Declan Ganley appoints Jeb Bush and Martin O’Malley to board

Declan Ganley’s communications technology firm has appointed former US presidential hopefuls Jeb Bush and Martin O’Malley to its board of directors.

Mr Bush, the Republican governor of Florida, and Mr O’Malley, the Democratic governor of Maryland, will join the board of Rivada Networks. The company was established by Mr Ganley (47) in 2005.

The appointments come as the company is preparing to unveil its bid for America’s first nationwide wireless broadband network dedicated to public safety.

In a statement, Mr Ganley said Mr Bush and Mr O’Malley would provide “strategic counsel and guidance”, as well as offer “unique insights into the challenges and needs” of America’s state governments.

“We are delighted to have these two proven leaders join the Rivada team,” he said. “Their combined experience and record of leadership needs no introduction. Their leadership and wise counsel will help us serve America’s first responders should we be selected as the winning bidder.”

Mr Bush said: “Every day, the men and women who serve our nation as first responders save the lives of others with little regard for their own safety. They do so without fanfare or desire for glory. It is our duty, in turn, to protect and guard those men and women with every resource possible.

“The solution that Rivada Networks developed is both visionary and inspired. As we move forward, I am proud to join the Rivada team and support the communications solution it offers to some of America’s most loyal and valuable servants.”

Mr O’Malley said Mr Ganley had developed a “visionary solution” that would improve infrastructure in the United States.

“Delivering a reliable, secure, resilient, dedicated, and self-financing public safety network is a noble mission worthy of all our efforts,” he said.

“Declan and the team at Rivada Networks have developed a visionary solution that will improve this country’s infrastructure and provide our first responders with the vital tools they need to do their jobs.

“I am honoured and proud to serve with, and lend my support to, this team of people and their essential efforts.”

Mr Ganley’s first entrepreneurial successes included timber export and the privatisation of sawmills and forestry assets in Latvia and Russia in the late 1990s. These were sold to a group led by business magnate George Soros in 1997.