Matt O’Connor (born February 1967) is a marketing consultant, political activist, and author. He is the founder and leader of the
Fathers 4 Justice organisation.
Early life and business career
He was born in Manchester in February 1967,
and grew up in
Kent
Kent is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in South East England. It is bordered by Essex across the Thames Estuary to the north, the Strait of Dover to the south-east, East Sussex to the south-west, Surrey to the west, and Gr ...
. His father was a headmaster of a Catholic school from Kerry, Ireland; his mother was an English teacher.
Fathers 4 Justice
Fathers 4 Justice was founded in 2001 in the UK by O'Connor.
[Deborah Ros]
"Matt O'Connor: The man behind Fathers4Justice"
''The Independent'', 4 July 2006
In 2007 he published his first book ''Fathers4Justice: The Inside Story'' through the Orion Publishing Group and sold the film rights to his life story to Buena Vista pictures, part of the Walt Disney group.
Ice cream
In 2009 O'Connor launched an ice cream brand 'The Icecreamists' at Selfridges' London store, then opened a shop in Covent Garden. He sold "extreme flavours" such as absinthe, crushed popcorn, and horseradish. In 2011 his
Baby Gaga breast milk ice cream was removed from sale by Westminster Council for testing, but later returned. Newspapers reported that singer
Lady Gaga
Stefani Joanne Angelina Germanotta (born March 28, 1986), known professionally as Lady Gaga, is an American singer, songwriter, and actress. Known for her image reinventions and versatility across the entertainment industry, she is an influ ...
threatened legal action over the possible use of her name.
His second book ''The Icecreamists'' was published 2012 by Octopus Publishing.
He was also the Creative Director for the Gelato brand Antonio Federici Gelato Italiano campaign launched in 2009. Several of the advertisements were later banned by the Advertising Standards Authority.
Mayoral candidacy
In 2008 he was a candidate in the
London mayoral election for the
English Democrats,
but he pulled out a week before polling date, citing a lack of both support from the Democrats, and publicity from the press.
Publications
*''Fathers4Justice: The Inside Story'' (
Weidenfeld & Nicolson, 2007)
*''The Icecreamists: Boutique ice creams and other guilty pleasures to make and enjoy at home'' (
Mitchell Beazley, 2012)
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Oconnor, Matt
Living people
English Democrats politicians
Fathers' rights activists
English people of Irish descent
Date of birth missing (living people)
1967 births
People from Manchester