The communicator

The 35-year-old, who hails from Portroe, Co. Tipperary, now lives in New York and is CEO of Financial Dynamics, a business communications company.
After studying English and law at University College Galway, Kelly worked as a journalist for a variety of newspapers, including the Cork Examiner. In fact, he did so well that in 1994, Kelly was named the Irish Business Journalist of the Year.
That prestigious award precipitated a career change. Kelly was approached by a public-relations company with an offer of work.
“Journalism and PR are not really all that different,” Kelly said last week. “I thought about my life and my career. I felt I had the aptitude and interest to do the new job. In any case, I knew I could always go back to journalism.”
In time and with experience gained, Kelly started up his own public-relations company with a business partner. Not long after that, the two were approached by Cordiant, a company that owned the international network Financial Dynamics.
They were presented with an offer to buy the company.
Kelly and his partner accepted the offer, sold the business and became part of the Financial Dynamics family in 1999.
“We rebranded the company,” he said. “My business partner left and I stayed on as chairman of Financial Dynamics Ireland.”
Financial Dynamics deals with business communications. “We represent firms in different locations,” Kelly explained. “That can include investor relations, financial media requests and all things connected to the public relations of a company.”
Kelly began as head of the business department and spent so much of his time in the U.S. that he decided to relocate. Two years ago, he moved to New York.
Now, the dynamic Tipperary-born executive lives in Tribeca in Lower Manhattan. “It is home now,” he said. “I love it.”
Business has continued to thrive. In July 2003, Financial Dynamics completed the management buyout of its business on a global basis, comprising of 13 offices in nine countries.
“We saw it as a valuable piece of business and bought at a good time,” Kelly said. “I wanted to be in control of my own destiny.”
This move positions Financial Dynamics as one of the world’s largest business communications companies. Last week, the New York North American division relocated its headquarters to Wall Street.
Taoiseach Bertie Ahern was there to mark the occasion, during his official visit to the United States.
“I’ve done a lot of work with him,” Kelly said. He added that over the past 15 years, the two have crossed paths in political and governmental circles.
Now, Kelly is CEO of the North American Division of the company. He’s also global head of business development for FD International.
Kelly has acted as advisor to several multinational corporations and organizations, specializing in corporate and financial communications and senior level strategic advisory services.
Recent project work includes the listing of CCHBC (Coca Cola Hellenic Bottling Company) on the New York Stock Exchange.
The CEO isn’t the only Irish person at Financial Dynamics’ top level. Financial officer Dana Mulvihill is from Listowel, Co. Kerry.
The company now employs up to 400 globally and Kelly’s numerous responsibilities include overseeing the Irish division, where there are 20 employees, the Greek division, and the U.S. division, which employs more than a 100.
Kelly has also found the time to be actively involved with Irish American organizations, the American Ireland Fund and the Ireland-U.S. Council among them.