Patrick Sean McNally (born 20 December 1937) is a British businessman. He was the founder and chief executive of Allsport Management S.A., a Swiss-based company which controlled Formula One advertising and hospitality for the Paddock Club.
Early life
McNally was born on 20 December 1937 in Gravesend. He was the son of Group Captain Patrick McNally, a Royal Air Force medical officer from County Monaghan, and his wife Mary Deane (née Outred), whose family was from Kent. In addition to his older brother Peter, McNally had four siblings.
McNally was educated at Stonyhurst College, then abandoned training as an accountant to sell vacuum cleaners on hire purchase and also traded bric-à-brac on the Portobello Road.
Career
Early career
Beginning his career as a motorsports journalist for Autosport magazine, McNally was also a racing driver involved in sports car races in the 1960s. Driving such cars as Shelby Cobra and Porsche 911, he competed in numerous sports car racing events, including the 1969 British Saloon Car Championship.
In Switzerland during the early 1970s, McNally began working for Philip Morris's Marlboro as a sponsorship consultant. Later, he was a driver manager of Niki Lauda and James Hunt, respectively.
In 1967, McNally had married Anne Downing, daughter of Ken Downing, a Monaco-based former racing driver and wealthy businessman. They had two sons: Sean and Rollo.
Allsport Management
McNally began working with Bernie Ecclestone in the late 1970s. In 1983, he founded Allsport Management S.A., a Swiss company which provided corporate hospitality and trackside advertising for Formula One events. Based in Geneva, Allsport owned the trackside advertising rights at Formula One circuits, essentially involved in advertising management. Allsport also operated the Formula One Paddock Club, the Grand Prix hospitality provider, which was established by McNally in 1984.
In March 2006, McNally sold Allsport Management to CVC for £300 million. In April 2011, he announced his retirement from the Formula One circuit. Ecclestone stated that "McNally thinks someone younger should takeover" going on to say that "he [McNally] is one of the founding fathers of the modern grand prix set-up".
Personal life
According to the Sunday Times Rich List of 2014, McNally has a net worth of £510 million. He has spent much of his life living in Switzerland and holds Swiss citizenship.
McNally dated Sarah Ferguson from 1982 to 1985, but declined to marry her. The pair remain close friends. He has homes in the Côte d'Azur and Switzerland, notably chalets in Verbier locally referred to as "the Castle" (or "Coke Castle"). He also owns Warneford Place, Wiltshire, the former home of Ian Fleming. In 2004, the property was burgled.