Circle 035: Anthony J.F. O'Reilly and Sheila Banks, Ireland's Future, May 2, 1985

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Our discussion leader for this evening's special New England in Washington Circle is Anthony "Tony" J. F. O'Reilly.

A Dubliner whose wit, intelligence, and creative energy would have made James Joyce even more proud of his native city, Tony O'Reilly at 49 already has several careers to his credit. And although his primary occupation may be his position as President and Chief Executive Officer of the H. J. Heinz Company, one of the world's leading multinational food processors and distributors, Dr. O'Reilly is also known as a publisher, a lawyer, a director of some of the globe's largest corporations, and as an international rugby player who has played for both Irish and English teams in international competition.

Now a resident of a Pittsburgh suburb with his wife Susan and three children, Dr. O'Reilly lived in his native Dublin and in England until 1971 when he was called to Heinz's Pittsburgh World Headquarters to become a senior vice-president, and named president and CEO two years later.

Before the move he managed Heinz's largest subsidiary in England, and before that as a director of the Irish Sugar Company and Erin Foods Ltd., both headquartered in Dublin, he acquired the food processing and marketing experience that became the base of one of his careers.

His others include the chairmanship of Independent Newspapers Ltd., Ireland's largest publishing group; service on the boards of several colleges and universities, including Notre Dame and the University of Pittsburgh; and directorships that include a seat on the Mobil Corporation board as well as the Bankers Trust New York Corporation and the Ulster Bank.

He is the recipient of more than half a dozen honorary degrees, a senior partner in a Dublin law firm; chairman of the Ireland Fund; and a member of Lyford Cay Club in Nassau, BWI, which leads one to wonder when he ever finds the time for a vacation in the Bahamas.

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