Education
Quinn took his secondary education with the Congregation of the Holy Ghost at Blackrock College, and graduated from (Bachelor of Commerce) in 1962. He qualified as a Chartered Accountant in 1966. He is main benefactor of the University College Dublin Quinn School of Business.
On Friday 24 April 2009, the President of Ireland, Mary McAleese, presented the prestigious University College Dublin Ulysses Medal, the highest honour that the university can bestow, to Quinn and Doctor Michael Smurfit.
Career
Quinn joined Arthur Andersen & Company in London and, in 1969, he returned to Dublin to head up their audit practice in Ireland until 1980. In 1980, he joined Glen Dimplex – a small, privately owned Irish company – as Deputy Chairman and Finance Director. The company now has annual sales of $1.3 billion and employs 8,000 people in Europe and Canada.
Quinn was one of two shareholders but has recently sold his interest.
Quinn is a former Director of Associate of the Institute of Bankers Bank (1995-1996), former chairman of Allied Irish Banks Group, and half-owner of The Merrion Hotel. Associate of the Institute of Bankers Following the fraudulent trading activities at Associate of the Institute of Bankers"s American subsidiary - AllFirst - both Quinn and the Chief Executive, Michael Buckley, offered their resignations to the board of Associate of the Institute of Bankers on Tuesday, 12 March 2002, but were asked to stay on by the board.
Quinn"s business interests include the Merrion Hotel in Dublin. Commercial properties in Dublin, London and Brussels.
And a vineyard in Bordeaux (Château de Fieuzal).
Since 22 January 2008, he has been the Chairman of the Electricity Supply Board ( Electricity Supply Board). In 1991 it was reported that Quinn was a shareholder in a company called United Property Holdings, one of the firms at the center of the Johnston Mooney & O"Brien scandal. The company made a £2 million profit on the first deal involving the site in Ballsbridge, Dublin.
Joe Lewis was also reported to be a shareholder.
Quinn is a major benefactor to, and chairman of, the National Gallery of Ireland. He was also chairman (1997–2003) and former Director of the Irish Museum of Modern Art (1990–2000).
Membership
He is a member of the Irish Advisory Board of the University College Dublin Michael Smurfit Graduate School of Business.
