Declan Kelly

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

Declan is a trusted advisor to several of the world’s leading CEOs and corporations.

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

In his role as 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.

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 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.

He created and continues to underwrite and personally oversee The Northern Ireland Mentorship Program which 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.

Declan serves on the board of Global Citizen, a leading international advocacy organization dedicated to ending extreme poverty by 2030. He was an Executive Producer of the 2018 Global Citizen Festival, Mandela 100, in Johannesburg, South Africa which featured artists including: Beyoncé, JAY-Z, Cassper Nyovest, D’banj, Ed Sheeran, Eddie Vedder, Pharrell Williams, Chris Martin, Usher, and Wizkid.

Declan and Global Citizen CEO, Hugh Evans, are together leading an initiative called Global Goal Live – a year-long campaign that will culminate with a 10-hour global media event spanning five continents that will be the largest live-broadcast cause event in history on September 26th, 2020. The initiative will help secure commitments toward the $350 billion in additional funding needed annually to achieve the United Nations Global Goals in the world’s poorest 59 countries.