Fearless entrepreneur with fire in his belly

FEARLESS in business and hungry for a challenge, Denis O’Brien has regularly flirted with disaster.

A tax exile living in Portugal, the multi-millionaire claims to have nearly gone bust on several occasions during his extraordinary rise to the top.

A former personal assistant to GPA aircraft leasing group founder Tony Ryan, some of his earlier investments, such as a partnership in a shopping channel on Sky TV, did turn sour.