Ray O'Rourke (businessman)
Irish businessman
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Raymond Gabriel O'Rourke (born January 1947)[1] is an Irish businessman, the chairman and CEO of the construction multinational Laing O'Rourke.[2]
January 1947 (age 79)
Ray O'Rourke | |
|---|---|
| Born | Raymond Gabriel O'Rourke January 1947 (age 79) County Leitrim, Ireland |
| Occupation | Businessman |
| Known for | Founder and 55% owner of Laing O'Rourke |
| Title | Chairman and CEO, Laing O'Rourke |
O'Rourke was born in January 1947.[3] A native of County Leitrim, Ireland,[2][4] he was raised in Corraleehan, near Ballinamore in South Leitrim.[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 from the beginning of July 2024.[8][9]
Honours
O'Rourke has honorary doctorates from the Dublin Institute of Technology, and Queen's University, Belfast.[1]
In 2011, he was made a Honorary Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire (KBE).[10]
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