Gerry was a Senior Managing Director (partner) in Blackstone’s private equity unit where he guided the firm’s investments and governance across a diverse portfolio of international companies and was Chair of Blackstone in Europe until 2019. Earlier in his career, he served as Chief Executive Officer of Kingfisher plc, Carlton Communications plc (now ITV plc), Exel plc and Greencore Group plc, developing a reputation for operational transformation, strategic repositioning, and shareholder value creation.

He was a Non-Executive director of British American Tobacco plc, Reckitt Benckiser plc, Abbey National plc, Merlin Entertainments plc, Novar plc, Intertrust NV, Hornbach Holding AG, United Biscuits Limited and Michaels Stores Inc.

Gerry began his career in Ireland, the UK and the USA with Grand Metropolitan plc (now Diageo plc).

He brings deep cross-sector expertise in:

• Retail, consumer & brand leadership – stewarding iconic global businesses and driving growth through innovation, customer insight, and disciplined capital allocation

• Private equity & governance – overseeing investment strategy, value creation, and portfolio management as a senior leader within Blackstone

• Global corporate leadership – shaping strategy and performance across listed companies in multiple industries, from FMCG to logistics and media

Gerry has a BSc and PhD in food technology from University College Cork, and an MBS in marketing from University College Dublin (now UCD Smurfit Graduate Business School).

He is recognised for his strategic clarity, governance expertise, and ability to guide complex organisations through change while building sustainable long-term value.