrieved March 27 2011. 
  4. ^ a b c "Dermot Desmond Profile". Forbes. http://www.forbes.com/profile/dermot-desmond. Retrieved 25 August 2011. 
  5. ^ McGrath, Brendan (October 4, 1991). "Desmond's move is 'sad but inevitable' - Haughey". Dublin: The Irish Times. http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/archive/1991/1004/Pg001.html#Ar00101:0543301A739F0B24310F444607B4AE0B74C30B74AE0BA4C30BA4AE0C04C30785410B35560785AB0B45C01394CF1664E41664CF1754E41D050B20C52120C50B20F52120F50B21552115154C18C56116A59D1A85B218765B1C76702AA57E2E55933A640B3E242042966446C6790744310A9446. Retrieved 20 November 2011. 
  6. ^ "International Investment & Underwriting Profile". http://www.iiu.ie/. Retrieved 25 August 2011. 
  7. ^ http://www.rte.ie/news/2008/0802/desmondd.html
  8. ^ http://www.the2012londonolympics.com/forum/showthread.php?t=5425
  9. ^ "Shares in Greencore surge as Desmond sells his 22pc". July 6, 2006. http://www.independent.ie/business/irish/shares-in-greencore-surge-as-desmond-sells-his-22pc-86535.html. Retrieved 25 August 2011. 
  10. ^ Paul, Mark (May 28, 2006). "Casino play looks 'bleak' for Desmond". London: The Times. http://business.timesonline.co.uk/tol/business/industry_sectors/leisure/article727641.ece. Retrieved 25 August 2011. 
  11. ^ http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2011/0323/1224292846891.html
  12. ^ http://www.planningtribunal.ie/images/Report.pdf
  13. ^ http://www.moriarty-tribunal.ie/images/SITECONTENT_26.pdf
  14. ^ http://www.moriarty-tribunal.ie/images/SITECONTENT_26.pdf
  15. ^ Keena, Colm (December 8, 1999). "Haughey yacht paid for from proceeds of site deal". Dublin: The Irish Times. http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/archive/1999/1208/Pg009.html#Ar00900:25E17128718653221855B2301E80A52A311F2141702381852891DD2AD1F238F1523CD1785D51315F914659D17D5C119259F2335C424828A1712AA18642C22944E23E. Retrieved 20 November 2011. 
  16. ^ http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/ireland/2011/1114/1224307527620.html
  17. ^ "Desmond promises manager Lennon new Celtic contract". BBC News. May 21, 2011. http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/football/13477452.stm. Retrieved 25 August 2011. 
  18. ^ http://www.irishtimes.com/newspaper/finance/2009/0306/1224242373383.html
  19. ^ Bottin (International) Investments Ltd. v Venson Group Plc & Others [2004] EWCA Civ 1368 (22 October 2004), Court of Appeal

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