Kealan Lennon

Kealan qualified as a Chartered Accountant with BDO Simpson Xavier before working at a NASDAQ listed International Company in a sales executive role. Aged 24 he then started his own business as a financial consultant providing corporate finance, tax and accountancy advice. Having advised on the sale of a pharmaceutical packaging business, Kartoncraft, he was subsequently appointed to the board of Kartoncraft by Inishtech Plc, the purchaser. Kealan then led the MBO of Kartoncraft from Inishtech Plc, at the age of 25, backed by mid market private equity player, Dresdner Kleinwort Benson and AIB. He sold Kartoncraft 5 years later for $20m to MeadWestvaco Corp, an $8bn NY Stock Exchange listed group, where he joined the European Board of directors as head of M&A for Europe (becoming the youngest board director of MeadWestvaco’s 35,000 employees worldwide). In 2005 Kealan set up K Partners as an acquisition & corporate finance advisory vehicle which led, participated in, and successfully exited a significant number of private equity and venture capital backed investments alongside Lioncourt Capital, Signature Capital, Boundary Capital and some high net worth individuals in various technology, publishing, media, radio, gaming, leisure, hotel, healthcare and investment property businesses. In 2011 Kealan set up Cleverbug and invested $10m inventing a new gifting technology (CleverGift), which drives the sale of Gifts and new customers for online retailers, powered by applying Artificial Intelligence (AI)/Machine Learning to Big Data. Specialties: Kealan has extensive International experience of Artificial Intelligence & Machine Learning powered eCommerce, publishing and media sectors, and he has performed numerous executive, non-executive and investor roles in start up businesses, acquisitions and at board level on large corporates (global NYSE listed group) serving a wide variety of customers, consumers and markets.