Founder of one of Donegal’s largest employers and ‘visionary leader’ set to retire 

The founder of one of Donegal’s largest employers is set to retire at the end of the year.

Derry businessman Philip O’Doherty is to retire on December 31 from Vertiv Ireland, more than four years after the US-based company bought E+I Engineering which he founded in the late 1980s.

The provider of electrical switchgear and power distribution systems to data centres employed more than 1,000 people at its Burnfoot production facility when it was bought by Vertiv Holdings for at least $1.8 billion in September 2021.

Announcing his retirement, Vertiv Ireland described Mr O’Doherty as “a visionary leader in our industry”.

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“Over nearly four decades, Phil built E+I into a global powerhouse in electrical switchgear and power distribution solutions, and we built on that success with the integration with Vertiv in 2021,” the company said.

“His entrepreneurial spirit and technical excellence have left an indelible mark on our industry. Thank you, Phil, for your extraordinary contributions and leadership.”

Mr O'Doherty, who has been the managing director of E+I Engineering since the takeover, is also the chairman of Derry City Football Club.

After completing a degree in electrical and electronic engineering at Queen's University Belfast, he started his career at Dupont at Campsie outside Derry city where he worked for five  years before embarking on his entrepreneurial journey.

E+I Engineering expanded to employ more than 2,000 people with manufacturing locations in Ireland, UK, US and UAE.