Companies

Paul Coulson to step down as Ardagh chairman after 25 years

Billionaire financier, 71, took Ardagh from single-plant glass operation in Dublin to a global player with revenues of more than $9bn

Paul Coulson: financier became chairman of Ardagh in 1998, and started the transition of the business from a small company into a major player

Paul Coulson, the billionaire financier, is stepping down as chairman of the Ardagh Group, the metal and glass packaging giant he has led since 1998.

Coulson, 71, will step down from both Ardagh Group and Ardagh Metal Packaging, the two arms of his bottling and cans empire, in November, the company announced on Tuesday.

He will remain a director of the business, which is one of the world’s biggest metal and packaging companies having grown ...