Sean Mulryan

Ballymore Group was founded in 1982 by Mulryan, then aged 28, who is the chairman.

Ballymore has become one of the biggest providers of residential space in London.[9] In 2017, it was reported that the previous year's profits at the UK arm of Ballymore had increased almost three-fold to £154.9m (€217.6m).[10] In December 2016, Mulryan announced that the Ballymore Group had exited Nama. In addition, he said Ballymore had paid back “significant borrowings” to RBS, KBC and other institutions.[11]

In 2019, published accounts for one of the group’s key UK-registered companies, Ballymore Properties Ltd, show it earned profits of £176.3 million in the 12 months ended 31 March 2018. Ballymore Properties Ltd had net assets of £54 million on 31 March 2018, compared to a £121 million deficit 12 months earlier.[12]

Ballymore Group works on large-scale projects in London and across Europe, with a particular focus on urban regeneration. In 2016, it was reported that Oran native Sean Mulryan launched the latest development in Dublin, which is a €700 million development in the docklands.[13] The 'Dublin Landings' waterfront regeneration project includes office, residential and retail/leisure accommodation. In 2020, Ballymore was approved to build a large mixed-use scheme on 2.8 hectares at Dublin’s Connolly Station in Dublin’s IFSC.[14]

Several members of the Mulryan family have been involved in Ballymore. John Mulryan is a son of Sean Mulryan and is group managing director at Ballymore, meanwhile, Sean's brother Donal Mulryan used to work for Ballymore before starting his own development company, West Properties, which owns various developments in the UK, including Skyline Central, the tallest apartment complex in Manchester.[15][16]

As of 2012, he is one of the richest men in Ireland.[7] According to London's The Evening Standard, Mulryan owns more land in London than the Duke of Westminster.[7]

On 16 February 2012, Wandsworth Council approved Ballymore Group's plans for the 15 acre development in Nine Elms. Embassy Gardens is set to provide "up to 1,982 new homes alongside shops, cafes, bars, restaurants, business space, a 100 bed hotel, a health centre, children's playgrounds and sports pitches".[17] In 2014, it was reported that Mulryan had engaged Lazard and CBRE Group to raise about €2.5bn to fund the Embassy Gardens development.[18]

At the time of its launch, former Mayor of London Boris Johnson described the Embassy Gardens project as “possibly the most important regeneration story in London and in the UK over the next 20 years”. In 2018, the Embassy of the United States, London, relocated from Grosvenor Square to Embassy Gardens. The land on which the new embassy stands was sold to the US government by the Ballymore Group after a deal was reached in 2008.[19]

In March 2021, the Financial Times ran an investigation into Ballymore developments. Leaseholders at multiple Ballymore developments faced large increases in the service charge bills, with one stating a 58% increase in annual costs between 2015 and 2020; residents were reported to be left feeling trapped in increasingly unaffordable homes. Ballymore told the FT increases were due to inflation in services such as insurance and utilities, but residents said the charges also covered repairs to fix poor workmanship during the developments' construction.[20]

Outside of his work with Ballymore, Mulryan was set to join the board of the Ireland West Airport Knock in 2017.[21] Knock confirmed the appointment in May 2017, along with two other new directors. The airport is considered key for regional development and it expects to handle around 750,000 passengers in 2017, making it its busiest year.[22] In 2022, Mulryan invested €5 million in Irish electric bike maker Modmo.[23]