Richard O’Halloran, the businessman who was detained in China for three years, has become a director of a high-profile online grinds company.
Company filings show that O’Halloran, who is a director of China International Aviation Leasing, joined the board of Grinds 360 on August 26th.
Grinds 360 was founded in 2023 and has shaken up the grinds market by offering online tutorials and recruiting high-profile teachers. It was founded by Brendan Kavanagh, the chief executive of the Olive group of companies which has provided software development services for the venture, and Ronan Murdock, a teacher who is its chief executive.
Kavanagh and Murdock each own 21.49 per cent of the company’s shares, while Grinds 360 also has some high-profile investors. Former Ireland rugby captain Brian O’Driscoll’s company ODM and Promotions Ltd own 2.81 per cent of shares. Current Ireland rugby captain Caelan Doris and Jordan Larmour are also investors.
O’Halloran joins Kavanagh and Murdock on the board, along with Dara Coyne, Olive’s chief financial officer, and Simon Cosgrove, Olive’s chief operating officer. Grinds 360 is listed among 12 companies in Kavanagh’s O.Labs Venture Studio which “takes companies from concept to commercial traction”.
Grinds 360 offers a subscription for lessons on all Leaving Certificate subjects for €1,099. The company says over 30,000 students have registered with it.
In 2019 O’Halloran travelled to China to meet investors in China International Aviation Leasing which was under investigation by Chinese authorities for a peer-to-peer lending scheme that was organised by the company’s chairman Min Jiedong before O’Halloran was employed there.
O’Halloran was refused permission to leave China when he tried to return home. He was only allowed to return home to Ireland in 2022 after an intensive diplomatic campaign and pressure from his family and supporters. He was never accused of any wrongdoing, nor charged with any crime. He assisted the Chinese authorities in their prosecution of his former boss.
The Foxrock father of four later told The Irish Times that the experience was “character-defining” and a “spiritual awakening”, making him realise what he values most in life.
The last filed accounts for Grinds 360 show losses of €1.19 million up to the end of August 2025. The company has since issued a statement saying that its revenue for the year to end August 2026 was €5.3 million, compared with €1.8 million for the previous year.
The grinds company has partnerships with the FAI, the League of Ireland and Hockey Ireland.