Martin Naughton (businessman)

Martin Naughton (born 2 May 1939),^[1] is an Irish billionaire businessman, engineer and philanthropist. He is the founder of GlenDimplex, a company specializing in electrical appliances. He has been associated with Trinity College Dublin as a benefactor since the 1990s, including donating a state record €25 million,^[2] which led to the awarding of an honorary doctorate in 1995.^[3]

Martin Naughton
Born	(1939-05-02) 2 May 1939 (age 86) Dundalk, County Louth, Ireland
Education	De La Salle College Dundalk
Occupation(s)	Engineer, businessman
Known for	Founder of GlenDimplex
Spouse	Carmel Naughton
Children	3

Early life

Naughton is an alumnus of De La Salle College Dundalk, where he funds an annual scholarship programme.^{[citation needed]} He is a donor to a number of educational institutions, notably Trinity College Dublin^[4] and the University of Notre Dame.^[5]

Career

Naughton founded Glen Electric in August 1973 with a small manufacturing facility employing just ten people in Newry, County Down, Northern Ireland.^[6] In 1977, Dimplex, the leading brand in the UK electrical heating market was acquired by Glen Electrics forming the Glen Dimplex Group. The company set out acquiring further businesses across the UK, with Morphy Richards, the market leader in small domestic appliances in 1985 followed by Blanella, a manufacturer of electric blankets and Burco Dean Appliances, a manufacturer of products for the catering industry, all in the same year. The 1990s saw the company forge its powers of acquisition and strategic business thinking to acquire further businesses across Europe and beyond. An engineer by profession, Naughton has overseen his company to become the world's largest manufacturer in domestic heating appliances. His company has plants in the Ireland, the United Kingdom and North America. His business has more than 8000 staff and 22 manufacturing facilities with annual sales of around $1.6 billion. Naughton's stake in the company is worth around £273 million with other investments including an art collection, property in Dublin and shares in the Merrion Hotel Group and the Sunday Tribune newspaper.^{[citation needed]}

Naughton was involved in negotiating cross-border trade and promotion and support of businesses during the Northern Ireland conflict.^[7]

The Naughton Foundation

Martin and Carmel founded the The Naughton Foundation in 1994.^[8] A scholarship fund was added in 2008, which originally assisted students in the Louth, Meath, Monaghan area, before being offered to STEM students across the island more recently.^[9][10][11]

Honours

In 1995, Trinity College Dublin awarded him an honorary doctorate.^[12]

In 2016, Naughton was awarded the French Légion d'Honneur.^[13]

In 2017, Dublin City University awarded him an honorary doctorate.^[14]

In 2025 Pope Francis conferred the honor of the Order of Saint Gregory the Great upon Naughton and his wife in one of his last acts as Supreme Pontiff. ^[15]

Personal life

He is married to Carmel Naughton, with three children, and lives in County Meath.^[16] In 2016, his son Fergal Naughton took over as CEO of GlenDimplex.^[16]

In 2016, Naughton and his wife Carmel were named philanthropists of the year by the Community Foundation for Ireland.^[17]

In May 2018, Business for Peace Foundation gave Naughton a Business for Peace Award in recognition of his efforts in promoting the private sector's contribution to peace and environmental sustainability.^[18]

In November 2018, he was named as the Outstanding Contribution to Business Award winner at the Irish Post Awards 2018.^[19]

Naughton lives at Stackallan House, County Meath which he purchased from Margaret Heffernan.^{[20][21][22][23]}