Declan McCourt RIP
It was with great regret that I heard of the sudden passing of Declan McCourt, the chief executive of automotive company OHM Group. Declan was a real gentleman and was just 78, when he died suddenly and peacefully at his home in Dublin last Friday.
He is survived by his wife Margaret, and his children Conal, Cian, Melissa and Melanie. Our sincere condolences to Declan’s family, his many friends and work colleagues.
Declan was a lovely man and always had a welcome for everyone. He was generous with his time and alway curious about everyone’s perspective on how the auto industry was doing. He combined old school manners with openness, friendliness, a hunger for knowledge, a willingness to listen and great forward thinking.
His funeral will be held on Thursday, 24th October at the Church of Our Lady of Perpetual Succour, Foxrock in Dublin at 11am.
Declan McCourt headed up the OHM Group for more than four decades, joining the group in 1982 as partner and chief executive. The OHM Group represents an impressive product portfolio across five main divisions: Commercial Vehicles, Bus & Coach, Motor Retail, Motor Distribution and Power Solutions.
Its commercial vehicle and bus & coach brands include DAF, MAN Commercial Vehicles, TRP, VDL Bus & Coach, NeoPlan and Tam Bus. Its car brands include Jaguar, Land Rover, Ford, Volvo, Skoda, Cupra, Seat and Polestar. The Group owns and operates the Spirit Motor Group dealerships across multiple sites. OHM also offers Kohler Power Solutions and Generators aspart of a strong power solutions division.
Prior to joining OHM, he worked with distiller Seagram as a local director in Rome in the early 1970s, before taking over as marketing director for its European business. In 1977, he moved to the US to take up an international role with the distiller and was later appointed as a vice president of the company.
In the late 1970s, Declan returned to Ireland, to become chief operating officer of the TMG Group, before moving to OHM in 1982. He remained at the helm of the company for 42 years, overseeing its growth. The Group now employs more than 500 people with an annual turnover in excess of €450 million.
A graduate of UCD, where he received a degree in economics and politics, and a masters in economics, Declan was also a qualified barrister-at-law and held an MBA from the Harvard Business School.
He served as a director for a number of organisations, including Bank of Ireland, Dublin Docklands Development Authority, Fyffes plc and Balmoral International Land Holdings.
Declan also chaired the Mater University Hospital’s fundraising body, the Mater Foundation, for 26 years until October 2017, and was chair of UCD’s Law School Development Council, as well as being chairman of the President’s Advisory Board in UCD. He received an honorary Doctorate of Law from the university in 2013.
Padraic Deane,
Automotive Publications.