Chris Horn (computer scientist) facts for kids

Christopher J. Horn is an Irish expert in technology and business. He helped start IONA Technologies, which was the first Irish company to be listed on the NASDAQ stock exchange in the USA. At one point, IONA was one of the world's top software companies.

Chris also helped raise money for and became the first leader of Dublin's Science Gallery. This led to similar Science Gallery projects being set up around the world. He is an electronics engineer and has a PhD in computer science. He has written a lot about new technologies, business ideas, and privacy, including articles for The Irish Times newspaper.

He used to be the president of Engineers Ireland and was later made a special member (Fellow) of the group. He has received special awards from Trinity College Dublin and the Royal Dublin Society. Chris has also been a leader or member on many important boards, including those for Trinity College Dublin and Science Foundation Ireland.

Early life and education

Chris Horn was born in the UK. His family moved to Bray, County Wicklow in Ireland when he was very young. He grew up in Blackrock, Dublin. He went to Newpark Comprehensive School there. His first job was working at the Butlin's Mosney holiday camp.

He studied at Trinity College Dublin (TCD). He earned degrees in Engineering in 1978, focusing on electronic engineering. He continued his studies at Trinity and earned a PhD in Computing in 1983.

Career

Academic career

Chris Horn started working at TCD as a junior teacher in 1979. He helped create a new Computer Science course. After getting his PhD, he worked as a consultant for a year. He also worked for the European Commission in Brussels, helping with a big research program. He then returned to TCD as a lecturer in Computer Science until 1991.

IONA

In 1981, Chris visited Stanford University in the USA. There, he met Andy Bechtolsheim and Bill Joy, who later started Sun Microsystems. This inspired Chris to think about starting his own company.

In 1991, Chris Horn, Sean Baker, and Annrai O’Toole, who were all teachers at TCD, each put in 1,000 Irish Pounds to start IONA Technologies. The company wanted to create special software called object-oriented software, especially something called middleware. Middleware helps different computer programs talk to each other.

IONA got some help from Trinity College, including an office. Chris became the CEO (Chief Executive Officer) and also helped design some of their main products. Their main software product, Orbix, became very successful.

The company grew and received an investment from Sun Microsystems in 1993. After this, IONA was able to list its shares on the NASDAQ stock exchange. This was a huge step for an Irish company. At its best, IONA was worth about 1.75 billion US dollars. Chris sold a large part of his shares in 1998.

Chris stepped down as CEO in 2000 but remained on the board. He returned as CEO from 2003 to 2005, after a time when many internet companies struggled (the "dotcom crash"). When IONA was sold in 2008, he received more money. He continued to hold shares and IONA was officially closed in 2017.

After IONA

After IONA, Chris Horn invested in several other technology companies. These included Sophia, Nomos Software, and Gridstore (later Hypergrid). He also worked with a private investment company called Atlantic Bridge.

He served on the boards of companies that make billing software, Sepro Telecom and LeCayla. He also helped start and worked on the board of Cloudsmith, a company that helps with software development.

Chris writes articles regularly for The Irish Times newspaper.

Voluntary and public service roles

Chris Horn was chosen as the president of Engineers Ireland in 2008. He had a detailed plan for his year in this role and attended many events. He was also a member of the board of Science Foundation Ireland, an Irish government agency.

Trinity College and Science Gallery

Chris Horn has been a member of the board of Trinity College Dublin (TCD). He also served as the leader of CTVR, a telecoms research group at TCD, for six years.

Chris led the team that raised money for the Science Gallery in Dublin, which is part of Trinity College. He then led its first governing board when the gallery opened in 2008. Later, he led Science Gallery International, which helped set up similar galleries in other countries, until 2019. He was very disappointed when Trinity College announced in 2021 that Science Gallery Dublin would close.

Other roles

Chris Horn led the Irish Management Institute (IMI). He was also the first leader of the Ireland China Business Association. He was the chairperson of UNICEF Ireland for several years, working to help children. He has also spoken about how technology can affect human rights, especially for charities like Front Line Defenders.

In 2013, Chris became the leader of Northern Ireland Science Park Connect. This program helped new businesses and people who wanted to start a business. He held this role until 2016. Since 2013, he has been a judge for the Irish Times Innovation Awards.

He is a director of Ambisense, a company that analyzes environmental data. He has also been a member of many other boards and award committees.

Recognition

Chris Horn received a special honorary doctorate degree from Trinity College Dublin in 2001. He was also made a special member (Fellow) of Engineers Ireland. The Royal Dublin Society gave him their Gold Medal for Industry. Trinity College Dublin also gave him an Innovation Award in 2006. In 2019, he received a Whitaker Award from the Irish Academy of Management.

Publication

Besides his articles for The Irish Times and his blog, Chris Horn edited a book. The book was called Professor John Byrne: Reminiscences: Father of Computing in Ireland. It was about John Gabriel Byrne, a very important professor and researcher in computer science at TCD.

Personal life

Chris Horn was married to Susie Horn. They have four adult children, two boys and two girls. He has lived in Shankill, a coastal suburb of Dublin, for many years. He was known for living a simple life, even when he had a lot of money. In 1998, he bought a historic house called Askefield in Shankill. He and his family moved there in 1999. He is a member of the Church of Ireland.

Chris Horn and technology journalist Karlin Lillington have been major supporters of the Irish National Opera since it started. As of 2021, he was married to Karlin Lillington.