'Super-agent' Noel Kelly firms record combined profits of €415,807

Gordon Deegan

Two firms co-owned by agent to a number of high profile Irish TV and radio presenters, Noel Kelly, last year recorded combined post-tax profits of €415,807.

In 2023, Ryan Tubridy’s agent and co-owner of NK Management, Noel Kelly, became embroiled in the RTÉ payments scandal after it emerged that Mr Kelly had been centrally involved in negotiating with RTÉ the controversial pay top-up for Tubridy which was linked to car manufacturer Renault.

Now, new s show that Mr Kelly’s Cleary Consultancy Ltd, trading as NK Management, recorded post-tax profits of €76,486 in the 12 months to the end of March 31st last year.

The profits are 72 per cent down on the post tax profits of €272,554 for the prior year and the drop in profits follows the company investing in new 'podcast' studios where a number of podcasts are made including Ivan Yates’s and Matt Cooper’s Path to Power, Ryan Tubridy’s Bookshelf, Roasted by Mark Moriarty and Mind Full by Dermot Whelan.

A separate marketing company operated by Mr Kelly, Century Merchandising Services Ltd recorded post tax profits of €339,321 during the same 2024 fiscal period.

The s for both firms cover the period in which Mr Kelly appeared before Oireachtas committees and at the height of the controversy in July 2023, Mr Kelly became a household name after appearing alongside Ryan Tubridy during a gruelling seven hour marathon of questioning before two Oireachtas committees at Leinster House.

In June 2023 James O’Connor TD (FF) at the Dail’s Public s Committee (PAC) queried the reasons for Kelly’s “God-like power”.

The new Cleary Consultancy s show that accumulated profits at the end of March last stood at €1.25 million.

Shareholder funds totalled €1.364 million while the company’s cash funds declined from €479,119 to €326,394.

Along with Tubridy, NK Management also represents the likes of Pat Kenny, Dermot Bannon, Doireann Garrihy, Kathryn Thomas and Joe Duffy.

The abridged Cleary Consultancy s - signed off on February 24th by Mr Kelly and Catriona Cleary Kelly - make no reference to the RTE payments scandal.

The s show that aggregate pay to directors remained at €120,000 in the year under review.

Numbers employed by the business increased by one to 10.

The separate s for Century Merchandising Services Ltd- which trades as CMS Marketing - shows that the post tax profits of €339,321 last year follow post tax profits of €315,205 in the prior year.

Pay to directors at the company totalled €191,384 that was made up of €142,000 in remuneration and €49,384 in pension contributions.

Accumulated profits at the company at the end of March 2024 totalled €1.366 million. Cash funds increased from €300,389 to €376,392.