Niall FitzGerald (born 13 September 1945), is an

Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...

businessman.

Early life and education

FitzGerald was born 13 September 1945 in

County Sligo County Sligo ( , gle, Contae Shligigh) is a county in Ireland. It is located in the Border Region and is part of the province A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or state. The term derives from the an ...

. FitzGerald grew up in

Limerick Limerick ( ; ga, Luimneach ) is a western city in Ireland situated within County Limerick. It is in the province of Munster and is located in the Mid-West which comprises part of the Southern Region. With a population of 94,192 at the 2016 ...

Ireland Ireland ( ; ga, Éire ; Ulster Scots dialect, Ulster-Scots: ) is an island in the Atlantic Ocean, North Atlantic Ocean, in Northwestern Europe, north-western Europe. It is separated from Great Britain to its east by the North Channel (Grea ...

, and was educated at

St Munchin's College St. Munchin's College is a second-level education college located in Corbally, Limerick, Ireland. The school was founded in 1796. It is a Diocesan CollegeDiocese of Limerick > Education > Post Primary or minor seminary. College Crest The colle ...

in Limerick. He obtained a Commerce degree from

University College, Dublin University College Dublin (commonly referred to as UCD) ( ga, Coláiste na hOllscoile, Baile Átha Cliath) is a public research university in Dublin, Ireland, and a member institution of the National University of Ireland. With 33,284 student ...

(UCD).

Career

His executive career was with

Unilever Unilever plc is a British multinational consumer goods company with headquarters in London, England. Unilever products include food, condiments, bottled water, baby food, soft drink, ice cream, instant coffee, cleaning agents, energy dri ...

for 37 years. He was an executive board member for 18 years and served respectively as Finance Director, Foods Director and Detergents Director until his appointment as Chairman and CEO in 1996; a position he held until 2004. During his Unilever career he worked and lived in Ireland, the Netherlands, South Africa, the US and the UK. FitzGerald has chaired a broad range of companies and public bodies. These include Reuters, Hakluyt, the Nelson Mandela Legacy Trust, International Business Council, Conference Board, Investment Climate Facility for Africa, British Museum, the Transatlantic Business Dialogue (TAB) and Advertising Association. He has also served on the Boards of Bank of Ireland, Ericsson, Merck, Prudential Corporation and chaired Audit, Remuneration and Governance Committees. Other Board mandates have included the World Economic Forum, Council on Foreign Relations, International Policy Council for Agriculture and Trade, President of South Africa's International Advisory Council, Kok Commission on the Lisbon Agenda, Spencer Stuart Advisory Board. Current engagements include Chairman, Brand Learning; Chairman, NiJaCo; Chairman, Hakluyt International Advisory Board; Chairman, Munster Rugby Commercial Board; Chairman, UCD Graduate Business School; Chairman, Leverhulme Trust; Senior Advisor, Allen & Co.; Member of Mitsubishi International Advisory Committee and Chairman of Governors at Cumnor House Sussex prep school.

Awards and honours

FitzGerald was made an Honorary Knight Commander of the

Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

in 2002, and holds a number of Honorary Doctorates from American, British and Irish universities. He has also been the recipient of numerous other awards for his work on global business issues, including *Golden Plate Award of the

American Academy of Achievement The American Academy of Achievement, colloquially known as the Academy of Achievement, is a non-profit educational organization that recognizes some of the highest achieving individuals in diverse fields and gives them the opportunity to meet ...

(2002), received at the International Achievement Summit in Dublin, Ireland *Society of Chemical Industry Centenary Medal (2004) *Royal Dublin Society Gold Medal for Industry (2006) *Woodrow Wilson Award for Corporate Citizenship (2008) *Business & Finance Award for Outstanding Business Achievement (2008) *Perlmutter Award for Excellence in Global Business Leadership (2011) On 13 November 2014 FitzGerald was presented with an honorary degree in Economic Science from

University of Limerick The University of Limerick (UL) ( ga, Ollscoil Luimnigh) is a public research university institution in Limerick, Ireland. Founded in 1972 as the National Institute for Higher Education, Limerick, it became a university in 1989 in accordance w ...

Personal life

FitzGerald is married to Ingrid and they have a daughter, Grabby. He has 3 children from a previous marriage.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Fitzgerald, Niall 1945 births Living people Businesspeople from County Limerick Honorary Knights Commander of the Order of the British Empire Unilever people Reuters Trustees of the British Museum People educated at St Munchin's College