Peter Cullen:PETER CULLEN, who has died aged 68, was the former managing director of Honda Ireland, and was a leading figure within the Irish motoring industry for more than 40 years.
A genial Dubliner with a renowned sense of humour, he was instrumental in bringing the Honda franchise to Ireland during the 1980s and it was under his leadership that the company thrived over the subsequent two decades.
His charm was renowned, and among both friends and business colleagues he was known as a man who could talk to anyone.
This ability to get along with people not only made him countless friends but also earned him a reputation as a deal-maker, a man who could get things done.
Peter Cullen was born in Killiney, Co Dublin, in 1941, at the height of the Emergency. He was one of three children of Phelim and Kathleen Cullen, (née Delaney, Co Kilkenny).
He was educated at CBC and Presentation Glasthule, where even at an early age he showed an entrepreneurial flair, holding down a number of part-time and after-school jobs.
His life-long passion for sailing was ignited in the early 1950s when a Mrs Alymer of Aysha Castle in Killiney – for whom the young Cullen was doing odd jobs – brought him to the National Yacht Club in Dún Laoghaire and introduced him to Mermaid Class sailing.
Like so many of his generation, upon leaving school he moved to London in search of work. Having held a number of casual jobs – including various spells on building sites – he found a job with the market research firm AC Neilsen.
He returned to Ireland briefly but, finding job opportunities just as scarce as before, he moved back to London in 1961 and began his career in the motor trade, working as a car salesman for what he described as an “Arthur Daly-type” dealership.
In 1963 he came back to Ireland, working for Ballsbridge Motors before being offered a job by Reg Armstrong, the Grand Prix motorcycle racer and motor agent.
At that time Armstrong had taken on the Opel franchise, and Cullen’s first task was to begin building an Opel dealer network in Ireland.
In 1974 he joined the newly established Alfa Romeo on Camden Street, which shared a premises with Cavey Motors. As sales manager for Alfa, he teamed up with Malcolm Freshney, one of the pioneers of the Irish motor industry.
Realising that the Irish market for Alfa Romeo was limited, the two men flew to Japan and personally negotiated a deal that would introduce the Honda franchise to Ireland. It was a typically bold move, and one that would shape the remainder of Cullen’s career.
Upon Freshney’s retirement in 1980, Cullen was appointed general manager of Alfa Romeo. His first task was to oversee the move to a new premises on the Old Naas Road.
The first Honda cars arrived in Ireland in January 1985, following the expiration of the 10-year market protection imposed when Ireland joined the EEC.
Cullen was appointed managing director of the newly formed Universal Honda, and he immediately began building a dealer network.
He was held in high regard, both by his Japanese counterparts who considered him to be “their man in Ireland” and also by his Irish colleagues and employees for whom his energy was as infectious as his business sense and strategy were successful.
He was a very hands-on managing director who always led from the front; a forward-thinking businessman who always encouraged his dealers to be progressive in their approach.
In 2005 he oversaw Honda’s move to a new premises at Citywest on the Naas Road, and once the move was complete he retired. Upon retirement he was appointed deputy chairman of the company, and he remained actively involved in Honda right up to his death.
His love of sailing remained undimmed throughout his life, as did his love of company and his delight in sharing stories and swapping jokes over a bottle of good red wine.
As was noted at his remembrance service, he was the type of fun-loving person who made friends wherever he went.
He was also passionate about the family home in Rathmichael, which he helped to build, and the family’s beloved country cottage, Mangans, in Tinahely.
He died after suffering a fall while working in the garden at Mangans on a beautiful, sunny autumnal day.
He is survived by his wife Joan, daughter Susan, son-in-law Paul and grandchildren, his sister Alice and brother Jack.
Peter Cullen: born July 27th, 1941; died September 20th, 2009