Business

OHM chief executive Declan McCourt dies

McCourt headed up automotive company OHM Group for more than four decades

The late Irish businessman Declan McCourt, left, was formerly head of OHM, which operates the Spirit Motor Group.
The late Irish businessman Declan McCourt, left, was formerly head of OHM, which operates the Spirit Motor Group.
Ciara O'Brien
Mon Oct 21 2024 - 21:15

The chief executive of automotive company OHM Group, Declan McCourt (78) has died.

A death notice for the businessman said he died suddenly last Friday at his home in Dublin.

Mr McCourt headed up OHM Group for more than four decades, joining the group in the early 1980s as partner and chief executive. The OHM Group distributes the Jaguar, Land Rover, Ford, Volvo, Skoda, Cupra, Seat brands in Ireland, and operates the Spirit Motor Group.

Prior to joining OHM, he worked with distiller Seagram as a local director in Rome in the early 1970s, before taking over as marketing director for its European business. In 1977, he moved to the US to take up an international role with the distiller, and was later appointed as a vice president of the company.

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In the late 1970s, Mr McCourt returned to Ireland, to become chief operating officer of the TMG Group, before moving to OHM in 1982. He remained at the helm of the company for 42 years, overseeing its growth to more than €200 million annually in revenues.

A graduate of UCD, where he received a degree in economics and politics, and a masters in economics, Mr McCourt was also qualified barrister-at-law and held an MBA from the Harvard Business School.

He served as a director for a number of organisations, including Ffyfes and Balmoral International Land Holdings.

Mr McCourt also chaired the Mater University Hospital’s fundraising body, the Mater Foundation, until October 2017, and UCD’s School of Law Development Council. He received an honorary law degree from the university in 2013.

He is survived by his wife Margaret, and his children Conal, Cian, Melissa and Melanie. His funeral will be held on Thursday at the Church of Our Lady of Perpetual Succour, Foxrock at 11am.

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Ciara O'Brien

Ciara O'Brien

Ciara O'Brien is an Irish Times business and technology journalist

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