Contents
Acknowledgements
Foreword
Preface
I FOUNDATIONS
1: John Jefferson Smurfit: A Hard Act to Follow
Dad’s Early Days
My Grandmother’s Survival Plan
Football & Dad’s First Job
A Tailor-made Offer
Love & Marriage
Falling Out
Jeff Smurfit Limited, Creator of Good Clothes
Innovation
2: Boxing Clever
A Factory in Dublin
War-Time
Opportunity Beckons
Dad’s Army
The Impact of War
My Earliest Memories
Jefferson Smurfit & Sons Limited
3: Growing Up
Brothers & Sisters
Holidays
Simple Lives
A Growing Business
Disaster Strikes ...
... But Opens New Vistas
Investment in Our Education
Trips with Dad
The Ups & Downs of Business
4: Steps Towards Independence
Dreams of Canada
In the Sanatorium
Back to Work ...
... And Then to America
How I Got My E-Type
II BUILDING APACE
5: Starting Out On My Own
A Lesson Learnt in London
Independence
Jefferson Smurfit (Packaging) Limited
A Friendly Investment
Hard Work Pays Off
6: A Family Man
Norma
Marriage
Children Arrive
Success Dawns
7: Taking Charge
“Come Back to Ireland”
Thinking of Take-overs
Merger Negotiations
Dad’s Second Surprise
8: Making a Life in Ireland
Socialising in Dublin
Broadening Horizons
Time for the Family
Skiing
‘Troubles’ at Home
9: Take-over Time
On the Take-over Trail
The Hely Group
Dominating the Market
Take-overs in the UK
Growth in the UK
Nigeria Proves Profitable
Bringing Howard on Board
Back in Ireland
III INTO AMERICA
10: Into America
Continental Can Company
How the Swedes Funded Our US Expansion
Time Industries
Business Goes On
Back to America
Alton Box Board
Change Everywhere
11: More Deals
Diamond International
Mixing with Maxwell
Banking
Review & Re-organisation
The Smurfit Group Hits 50
12: American Expansion – North & South
The Big Opportunity
Twists in the Tail
Into the First Division
Success in Latin America
IV LIFE OUTSIDE SMURFIT
13: Personal Upheavals & Interests
Dad’s Death
Another Shock: Jeff’s Death
A New Woman in My Life
A New Life
Norma’s Success
Personal Interests
Trouble at TMG
Your Man in Monaco
14: Telephone Troubles
Reforming Telecom
Working with the Unions
How Things Worked (Or Didn’t)
Risking My Life
Investing in the Future
An Unhappy Ending
15: Racing Ahead
My Early Days as an Owner
Fournoughts & Classic Thoroughbreds
The Melbourne Cup
Win Some, Lose More
Running the Racing Board
16: A Golfing Triumph
The Seed of an Idea
Straffan House
The K Club
Getting the Ryder Cup
A Dream Comes True
Pre-Ryder Cup Challenges
On the Day
Highlights of the Ryder Cup 2006
It Was Special!
Postscript
V TO THE SUMMIT & BEYOND
17: Europe in Our Sights
Troubles in Spain
Meeting Murdoch
The Rise & Rise of Smurfit
Opportunities Down Under
The Worse It Is, the Better It Gets
Cellulose du Pin
A Key Appointment
18: Creating a Defining Moment
Creating Smurfit-Stone
Managing Smurfit-Stone
Entering China
Disagreement on Direction
Smurfit-Stone & Asia
Industry Recognition
Prelude to a Sale
19: Taking Smurfit Private
Facing Criticism
Logical Opportunism
Enter Madison Dearborn
Going Private
Business as Usual
20 : The Final Deal
A Necessary Merger
Smurfit Kappa
“This Is For Dad”
21: The Smurfit Culture
Vision & Leadership
The Right People
Integrity & Ethics
Corporate Governance
Our Raison d’Être
22: The Smurfit System
Control Systems
Making Deals Work
The Anatomy of a Deal
Looking Back
23: Reflections in Retirement
My Wonderful Family
Personal Improvement
I am Who I am
Understanding & Respecting the Capital Markets
Adapting to Retirement
My Russian Connection
People in My Life
Ireland’s Future
The Challenge of a Legacy
Biography
Jefferson Smurfit Group History
Index
