Posted 24 May 2013
UCD mourns the death of George Moore, philanthropist and highly successful international businessman
George Moore: (1951 - 2013)
As recently as 6th May, George Moore was co-hosting a dinner for alumni and friends in San Francisco to raise support for the UCD’s current development campaign. A tireless supporter of his alma mater, George could enthuse all those around him, spread his conviction and garner their support. Everyone knew that George would have interrogated every aspect of the proposal and examined it to a level of minute detail.
One of UCD’s most successful, distinguished and generous alumni, such was his passion for UCD and for education, that he and his wife Angela made a gift of €3.5 million to realise the dream of the UCD Science Centre, which will be opened later this year.
George came to study at UCD from Dundalk in 1969. Once he had completed his Bachelor of Commerce degree at UCD, George immediately applied for the MBS in Marketing and although he never flaunted his scholarship, he excelled in his examinations. He seriously considered going to South Africa with his MBS under his belt but ultimately chose to undertake further study at George Washington University in the USA where he completed an MBA and DBA.
His subsequent career began in California’s Silicon Valley where he joined CACI International, an intellectual property company. Rising rapidly through the ranks, George, encouraged by Angela, went out on his own when CACI went public. His entrepreneurial spirit had been ignited as he first set up National Decision Systems and later became Executive Vice-President of Equifax following its acquisition of NDS. In 1993 he co-founded TARGUSinfo with Jim Schaffer.
George will be remembered as one of the founding fathers of the data analytics industry. His foresight predicted the explosion of information that would follow the internet and his genius was to recognise the commercial value of harnessing this information through data analytics.
In 2011, George sold TARGUSinfo to Neustar. The companies shared a common approach, combining cutting edge technology with old-fashioned values that enabled internet commerce without compromising consumer privacy.
As managing partner of Ravensdale Capital LLC, George continued to encourage entrepreneurs by investing in early stage IT companies with a focus on consumer data analytics.
He was Chair of Erne Heritage Holdings, which controls Belleek Pottery, Galway Irish Crystal, Aynsley China and Donegal Parian. He was also a member of the board of the New Ireland Fund.
George never lost touch with his homeland, maintaining a strong connection with Ireland throughout the years. He and Angela kept a beautiful home in his native Co Louth. During the presentation of the UCD Foundation Day medal to George in November 2012, violinist Zoe Conway (and fellow Louth native) played Bearna Mheabh, (Meabh's Gap), a composition of her own which was inspired by this beautiful location in the Cooley Mountains.
George was always giving, always leading, always inspiring.
He was a member of the Economic Advisory Board to An Taoiseach, the Northern Ireland Trade & Investment Council, The Flax Trust and a trustee of the Northern Ireland Memorial Fund.
He was conferred with an honorary doctorate from University of Ulster in 2006. In 2007, Queen Elizabeth II awarded him an honorary CBE for his contribution to the Northern Ireland economy and for his international work on behalf of all of Ireland. In 2009 he announced a €100,000 third-level scholarship fund for students from his secondary school, De La Salle College, Dundalk.
George was always generous with his advice to friends, to students, and to aspiring entrepreneurs. He liked to give encouragement and once remarked: “Don’t forget. Nobody ever started a large company.”
George is survived by his wife Angela, and their three children Kerla, Gareth and Ashlyn and their grand-daughter, Fiona.
Ar dheis Dé go raibh a anam dílis.(Produced by UCD University Relations)
