John Mullins obituary: Cork businessman and Fine Gael politician who was head of Bord Gáis, stood for election and proved a great supporter of the GAA
He became CEO of Bord Gáis in December 2007, a position he held until the end of 2012. During those five years, Bord Gáis set up an electricity unit and developed significant renewable and conventional power-generation assets.
After finishing his time at the company, Mullins and Alain Desvigne co-founded Amarenco, a company in the PV (photovoltaic) sector focused on the use of solar panels to convert sunlight directly into electric power.
He became executive chairperson of the company, which promotes the development, financing and ownership of solar PV assets in Europe, the Caribbean, the Middle East and Asia.
In a wide-ranging career, Mullins held senior management positions with the ESB and its global energy engineering consultancy ESB International, the accounting firm PricewaterhouseCoopers (UK) and the renewable energy group NTR.
He chaired the Port of Cork Company from 2013 to 2021 and was a director of the Cork-based Tyndall National Institute, a European research centre focused on integrated ICT (Information and Communications Technology) hardware and systems, cooperating with industry and academia to turn research into products.
He was also a director of Páirc Uí Chaoimh as well as Wisetek Solutions Limited, also Cork-based, which specialises in IT asset disposition, data sanitisation and re-use, and was acquired by the Boston-headquartered company Iron Mountain in a major deal last year.
Born in March 1968, John Mullins grew up in the Cork city districts of Knocknaheeny and Bishopstown, and attended the North Monastery Secondary School.
He went on from there to University College Cork and acquired bachelor's and master's degrees in electrical engineering, followed by an MBA from the UCD Smurfit Business School.
A Fellow of Engineers Ireland and the Irish Academy of Engineering, he was awarded a Chevalier de la Legion d'Honneur by the French government in 2015 — the country's highest civilian honour — for his role in developing the solar energy market there.
He joined Young Fine Gael in the early 1990s, serving as its national president from 1993 to 1995. In 1994, Mullins put his name forward as a Fine Gael general election candidate for Cork North-Central. He fell short of getting the nomination by a single vote.
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He was a Fine Gael candidate last year for the European Parliament in the five-seat constituency of Ireland South, hoping to succeed the party's retiring MEP, Deirdre Clune. He told the Irish Examiner that, if elected, his priorities would be to achieve a 'new rural contract' with farmers in Ireland, the creation of 'pragmatic transitional environmental policies' and a 'fair but firm' approach to immigration.
A visionary entrepreneur and a passionate climate protection advocate
He finished in eighth position on the first count with 33,281 votes and was eliminated on the 17th count.
John Mullins served as president of the Cork Chamber of Commerce from 2011 to 2013. He was also a member of the One Cork fundraising committee, dedicated to the promotion of Gaelic games in the county. He was a founding chairperson of the Anam Cara charity for bereaved parents, and he also chaired Energycloud, a charity for people facing fuel-poverty.
In a statement, Amarenco described him as 'a visionary entrepreneur and a passionate climate protection advocate. John held executive roles within Amarenco until the end of 2024, driving the business forward in the face of many challenges.
'His dedication, vision and values have left a lasting mark and will continue to guide our company into the future. John will be greatly missed by all within our business, and our industry, for his leadership and friendship.'
Cork GAA said: 'John represented everything our organisation stands for — a volunteer, a community man, a proponent of our games, and someone willing to go the extra mile for the benefit of others.'
John was a wonderfully gregarious character who had a huge impact in Cork and across the country
The manager of the county's senior hurling team, Pat Ryan, said: 'John Mullins was a great supporter of Cork GAA and especially the Cork senior hurlers.'
Mullins's friend from his college days, Gary Murphy, now professor of politics at DCU, wrote in his Sunday Times column: 'Ultimately, Mullins simply wanted to make Ireland a better place for its people and it is a tragedy for the country, as much as his family, that he will not get the chance to continue his work of the past three-and-a-half decades. May he rest easy.'
Tánaiste and Fine Gael leader Simon Harris said: 'It was an honour to know John, to soldier with him in politics, to canvass with him. I always found it a joy to be in his company.
'For Fine Gael, he was a proud friend of so many and a party activist to his core. The Fine Gael family, especially across Cork, mourns his loss.
'He was kind, witty, intelligent, fundamentally decent and someone who always wanted to do right by his community and his country. His loss is immense and will be felt deeply by so many.'
Taoiseach and Fianna Fáil leader Micheál Martin said: 'I am deeply saddened at the passing of John Mullins, someone who made such a distinguished contribution to public life, business, sport and politics. John was a wonderfully gregarious character who had a huge impact in Cork and across the country.
'John had a particular interest in sport, with his beloved Bishopstown GAA and as director of Páirc Uí Chaoimh, and I often enjoyed great banter with him over sporting rivalries.
'John fully realised his potential in public service and in business, but he could just as easily have realised his promise in politics with his deep and abiding interest and involvement with Fine Gael. A great strategist, you would see John at all the election counts over the years.'
John Mullins died suddenly after taking ill at his home on April 14. He is survived by his wife Siobhan, children Michael and Sarah, his parents Pat and Maureen, brothers Jim, Pat, Kieran and Brian, other relatives and a wide circle of colleagues and friends.
A ceremony in the Church of the Holy Spirit at Dennehy's Cross was followed by removal to the Island Crematorium in Ringaskiddy.
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