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French honour for Drimoleague's Glen Dimplex boss Seán O'Driscoll

March 17th, 2016 11:55 AM

By Southern Star Team

Sean O'Driscoll receives his Légion d'Honneur from French ambassador Jean Pierre Thebault. It is the highest decoration the French government can award.

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Drimoleague native, Glen Dimplex chairman and chief executive officer Sean O’Driscoll has been awarded a Légion d’Honneur by the French Ambassador to Ireland, Jean-Pierre Thébault.

DRIMOLEAGUE native, Glen Dimplex chairman and chief executive officer Sean O’Driscoll has been awarded a Légion d’Honneur by the French Ambassador to Ireland, Jean-Pierre Thébault.

The West Cork-born businessman was given the award for his work in building the business relationship between Ireland and France. Glen Dimplex employs just over 1,600 people in France in six different factories. 

It employs over 10,000 people worldwide, 470 in the Republic of Ireland. 

Best known for leading consumer appliance brands such as Morphy Richards and Dimplex heaters, this private company has become an increasingly important player in the global energy sector. 

A commerce graduate from UCC and a chartered accountant by profession, Sean joined Glen Dimplex in 1990 as group finance director and held various positions within the group – as deputy chief executive and group chief executive before being appointed chief executive officer in 2011. 

Prior to his role in Glen Dimplex, Sean worked for KPMG.

 Sean is also a Member of the National Competitiveness Council of Ireland, and was honoured with a UCC Alumni achievement award in 2004 and an honorary OBE by Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II in 2006. In 2012 he was the recipient of the Cork  Chamber of Commerce inaugural ‘Outstanding Achievement in Business Award’. 

 On receiving his most recent award last week, Mr O’Driscoll declared: ‘France is a country and society of beauty, culture, history and freedom.  Ireland and France share many deep historical, cultural and business links.  France has been an incredible friend of Ireland over many centuries and particularly so during the recent financial crisis.  I am deeply honoured to receive this distinction from such a remarkable country.’

 The Legion of Honor is one of the world’s most widely recognised decorations. Established in 1802 the Order is the highest decoration in France and is awarded for excellent civil merit or military conduct.

 

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