Tony Barry held various positions in the merged Group, moving to Dublin in 1978 and culminating in becoming CEO in 1988. He retired as CEO in 1995 and served as non executive Chairman of the Board until May 2000.
Among many highlights in his career was the expansion of the Group internationally into the UK (including a major acquisition in Northern Ireland in 1979), mainland Europe, the USA and Argentina. The 1970s in Ireland saw the rationalisation of labour relations from hostile to satisfactory (by the mid 1980s). The company succeeded in integrating in a cohesive and mutually satisfactory manner widely dispersed acquisitions spanning many different cultures, and this became the hallmark of its success as one of the leading heavyside building materials companies in the world today.
Tony Barry also held several non-executive roles over the lifetime of his career, including with Greencore, Bank of Ireland, Ivernia Mining, DCCplc and IBEC, of which he served as President from 1996 to 1998.
