Communicorp

Denis O’Brien is an Irish entrepreneur and has founded several businesses. Among his ventures are Communicorp, Ireland’s largest independent radio network, and Esat Telecom, which rapidly became the country’s second-largest telecommunications company before being acquired by British Telecom. He also co-founded Saon Group, a prominent online recruitment business that expanded into 12 markets worldwide. In 2000, Denis founded Digicel, which provides telecommunications services across 32 markets in the Caribbean, Central America, and the South Pacific, serving 14 million customers and generating revenues exceeding US$2 billion annually.

Denis has diversified investments across various sectors, including technology, leisure, property, utility services, and renewable energy. He is a former recipient of the EY Entrepreneur of the Year Award. In 2003, he chaired the Special Olympics World Summer Games. He is the founder and patron of the Digicel Foundation, which has been instrumental in building schools throughout the Caribbean, including 193 schools in Haiti that accommodate 60,000 children. For his charitable work in Haiti, he has received accolades such as the Clinton Global Citizen Award, the National Order of Honour and Merit, and the title of Goodwill Ambassador.

Additionally, Denis serves as a United Nations Broadband Commissioner for Sustainable Development. He is also the founder of The Repair Campaign, a social movement advocating for reparatory justice in the Caribbean. This campaign is part of a broader effort to urge British and European governments, institutions, organizations, and individuals to acknowledge their historical roles in the transatlantic trafficking of enslaved Africans.