By Kevin McCauley
PR man Declan Kelly, 42, has stepped down as U.S. economic envoy to Northern Ireland following a two-year stint.
The former journalist sold Gallagher and Kelly PR to then-Financial Dynamics for about $20M and headed its U.S. operations. FD, in turn, was sold to FTI Consulting in 2006.
Deputy N.I. First Minister, Martin McGuinness; Kelly, and and First Minister Peter Robinson in Washington, D.C., March 2010. |
Kelly was executive VP and chief integration officer at FD before Secretary of State Hillary Clinton nominated him for the N.I. slot. He told the Belfast Telegraph that he did the best he could do in Northern Ireland and is now reviewing a number of options.
Though active in Democratic politics, Kelly ruled out life as a politico. He said Clinton "thanked me for the work that we did together." Clinton had hosted a U.S./N.I. investment conference in October and has pitched N.I. as a good place for overseas investment.
Kelly will decide his next move after spending time with his family in New York City Tipperary.
Alastair Hamilton, CEO of Invest NI, said in a statement that Kelly is "someone with immense drive, determination and enthusiasm." He helped NI "gain an unprecedented level of access to the boardrooms of corporate U.S.A."
Kelly reported for the Nenagh Guardian, Tipperary Star and Cork Examiner before entering the PR business.
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