People: McKeon’s personal touch

Currently working to exploit a 160 billon cubic feet gas prospect in Turkey’s Konya Basin, Irish entrepreneur John McKeon has chalked up several successes in the region and is in no doubt about one of the key reasons for his progress.

‘It is all about relationships,’ he concludes, recalling how Circle Oil, the AIM company he founded, became the largest oil acreage holder in Oman after the country’s energy minister asked him if he could arrange a game for him at one of the West of Ireland’s most exclusive golf clubs.

McKeon, who started in broking but experienced his share of setbacks and recalls sleeping rough in a North London warehouse, is prime mover at the private Oman Resources concern, which is developing the well in Turkey. He is also a consultant to AIM-quoted Niche Group, which has raised £5 million to fund a 20 per cent stake in Oman Resources and may forge closer links.

A key player in Oman Resources is Towfik Al Swaidi, a friend of McKeon who is descended from an associate of the founder of modern Iraq. He recalls meeting an Al Swaidi family member at a tailor’s shop in Berkeley Square and developing the friendship from there.

Excited by the prospects offered by Turkey, McKeon, who in the past acquired mining giant BHP Billiton’s assets in Mozambique, is also eyeing potential projects in Kurdistan. He has had several drinks with the relevant minister in Uzbekistan, too, and a key colleague has extensive knowledge of strife-torn Afghanistan, now emerging as a mineral-rich part of the world.

McKeon also finds time for charitable interests. These include the Ireland Fund, presided over by veteran tycoon Tony O’Reilly, which channels support for the homeless and other worthy causes.