IIBN - International Irish Business Network

On 1st February 2010, Dr Hugh O’Donnell, CEO of Kentz (www.kentz.com) was IIBN’s first keynote speaker in London for 2010. Over 200 IIBN members attended the event which was hosted at the offices of Deutsche Bank on London Wall.

The event offered a rare opportunity to hear from one of Ireland’s most successful entrepreneurs who continues to build Kentz into the global player it has now become.

In late 2000 when Hugh O’Donnell was appointed chief executive of Kentz at the age of 35 years, he was quick to recognise the latent potential that existed in its people, its services and its key client relationships. He has been instrumental in building Kentz in to the global business it is today, with a backlog of over US$1 billion and a bidding pipeline for new projects of US$2.15 billion.

Kentz is a global engineering specialist solutions provider, which serves a blue chip client base primarily in the oil and gas, petrochemical and mining and metals sectors. Its clients include some of the largest companies in the world, such as ExxonMobil, Shell, Chevron, Rio Tinto, Fluor, Saudi Aramco and Linde.

From relatively humble beginnings as an electrical contractor founded in Ireland in 1919, Kentz has developed into a truly international company with operations in 23 countries, including Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Kuwait in the Middle East, Northern Alberta Canada, North West Australia, Sakhalin island in Far East Russia, Mozambique off the coast of Africa and Trinidad and Tobago in the Caribbean. In the year ending December 2008 the Company generated revenues of $643.4 million and profit before tax of $40.7 million. Hugh was also the winner of the International category of the Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year Awards in 2009.

Prior to the Dr O’Donnells presentation, 3 members were given the opportunity to profile their business to those attending. They were:

Karen O’Donoghue, Ernst & Young, Entrepreneur of the Year Programme (Dublin)
Mary Frawley., JAM LLP
Tamara Gervasoni. GOAL

Many thanks to Deutsche Bank who are generously hosting the event.