Aidan Heavey facts for kids

Aidan Joseph Heavey was born on March 14, 1953. He is famous for starting Tullow Oil, which grew into one of Europe's biggest oil companies. He is a successful businessman from Ireland.

Who is Aidan Heavey?

Aidan Heavey is a well-known Irish businessman. He is the founder of Tullow Oil, a major company that finds and produces oil and gas around the world. He has played a key role in the energy industry for many years.

His Early Life and Education

Aidan Heavey grew up in Castlerea, a town in County Roscommon, Ireland. For his education, he attended Clongowes Wood College in County Kildare. After that, he went to University College Dublin. He studied hard and became an accountant in 1978. He trained with a company called R. J. Kidney & Co. from 1974 to 1978.

Building a Big Oil Company

After becoming an accountant, Aidan Heavey worked for Aer Lingus, an airline company, as a Financial Controller starting in 1979. In 1981, he joined a company called Tullow Engineering. It was there that he had a big idea. In 1985, he founded his own company, Tullow Oil.

He built Tullow Oil by buying other smaller companies. This helped his company grow much larger. Over time, it became a very important international oil business.

Challenges and Decisions

Running a large company like Tullow Oil can have its challenges. In 2013, the company faced some difficulties. They did not produce as much oil as planned at a project in Ghana. This caused the company's share price to go down. A share price is the value of a small part of a company that people can buy. When the price goes down, it means investors are less confident.

Aidan Heavey also faced challenges in Uganda. The government there wanted Tullow Oil to build a much larger oil refinery than what was first agreed upon. A refinery is a factory that turns crude oil into useful products like gasoline.

Sometimes, leaders of big companies face public discussion about their decisions. In 2013, there was a discussion about a donation Aidan Heavey made to a political party. This was linked to a tax disagreement Tullow Oil had in Uganda. The company was involved in a discussion about a large tax bill. A government official reportedly spoke to the Ugandan President about this issue.

In 2014, there was also some discussion about Aidan Heavey's pay. His salary increased even though the company's share price had gone down. This led to some questions from investors and the media.

Despite these challenges, Aidan Heavey has remained a key figure in the oil industry. He helped build Tullow Oil into the large company it is today.

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