LOST LEADERS:
SUCCESSION PLANNING & TRIBUTE
In August 2022, we sadly lost our Chairman & Executive Director, Patrick Collins McCarthy, to a brief illness. The previous year in November, we also lost our friend and colleague, Vincent Flood, who served as Company Secretary of the international holding company and Senior Financial Advisor to the Collins McCarthy family. Since then, our co-founder & social entrepreneur, Seán Collins McCarthy, has taken the helm as Managing Director of the group and economist & international development expert, Jess Collins McCarthy, was appointed Honorary Chair (Joint Advisory Board: COL Alliance and LINS Institute) while longtime media colleague and friend, Lawrence Fee, stepped in to serve as Company Secretary in addition to serving as Senior Editor for the group's media & film properties and Senior Advisor for the group's marketing & advertising services.
Both Patrick Collins McCarthy and Vincent Flood shared a love of sports and an appreciation for the arts, and consequently, as a tribute to both gentlemen, the COL-LINS Network Leadership Team & Advisory Board have decided to dedicate Shoulder to Shoulder, the sports for development & arts for humanity three-part documentary (featuring Acakora Football Academy, Kenya; Spier Arts Academy; South Africa, etc.) in the Cycle of Life Series to our friends and former colleagues. This dedication is a fitting tribute to our lost leaders who stood shoulder to shoulder with us, and we now honour them by continuing our mission to leverage the power of media, marketing, sports, arts, education, tourism and social innovation to create measurable economic, social and environmental dividends for our partners and impactful sustainable development solutions for marginalised communities, small-holder farm families, vulnerable women and at-risk children.
MILESTONES, WATERSHED EVENTS & LEGACY
Patrick Collins McCarthy was a close relative of the Irish Statesman & Political Activist, Michael Collins, through his maternal grandfather, Michael John Collins, whose father was John Collins of Woodfield, Clonakilty, West Cork.
Patrick often remarked that "timing is everything" in business, sports, arts and media, and was recognised by his collegues and contemporaries (across RTÉ, BBC, ITV, EBU, IMG, TWI, TV 2, Sky, Formula 1, etc.) for his tenacity, determination and thorough planning, logistics, coordination and organisational abilities as a media broadcast engineer, executive producer, social innovator and special events expert. Ironically, the timing of his exit from this world coincided with several significant historic events:
1.) the centennial commemoration of the death of Michael Collins (1890 - 2022) and celebration of his life;
2.) the 20th anniversary of the Collins Cup (dedicated to Michael Collins), a world-class Ryder Cup format women’s tennis tournament, the first of its kind, held at the Royal Dublin Society (RDS) Simmonscourt in Dublin, Ireland in 2002, presented by Collins McCarthy Promotions Ltd t/a Propriety Management (a special events & management company owned & operated by Patrick and his son, Sean Collins McCarthy), which:
a.) featured world-class female tennis players: the Williams sisters, Lindsay Davenport, Jennifer Capriati, Monica Seles, Anna Kournakova, Iva Majoli, Elena Bovina, Barbara Schett and Daniela Hantuchova;
b.) was televised to over 750 million viewers worldwide on premium broadcasters (Sky Sports, Star Asia, ESPN, Gillette World Sport, Trans World Sport…);
c.) generated global awareness & support for child victims of the Chernobyl disaster and important humanitarian efforts;
d.) shined a light on the geo-political, economic and environmental factors caused by nuclear energy risks and disasters;
e.) promoted women's empowerment and gender equality on a global scale, reaching a broad demographic; and
f.) served as a tourism destination event, creating socio-economic stimulus for the host city & country, while also increasing trade relations between the USA and EU member countries, as it convened dignitaries, diplomats and heads of state/government from USA, EU and UK.
3.) the official retirement of Serena Williams from professional tennis, twenty years after her participation in the Collins Cup and associated special events, namely the Escada International Fashion Show (featuring Venus Williams, Anna Kournikova, Daniela Hantuchová, Barbara Schett, Iva Majoli, Elena Bovina, Sophie Dahl, Tyra Banks, Jodie Kidd, Aimee Mullins, Jessica White, etc.), Escada Performing Arts Show (world music, opera, instrumental ensembles and dance & ballet performances, including Riverdance, The Irish Tenors, etc.), and the Escada Charity Diamond Auction (which raised funds for the event's partnering NGO: Chernobyl Children's Project);
4.) the fifth anniversary of the Laver Cup, a Ryder Cup-style men's tennis competition, promoted by Roger Federer's management company, TEAM8, Brazilian businessman and former Davis Cup player, Jorge Paulo Lemann, and the tennis federation of Australia, Tennis Australia; and
5.) the year that a.) Russia invaded Ukraine, seizing military control of Ukraine's nuclear plants, Chernobyl and Zaporizhzhya, causing grave concern globally, and b.) Japan's Supreme Court rejected an appeal from Tokyo Electric Power Company and upheld the order for it to pay damages of 1.4 billion yen ($12 million) to about 3,700 people whose lives were harmed by the Fukushima nuclear disaster, which occurred in 2011.
MICHAEL COLLINS (1890 - 1922). ILLUSTRATION BY DAVID ROONEY FROM '1916 PORTRAITS AND LIVES', ROYAL IRISH ACADEMY, 2015.
P. COLLINS MCCARTHY (1946 - 2022) AT HIS HOME IN FL, USA, SHORTLY AFTER THE BIRTH OF HIS 2ND GRANDCHILD. © COLLINS MCCARTHY FAMILY
Even though the Collins Cup and associated fashion and performing arts events (benefiting child victims of the Chernobyl disaster) drew worldwide media attention and praise, it failed to draw adequate support from the Irish market, and consequently, this lack of support, coupled with the high barriers to entry and predatory behaviour experienced by Patrick's company in the Irish market, created a negative sequential effect that forced the company into liquidation in 2003. He and his son, Seán, went on to win a legal battle in the High Court of Ireland, whereby the High Court declared on February 16th 2005 that the company and its directors, both Patrick and Seán, acted honestly and responsibly at all times in relation to the conduct of the affairs of the company; thus substantiating the lack of support and predatory behaviour experienced by their Irish special events and management company (Propriety Management) and their strategic partners, namely the Mark H. McCormack group of companies (IMG).
Patrick was prepared to go against popular opinion when necessary in order to defend the weak, highlight injustice, generate global awareness for social & environmental challenges, support sustainable solutions, and ultimately, remain true to his convictions. During the celebration of his life, Fr. Paul Murphy eloquently and earnestly offered the highlights of Patrick’s inspirational life and career, spanning industries and continents, and above all else his unwavering conviction to remain true to his values and principles, which were deeply rooted in his faith, inspired by his relative, Michael Collins, and treasured by his family, friends and colleagues.
Vincent Flood was a self-motivated business leader with a natural gift for relationship building who loved traveling, embracing new cultures and playing golf on some of the world's leading courses. In the early 70s, he founded Vinny Flood Financial Services, an investment business firm & financial services provider, regulated by the Central Bank of Ireland, that under his leadership built a strong presence in Dublin, Ireland with multinational insurance & financial services institutions at the IFSC and represented a wide range of clients including high-net-worth individuals, CSR-focused corporations, eco-conscious SMEs, and renewable energy-focused investment & development companies. Vinny was a family friend for over two decades, serving as the Collins McCarthy family’s financial advisor, and he was honoured to have had the opportunity to provide advice and assist develop our social impact, innovation and venture philanthropic initiatives over the years.
VINCENT FLOOD (1946 - 2021) ENJOYING A LEISURELY DAY AT THE RACES.
As a former Goodwill Ambassador for Horizon Initiatives and the Company Secretary & Senior Financial Advisor for the Group, he dedicated time & energy to assisting our activities and strove to utilise his business network to grow Horizon’s client-base of social-minded & eco-conscious individuals for its Goodwill Tours & Ecotourism Adventures and source CSR-focused sponsors for our Corporate Sports Outings, Team Building Exercises, Leadership Development Seminars and Global Media & Marketing offerings. He once remarked that partnering with the COL-LINS Network and Horizon Initiatives was perhaps more beneficial for him, as it gave him the opportunity to explore new cultures & discover great golf courses around the world, and in addition, pay it forward in a sustainable way to support important development projects and initiatives. Prior to his passing in 2021, he had looked forward to travelling alongside Horizon’s patrons, ambassadors & sponsors after the global pandemic. Both Vinny and Pat will be greatly missed but their legacy will live on in the hearts and minds of the people and communities they impacted.
PLEASE SEE EXCERPT FROM THE EULOGY FOR PATRICK COLLINS MCCARTHY, DELIVERED BY HIS SON, SEAN COLLINS MCCARTHY, AT THE REQUIEM MASS ON 11 AUGUST 2022 IN CELEBRATION OF HIS LIFE.
"‘Height 5’11”, complexion fresh, age 28 years. Strong jaw, dark brown hair which hangs in a kiss curl over grey blue eyes. Strong physique, boyish smile, dangerous…often wearing hat or cap.’ What I just read was an excerpt from a Police Notice describing the appearance of Michael Collins (1890 - 1922) when there was a reward of £10,000 GBP on his head. However, those of you that would remember my father as a young man can appreciate the similarities from the description I just read. He was proud to be related to Michael Collins and out of all of the family, it was widely acknowledged that he, as a young man, had the closest resemblance to Michael.
Some of you may think that the word “dangerous” in this description may be out of place, however, my father’s former Irish business competitors, who were also mine, certainly thought that he was a dangerous competitor mainly because he continued to support my social enterprise efforts over the years regardless of the many attempts to discredit and undermine our combined efforts. This he did, because of his belief in me and because he shared a passion to generate awareness and support for marginalised and at-risk families living in poverty in the developing world and low-income communities.
He displayed great courage and strength throughout his life as a son, husband, father, grandfather, humanitarian and social innovator..."
PLEASE ALSO SEE BELOW AN EXCERPT FROM THE OBITUARY OF PATRICK COLLINS MCCARTHY, EDITED BY DISTINGUISHED JOURNALIST & BROADCASTER, ALISON COMYN (RTÉ, CHANNEL 4, UTV IRELAND, BBC NI, SKY NEWS, SKY WORLD NEWS), AND PUBLISHED BY INDEPENDENT NEWS & MEDIA, PLC, A SUBSIDIARY OF BELGIUM MEDIA CONGLOMERATE, MEDIAHUIS:
ACAKORO FOOTBALL ACADEMY
KOROGOCHO, NAIROBI
KENYA
CYCLE OF LIFE SERIES: HUMANITARIAN & SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT CHALLENGES & SOLUTIONS
The Cycle of Life Series, an independent media for development factual documentary series (in association with Goodwill Discovery roundtable programme), explores the lives of extraordinary people who rose above significant challenges and now pay it forward by dedicating time & resources to helping at-risk children, vulnerable young people and marginalised women overcome immense obstacles & circumstances to break the vicious cycle of poverty and create an upward cycle of change. The series documents the compassionate relationships and supportive environment offered by NGOs, Non-profit/CSR-focused organisations and grassroots community-based outreach projects whose combined dedication and commitment are beginning to combat injustice and overcome socio-economic obstacles faced by the marginalised owing to immense barriers, abject poverty, degradation, gender inequality and deprivation.
The Cycle of Life Series focuses on generating global awareness for grassroots humanitarian/conservation projects working in partnership with international non-profits/NGOs and intergovernmental organisations to create low-cost humanitarian
interventions and sustainable development solutions (across social enterprise, education, sports, arts, health, agriculture, social innovation, etc.) that empower marginalised communities (from developing and least developed countries),
including vulnerable women, at-risk children and small-holder farm families, regardless of gender, race, colour or creed.
SPIER ARTS ACADEMY
STELLENBOSCH
SOUTH AFRICA
CHAIRMAN EMERITUS & EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
A PIONEERING MAN OF PROPRIETY (1946 - 2022)
Patrick (Pat) Collins-McCarthy, a broadcast engineer, executive producer and social innovator (of Monasterboice, Co. Louth and formerly of Clonakilty, Co. Cork and Donnybrook, Dublin 4) passed away unexpectedly yet peacefully after a brief illness aged 76 years in the company of his loving wife, son and Fr. Joseph, and under the care of his doctors, nurses and caregivers.
Patrick displayed great courage and strength throughout his life as a son, husband, father, grandfather, humanitarian and social innovator. Recently, he served as Chairman and Director of COLHQ International, a holding company (focused on developing and managing Social Enterprise, Innovation & Impact Initiatives across Media, Licensing, Education, Tourism, Hospitality & CSR) founded with his son, Seán, and with the support of his friend and financial advisor, Vincent Flood of Vinny Flood Financial Services (d. 2021) and friend and former RTÉ colleague, Lawrence Fee of Yard Media.
He also served as Executive Producer of Master Discovery, a creative multi-genre documentary series currently in production that focuses on humanitarian & sustainable development efforts of prominent Irish leaders (and world leaders with close connections to Ireland) - incl. JFK, Eunice Kennedy Shriver, Garret FitzGerald, Marian Finucane, Barack Obama, Denis O’Brien, et al. - supporting grassroots organisations & NGOs focused on low-cost interventions and innovations for marginalised women, at-risk children and smallholder farm families in developing and least developed countries.
Previously, he served on the Horizon Advisory Board in Washington, D.C. alongside his daughter-in-law, Jess (UF and Purdue University graduate and intl. development economist), and many renowned industry, military and non-profit leaders incl. Dr. Charles N. Toftoy (GWU, Raytheon & Lear Siegler); Joan Hisaoka (Hisaoka PR - d. 2008); Gen. William G. T. Tuttle Jr. (US Army - d. 2020), Peter A. Kirsch (Office of James V. Kimsey - Founding CEO & Chair, AOL and former Chair, Refugees Intl. & ICMP), et al.
He also served as a Special Advisor to his son’s former U.S. private equity firm (THG) - alongside Garry Campbell (formerly, Robert M. Bass Group), Gregory C. Breunich (formerly, IMG), George McGill (formerly, Danske Bank) and Peter A. Kirsch - which served as the investment vehicle for an acquisition attempt to acquire IMG from Forstmann Little & Co. in 2011.
Patrick was a close relative of the Irish Statesman & Political Activist, Michael Collins, through his maternal Great-Grandfather, John Collins, of Woodfield, Clonakilty, West Cork. In 2014, he co-founded the Michael Collins Foundation Initiatives with his son, Seán, in consultation with relatives, Michael O'Mahony (retired solicitor) and Nora Owen (former TD and Minister for Justice) at Leinster House, and John Bruton (former Taoiseach & Ambassador of the EU to the USA) with IDA Ireland senior representatives at Wilton Park House.
He was closely involved in overseeing media, marketing, licensing and social impact initiatives inspired by Michael Collins’ vision, ethos and approach incl. films, special events, consumer products and humanitarian initiatives.
In 2001, Patrick alongside his son Seán established the Irish special events company - Collins-McCarthy Promotions Ltd. t/a Propriety Management - and raised venture-funding from high-net-worth individuals & corporate finance firms to finance the Collins Cup (dedicated to Michael Collins), a world-class Ryder Cup format women’s tennis tournament, the first of its kind, held at the RDS, Dublin in 2002 (featuring the Williams sisters, Lindsay Davenport, Jennifer Capriati, Monica Seles, Anna Kournakova, Iva Majoli, Elena Bovina, Barbara Schett and Daniela Hantuchova), which was televised live/relayed to over 750 million viewers worldwide (Sky Sports, Star Asia, ESPN, Gillette World Sport, Trans World Sport…).
Even though the Collins Cup and associated events (benefiting child victims of the Chernobyl disaster) drew worldwide media attention and praise, it failed to draw adequate support from the Irish market, and consequently, this lack of support, coupled with the high barriers to entry and predatory behaviour experienced by his company in the Irish market, created a negative sequential effect that forced the company into liquidation in 2003.
He and his son Seán went on to win a legal battle in the High Court of Ireland, whereby the High Court declared on February 16th 2005 that the company and its directors, both Patrick and Seán, acted honestly and responsibly at all times in relation to the conduct of the affairs of the company; thus substantiating the lack of support and predatory behaviour experienced by their Irish special events company (Propriety Management) and their strategic partners, namely the Mark H. McCormack group of companies (IMG).
Subsequently, Patrick and his son Seán entered into joint venture negotiations with IMG (the largest creditor of Propriety Mgmt. who agreed to write off the debt and move forward with Patrick and Seán to develop sports & media properties through their new entity), negotiating with senior management in the USA (Cleveland, OH and Bradenton, FL) and London, UK, and consequently, establishing a new special purpose entity in the USA.
Patrick began his professional career as a Broadcast Engineer with RTÉ (headhunted into Master Control and promoted into the International Unit where he oversaw satellite communications and broadcast production, logistics and distribution for major sports events, Papal & State visits and current affairs programming) and was educated at the College of Technology (later DIT and now Technological University Dublin) followed by professional training at BBC Pebble Mill Studios, Carr Communications and the Irish Management Institute.
He was selected to oversee the international broadcast for RTÉ’s coverage of Formula One with team members and friends, Michael O’Carroll and Peter Collins, travelling to the Brazilian, Japanese and Monaco Grand Prix as well as several Soccer & Rugby Championships (e.g. UEFA, Six Nations, etc) with colleagues and broadcasters, including George Hamilton and Jim Sherwin (d. 2021).
In addition to his passion for technology, media and social innovation, Patrick was an avid reader who loved poetry and history, which he inherited largely from his mother. He was also a lover of nature and animals, and a dedicated athlete who played Gaelic Football for Clonakilty, West Cork, the O’Raghallaighs of Drogheda, and RTÉ.
He also played soccer for RTÉ, enjoyed squash with colleagues and friends as a social activity, and tennis with his beloved wife and family over the years at their homes in Ireland, Florida, USA, and Santander, Spain. He loved travelling and embracing cultural immersion experiences, discovering local culture and history.
The Requiem Mass was concelebrated by Fr. Paul Murphy, Fr. Brendan O’Rourke and Bishop Michael Router at St. Peter’s Church, West Street, Drogheda, and broadcast live over the internet.
His son Seán delivered a poignant and powerful eulogy that captured the essence of his father’s sense of duty and responsibility to his family and business and humanitarian commitments over the years.
During the eulogy his son expressed Patrick’s love of Ireland.
“Before coming to live in Drogheda (where he met, fell in love with, and married my mother in this church 50 years ago this month), he lived and studied in London as a young man. He often recalled to me that during this period in London he would reminisce about Ireland, and this longing to come home he identified with many expatriates, especially Irish poets and scholars.
“One of his favourite poems ‘The Lake Isle of Innisfree’ by W.B. Yeats best describes this narrative…Throughout his life, my father longed to escape to his Innisfree, however, because of a sense of duty and responsibility to his family and our business and humanitarian commitments, he chose not to escape and instead stood by our side.
“Dad, you are now in your Innisfree in Heaven and we can only thank you for your devotion by striving to live our lives in a manner that you would be proud of.”
Fr. Paul Murphy eloquently and earnestly offered highlights of Patrick’s inspirational life and career, spanning industries and continents, and above all else his unwavering conviction to remain true to his values and principles, which were deeply rooted in his faith, inspired by his relative, Michael Collins, and treasured by his family, friends and colleagues.
Patrick (Pat) Collins-McCarthy – Born: January 16th 1946. Died: August 2nd 2022