HONORARY CONFERRING
Thursday, 6 June 2013 at 11 a.m.
TEXT OF THE INTRODUCTORY ADDRESS DELIVERED BY PROFESSOR BILL HALL, UCD School of Medicine and Medical Science, University College Dublin on 6 June 2013, on the occasion of the conferring of the Degree of Doctor of Laws, honoris causa on Thomas Gerard Lynch
President, Honoured guests, Ladies and Gentlemen.
Tom Lynch’s Grandfather, Thaddeus Lynch, hailed from Roscommon, from a family made up of 2 nurses, 2 priests, 2 New York policemen, 2 senators and 2 who stayed at home. In the 1890s, at the age of 14, Ted left Roscommon for Northern Ireland and was apprenticed to the licence trade. He was so successful that he was able to retire at the age of 39 and devote the rest of his life to public service.
This tradition of public service has also been central in Tom’s life. He lives the mantra that for those who have received, even more is expected. And Tom’s firm philosophy is that “when you have, you have to give back.”
Tom, born in Belfast received his degree in economics from Queens University in 1978. However in addition to receiving an education there he became involved in student politics and remarkably had the unusual achievement in 1978 of being Catholic and being elected as President of the Students’ Union at Queens, a post he held for two years and not the usual one.
While at Queens Tom spent his summers working as a volunteer in the Mater Hospital in Belfast. As a result Tom developed on interest which subsequently became a passion for Medicine and Medical Sciences.
Qualifying as an accountant led Tom to work extensively in the US and Europe for KPMG. Among his “big” clients were GPA, and Jury’s but it was when he began to work with Élan and Icon his interest in the pharma sector really blossomed.
Tom became Chief Financial Officer of Élan in 1993 and during the next decade, helped transition the company from a relatively small speciality drug delivery outfit into a major biotechnology company. He also joined the Board of Icon and today he is Chairman of the Board there. Tom also played a central role in the foundation of Warner Chilcott, and built this into a global specialty pharmaceutical company focusing on the gastroenterology, women's healthcare, dermatology and urology.
Tom became chairman of neuroscience company, Amarin, in 2000. Towards the end of 2007, Amarin hit a crisis when a drug it had hoped would be a revolutionary treatment for the neurological disorder known as Huntington's disease proved ineffective. The Board looked to Tom to sort things out and he took over as CEO for two years. In that short period he refocused the company towards cardiovascular disease with significant success and recent clinical trials by Amarin have demonstrated a revolutionary new target to reduce triglyceride fat levels in the blood.
Tom continues to be involved in a number of pharma corporations across Europe and the US, and his knowledge and expertise has led him to become associated with a number of academic institutions. This includes Board Membership of the Institute for Human Virology in Baltimore, USA and Chair of the Board of Molecular Medicine Ireland. Molecular Medicine Ireland is a collaborative entity involving University College Galway, RCSI, University College Cork, Trinity College Dublin, and UCD and their associated academic hospitals. This has allowed a research partnership to accelerate the translation of biomedical research into improved diagnostics and therapies for patients. Tom as Director of the Board has played a major role in this process.
Tom’s introduction to UCD was through the president, Dr Hugh Brady, whom he first met when Hugh was addressing the board of the IDA. 9 months later, Hugh approached Tom and asked him to chair the new entity – the DAMC – Dublin Academic Medical Centre – a partnership between UCD School of Medicine, The Mater Misericordiae University Hospital and St Vincent’s Healthcare Group. The plan was to create a centre of excellence for patient care, health profession education and training, and translational medical research. The model would draw from the best in the world and deliver a proto-type for the country.
Last month, the Minister for Health, Dr James Reilly, published a report on the establishment of hospital groups and under Tom’s guidance, the DAMC will play a central role in the Dublin East Hospital Group. The Dublin East Group will comprise of eleven hospitals in Leinster. UCD will be the academic partner and the group will be led by the DAMC under the guidance of Tom and his UCD colleagues.
Tom has also become deeply involved in the UCD Foundation. His personal contribution to major fundraising campaigns such as the UCD Science Centre and his networking for the law campaign have greatly benefited UCD and are deeply appreciated by this university. I know Tom doesn’t like to draw attention to his efforts in this area but today it is fitting to acknowledge and thank him.
Tom and his wife Deirdre have also been generous to UCD in a quiet unnoticed fashion. One personal example of this was several years ago when I founded an organisation called the Global Virus Network. This is a group of internationally renowned virologists who have come together to respond to new virus diseases such as bird flu and SARS. We had the first European meeting of the Network at UCD. Tom generously decided to invite all 80 scientists to his home for drinks and dinner at his own expense. Unfortunately on the day of the event Tom was hospitalised at St. Vincent’s. This did not deter him. He simply discharged himself and came home overseeing a magnificent evening of fine wines, food and music. It was only the common sense of Deirdre that prevailed and she despatched all of the guests back to the hotel and importantly Tom back to St. Vincent’s in the early hours.
Another example is when you step outside this hall, you can take a moment to enjoy Robert Ballagh’s portrait of James Joyce. There you will also notice a small plaque noting their donation towards this commission.
Tom has also played a significant role in transforming Medical Sciences North of the Boarder at Queens. He has been a member for thirteen years and currently chairs the Queens Foundation. Through his leadership and successful fundraising activities Queens has become a major cancer centre. Indeed in 2012 this was awarded the Queen Elizabeth prize as the number 1 Cancer Centre in the United Kingdom.
Tom’s release valve from his business are the arts– in the form of ballet and opera. Typical of the man, it isn’t enough for him to attend performances; Tom takes patronage to a whole new level. Between 1998 and 2010, Tom was a trustee of the Royal Opera House, Convent Garden, and was chair of Opera Ireland until 2011. Since 2006 he has been Governor of the Royal Ballet Companies. In recent days he has also committed to support Camerata Ireland which was formed by the pianist Barry Douglas and involves the formation of a new orchestra with musicians from different political and religious backgrounds from both North and South of the Border.
Tom first met his wife Deirdre when he interviewed her for a graduate position at KPMG. Armed with her 1st class B. Comm. degree and her accounting postgrad qualification, Deirdre was obviously going to get the job. They didn’t see one another for a few years but when they met again in 1993, their future together was destined. They married in 1994 and now have three beautiful children. Tom would be the first to acknowledge that Deirdre’s support is a major part of his own drive and energy and success.
In perhaps one of his last acts as Pope, on 10 February, Benedict 16th bestowed on Tom the Order of Knight of St Gregory. Remarkably Benedict announced his retirement from the pontiff the next day. It is unclear and Tom refuses to answer the question if the two events are possibly related.
Tom wears his honours lightly and crosses boundaries with comfort. He manages not only to put people at their ease but to bring them along in a path of consensus.
He is a man of energy and integrity. He sets the pace himself and offers generous support to those who take the journey alongside him.
For his generous support to the world of higher education, for his contribution to the world of medicine and scientific discovery, for his practical dedication to the world of Art and music, Tom Lynch is indeed a worthy recipient of this degree of Doctor of Science honoris causa.
Praehonorabilis Praeses, totaque Universitas,
Praesento vobis hunc meum filium, quem scio tam moribus quam doctrina habilem et idoneum esse qui admittatur, honoris causa, ad gradum Doctoratus utroque Jure, tam Civili quam Canonico; idque tibi fide mea testor ac spondeo, totique Academiae.