Colm has been a member of the Order for 13 years. He has served in numerous roles, including Council Secretary, Grand Knight, Deputy Provincial Grand Knight and Provincial Grand Knight of Area 3. He also serves as the deputy chair of the Northern Area Committee. In November 2020, Supreme Knight Brendan McCann appointed Colm as the Orders Supreme Communications Officer. He is also a Knight of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulchre of Jerusalem.
As Supreme Communications Officer, he has overall responsibility for the Orders, Public Relations and brand image, as well as general multimedia Communication within the Order.
In his professional career, Colm is the owner and CEO of The Deluxe Group headquartered in Portadown, Co Armagh. The Deluxe group focus on theming & visitor attractions, hospitality fit-out, luxury residential finishing, marine fit-outs and other bespoke applications. It is a multinational company with offices in the UK, USA and the Middle East.
Colm began his career working for his father’s company in special FX and finishes in 1989, with artwork and specialist finishes being his real passion. In 1990 he was one of an 8-man team sent to work on the project in Saddam Hussein’s Palace in Baghdad as the gulf war erupted. He was the only man on the team to escape, but his colleagues were ‘taken as a human shield’ during the war. The plight of Colm’s team held during the conflict has recently been the subject of a 2020 BBC Northern Ireland documentary.
During the construction of EuroDisney, in 1992, Colm handled many of the specialist finishes and theming details around the park, thereby leading to new global markets and theming work for Walt Disney, Universal Studios, Warner Brothers and HBO, that continues around the world to this day.
Through this work, his company has won several prestigious international and domestic awards, such as the Irish Construction Federation “International Project of the year” 2019, the Ulster Business Best SME 2017 award, the coveted UTV Business Eye award and in 2019, the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, Karen Bradley, presented Colm with the United Kingdom Board of Trade award.
Colm’s return journey to his faith was the subject of a BBC documentary ‘City of Faith’, in 2014. In the documentary, he spoke candidly about his re-engagement with his Catholic faith and a life-changing event that encouraged a visit to Medjugorje, leading to a new faith awakening. On his return from that trip, he joined the Knights of Saint Columbanus and started reading Theology at Mater Dei University in Dublin, culminating with a First-Class Honour’s degree in Theology and lifelong education. He also holds a Diploma in Business Management and Building Studies from the University of Ulster Jordanstown.
He is a keen golfer, musician and a GAA fan. He is a lifelong supporter of Manchester United and coached soccer up to under 16 level for six years. Studying and reading theology is still a significant passion, as is writing music. Having played and toured in a band for over 20 years, releasing two albums and a single, his passion and love for music is as strong as ever. He also enjoys Metal Detecting and collecting World War II, film and music memorabilia in his spare time.