Declan Kelly

Declan Kelly is the Chairman, CEO and a co-founder of Teneo. He is responsible for running all of the company’s operations globally.

Declan is an advisor to several of the world’s leading CEOs and corporations and is recognized in particular for his crisis management experience.

Prior to Teneo, Declan served as the U.S. Economic Envoy to Northern Ireland at the U.S. Department of State. Declan was appointed Economic Envoy by Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton, in September, 2009.

In his role as Economic Envoy, Declan is recognized as having helped bring significant investment to the region from U.S. corporations. He also played a significant role in supporting the efforts that led to the historic devolution of policing and justice powers to the Northern Ireland Assembly, giving Northern Ireland fully devolved political governance for the first time in its modern history.

Prior to his government service, Declan served as Executive Vice President and Chief Integration Officer of FTI Consulting (FTI), one of the world’s leading international consulting companies. In his role at FTI, then a 3,500 person business with a market capitalization in excess of $2 billion, Declan was responsible for the operational integration of the company’s various businesses in more than 20 countries around the world. He also had responsibility for corporate strategy, global business development, global client management and all of the company’s marketing and communications functions.

Prior to taking an executive officer position at FTI, Declan was Chairman and CEO of Financial Dynamics in the United States and Chairman of Financial Dynamics in Ireland.

Declan was a member of the senior management team which sold Financial Dynamics (FD) to FTI Consulting in September of 2006. Declan had become part of the FD business when he sold his company, Gallagher and Kelly Public Relations, to FD in 2000. Prior to that, he held a number of senior management positions with other leading communications companies in Ireland.

Declan previously worked as a journalist for more than a decade. He was selected as the recipient of the AT Cross Business Journalist of The Year Award in 1994.

Declan is a graduate of The National University of Ireland (Galway). In 2012, he was awarded the Ellis Island Medal of Honor, presented to individuals of different ethnic backgrounds who distinguish themselves by their contributions to society in the United States. In 2008 he became the youngest-ever recipient of the American Irish Historical Society’s prestigious gold medal, given annually to one person deemed to have made a unique contribution to Irish American society.

Declan is an honorary Visiting Professor in Management and Leadership at Queen’s University Belfast. In 2011 he also received an honorary doctorate from the University in recognition of his service to the community and economy of Northern Ireland. Declan created and continues to underwrite and personally oversee the Northern Ireland Mentorship Program. The Northern Ireland Mentorship Program enables young university graduates from Northern Ireland to spend a year working within several leading corporations in the United States with a view to using their experience to embark on new careers in Northern Ireland. To date there have been over 100 participants in the program.