Against the odds, he masterminded a robust defence strategy for Irish Distillers by introducing Pernod Ricard as a “white knight”. Photograph: Cyril ByrneRichard Hooper was born in Dublin on August 7th, 1936, at a time when most of the world was marked by economic depression. It is ironic that the man who is widely regarded as the doyen of Irish corporate finance, was brought up in such difficult times.
His early education was at Catholic University School, Leeson Street. In 1954, he went on to UCD to study engineering, obtaining a first-class honours degree . In 1956, Richard met the “love of his life”, Kathleen, a daughter of the highly respected Derry lawyer Patrick Macwell. Richard and Kathleen married in 1960 and had four daughters and the couple celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary in February 2020.
Richard retired from IBI in 1993 and in the same year, received a “Business Alumnus of the Year” award from UCD. He continued to have successful involvement with top companies, including in his capacity as chairman of Jurys plc, National Toll Roads and Glencar, and directorships of Green Property and Irish Life & Permanent.
He was passionate about his sailing, winning many championships while enjoying numerous cruises around Ireland, France, Britain, Spain , Portugal, and Croatia. He also served as commodore of both the Royal St George Yacht Club in Dun Laoghaire and Dublin Bay Sailing Club where he successfully applied, to both roles, his impressive business acumen and commitment to excellence.