Cameron O'Reilly

Anthony Cameron O'Reilly, generally known as Cameron O'Reilly, (born 1964) is a Dublin-born businessman with Irish and Australian citizenship, the son of Irish media magnate Tony O'Reilly and Australian Susan Cameron. Having managed one of Australia's largest press groups, he is currently Managing Director of Landis+Gyr, formerly the Bayard Group, which includes the world's largest electricity metering supplier, and has revenues of over 1.2 billion USD.

Life

Early life

O'Reilly was brought up in Dublin and Kilcullen in Ireland until age 5, then London in England for a couple of years, then chiefly in Fox Chapel, Pittsburgh, USA until 14, with visits to Kilcullen and Glandore. He finished school at Clongowes Wood, a private school in a historic house near a main family home, Castlemartin in Kildare, both historically owned by the same family.

He took his Irish Leaving Certificate in 1983, then attended Oxford University, graduating with an honours degree in politics, philosophy and economics, having represented the university in tennis, rugby and punting, and having led a motorcycle expedition from Oxford to China. He also represented Oxford in debating and was treasurer of the Oxford Union.

Early career

O'Reilly worked for the investment bank Goldman Sachs from the mid-1980s to 1988. He then returned to Ireland to work for a few months at Independent News and Media, the public company led by his father, before being moved to Australia, to a sales role on the regional side of APN News & Media, in which the O'Reilly family (via a trust) and the Independent had invested. He was also appointed to the APN board of directors. APN at that time was already a major Australian press group, leading in local newspapers. After working in sales from 1988 to 1991, he was appointed general manager of the Rockhampton Morning Bulletin from 1991 to 1992, then Deputy CEO of APN.

In 1992, he met his wife-to-be, Ilse, on a blind date, and they became engaged three weeks later. He noted that one newspaper commented that he might spend more time on APN and less in nighclubs after this.

In May 1996, O'Reilly was appointed as CEO of APN, and directed a programme of acquisition and development over several years, increasing interests in radio and other channels, while approaching the internet area cautiously.

O'Reilly became involved in the work of a number of charitable organisations, some with his wife Ilse (who also has her own charitable interests, including a refuge for women), and became is a life governor of the Australian Ireland Fund.

In October 1999, O'Reilly announced that he would leave his executive role at APN to pursue private business interests, and he did so in July 2000, moving to Grenoble in France. He remains a non-executive director of APN and of Independent News and Media. He is also a director of IRESS Market Technology.

Later career

In 2002, O'Reilly returned to Australia, where he received the Governor Peace Award in November. He also became a director of Gazal Corporation Limited (2002-2005), one of Australia's leading drapers.

In May 2003, he launched investment house Bayard Capital, with 100 million Australian dollars from various shareholders, including John Fairfax and the government of Singapore He himself sold two thirds of his APN shares in early 2004 to invest in Bayard, which spent over 200 million USD on acquisitions in its first year, finishing that year with 3500 employees in 27 countries and annual sales of over 600 million USD.

O'Reilly developed Bayard with a focus on investments that leveraged growing shortages of energy and water, including metering technology, and by 2008, the Bayard group of companies employed over 5000 people across 30 countries, with a turnover of in excess of 1.2 billion USD and EBITDA earnings in excess of 200 million USD. One of its major holdings was Landis + Gyr, the world's largest electrical metering company, and the entire group was renamed to Landis+Gyr in early 2008.

In June 2008, O'Reilly received the International Irish Business Person of the Year Award from Dublin-based Business and Finance Magazine, having in May spoken about his company's plans to partially float.

In July 2008, O'Reilly announced a five-year refinancing of the company's borrowings and credit lines, totalling 1.1 billion USD, and plans to float by 2010, with an equity value in excess of 2 billion USD. He noted that his shareholding would be around 7% by then, including share options. His father owns around 7% also. The flotation would probably take place in New York, where the company formally opens a new office 18 July 2008.

Personal life

O'Reilly currently resides in Sydney, Australia, where he is occasionally mentioned in reports of the social scene, with his wife Ilse and four children Elliot, Oscar, Tara and Sasha (aged 7 to 14 mid-2008). He is a director of Sydney Theatre Company and the National Gallery of Australia Foundation, and a member of the Central Advisory Board of the Salvation Army in Australia, as well as remaining active in the Ireland Funds, and as a trustee of the O'Reilly Foundation. Noting that he currently spends about two weeks each month in Europe and the USA (which accounts for 40% of his company's business), he announced 18 July 2008 that he and his family would soon move their primary residence to New York, where Landis+Gyr is opening a new fifteen-person office; they also have a house in the French Alps. His hobbies include ski-touring and mountain-climbing.

See also

• Brothers Gavin O'Reilly, Tony O'Reilly, Junior
• Stepmother Chryss Goulandris

Sources

• Dublin, Ireland, 31 October 2004: The Sunday Business Post, "The Son That Got Away", Gavin Daly.
• Sydney, Australia, 12 August 2003: Sydney Morning Herald, "O'Reilly clocks up first asset for Bayard", Ian Porter
• Dublin, Ireland, Friday 18 July 2008: The Irish Times, Business, The Friday Interview: "Measuring up Cameron O'Reilly, Landis+Gyr"

Notes and references