Cork Chamber awards the late John Mullins with 'outstanding contribution' honour
A former chief executive of Bord Gáis, and co-founder and group chairman of clean energy firm Amarenco Solar, Mr Mullins was a Fine Gael candidate in Ireland South in last June’s European parliamentary elections, polling 33,281 first preferences.
A leading Cork businessman, entrepreneur and politician who passed away this year at the age of 57 has been honoured by Cork Chamber.
At a ceremony last evening in Dublin, the late John Mullins was announced as the posthumous recipient of the Outstanding Contribution to Business Award 2025.
A former chief executive of Bord Gáis, and co-founder and group chairman of clean energy firm Amarenco Solar, Mr Mullins was a Fine Gael candidate in Ireland South in the 2024 European parliamentary elections, polling 33,281 first preferences.
An engineering graduate of UCC, Mr Mullins served as president of Cork Chamber from 2011 to 2013, and he also served as chairman of the Port of Cork board between 2013 and 2018.
He was a Fellow of Engineers Ireland and the Irish Academy of Engineering and was awarded the Légion d’Honneur by the French Government in recognition of his contribution to Europe’s solar energy market.
He passed away suddenly at home in April and his funeral liturgy in the Church of the Holy Spirit, Dennehy’s Cross, was attended by the Taoiseach, the Tánaiste, then-finance minister Paschal Donohoe, ministers, TDs, senators, the Lord Mayor, councillors and leading figures from business and public life.
Presented at last evening’s Cork Chamber Dublin dinner, which was held at the Clayton Burlington Hotel, the award recognised Mr Mullins’s exceptional leadership in business, his deep commitment to public and civic life, and his enduring impact on Cork and Ireland.
Rob Horgan, president of Cork Chamber, said Mr Mullins had been a leader who understood the power of collaboration, bringing people together, across sectors, across communities, across beliefs, and he did so with energy, integrity and a deep love for Cork.
“His influence was felt in boardrooms, in government circles, and in the many civic and community organisations where he gave so generously of his time,” Mr Horgan said.
“John’s legacy is one of connection and possibility, and it is a privilege to recognise him with this award.”
Accepting the award on behalf of the Mullins family, John’s brother Pat said that Mr Mullins’s legacy lives on in the projects he led, the people he inspired and the organisations he helped shape.
“We are deeply proud to see that legacy celebrated here tonight,” he said.
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