Heritage & About

A Tradition of Enterprise, Stewardship and Long-Term Perspective

While Karlsrock is a modern advisory and private markets group, its perspective has been shaped by more than a century of enterprise, investment and capital stewardship.


That tradition began with Joseph Gannon Snr, a prominent Irish industrialist and investor whose work helped shape Irish commerce in the early twentieth century and continues today through a disciplined, long-term approach to advisory and private markets.

Joseph Gannon Snr, Industrialist and Investor

As founder of AET, Ireland’s largest electrical goods manufacturer - widely recognised at the time for its national industrial significance - he built and realised a substantial industrial enterprise while also acting as a trusted steward of capital for other prominent European families.


Beyond industry, Joseph Gannon Snr was engaged in the civic and economic life of Ireland during a formative period, reflecting a belief that enterprise carried responsibilities not only to capital, but to society more broadly.


The family’s activities spanned energy and power infrastructure, real estate development, consumer and retail businesses, food production and agriculture, hospitality and commercial assets, and natural resources.



Discipline in capital allocation, discretion in partnership and long-term value creation defined Joseph Gannon Snr’s approach - principles that underpin Karlsrock today.

The 12th-Century Irish Grange

The Gannon family later acquired the remains of a 12th-century monastic grange, founded in circa 1170 and now preserved as an historic site.



Historically, the grange functioned as a centre of enterprise, politics and governance, artistic and cultural expression, education and charitable provision, including the distribution of alms to the poor and disadvantaged.


Over many centuries, it was regarded as one of the most productive and economically significant monastic estates in Ireland, generating sustained wealth through agriculture, trade, and enterprise and playing a central role in the civic and economic life of its region. The earliest documented reference to the Knights’ Room dates to 1381, recorded in a rare contemporary manuscript detailing the operations and affairs of the Grange.


This convergence of industry, culture, responsibility and community continues to shape Karlsrock’s view of capital and enterprise - not simply as a resource to be deployed, but as an asset to be stewarded with purpose, perspective and care.

Leadership

Charles J. Gannon 

Chief Executive Officer & Principal Co-Founder, Karlsrock

Charles J. Gannon is a private markets adviser and investor with almost 30 years’ experience supporting business owners, families and investment managers through growth, transition and value creation.


Influenced by a century-long family legacy of enterprise and capital stewardship, he has built his career at the intersection of capital, operations, and execution-supporting organisations where alignment, resilience, and disciplined growth matter.


He began in institutional finance and global treasury, holding senior roles across investment, private and wholesale banking, central banking environments, and multinational corporates. He later held CIO-level responsibility for capital allocation and portfolio oversight while serving as Corporate Treasurer (EMEA) at Novell Inc., a US Nasdaq-listed company, where he was entrusted with a multi-billion portfolio spanning 26 operating companies, including exposure to real assets.


In private markets, Charles has acted as principal investor, sponsor, and adviser across buy-side and sell-side M&A, bolt-on acquisitions, restructurings, and complex asset-backed transactions -working with management to strengthen performance, governance, and strategic clarity post-investment and build enterprise value through cycles. His experience also spans real estate and real assets, including acquisition, structuring, financing, and value enhancement. He advises families around liquidity events and long-term stewardship, including private wealth allocation, reinvestment strategy, and governance frameworks aligned to multi-generational objectives.


He works closely with investment managers and operating teams on transitions, platform development, transaction execution, governance and long-term value creation.


Alongside his commercial work, Charles serves as Chairman of School-Home-Support, a UK education charity, leading a 14-member board helping children and families overcome barriers to education.


Charles holds a Bachelor of Commerce (Banking & Finance) from University College Dublin and is professionally trained through the Chartered Institute of Securities & Investment, the Chartered Institute of Marketing, and University of Oxford Saïd Business School (Private Markets). He has represented Ireland in touch rugby, competing in two World Cups and two European Championships, earning 40 international caps.

Bernard Patrick (Brian) Dowling

Chairman, Karlsrock

Bernard Patrick (Brian) Dowling is Chairman of Karlsrock and brings over five decades of senior operating, board, and fiduciary leadership across the United Kingdom, Ireland, and the United States, with deep experience guiding businesses through growth, complexity, and institutional scrutiny.


Brian has served as Chairman, Managing Director, Finance Director, and Company Secretary across a wide range of sectors, including real estate, manufacturing, retail, distribution, technology-enabled services, and the motor industry. His career spans both owner-managed and institutional environments, where he has worked closely with executive teams to improve operational performance, strengthen financial discipline, and professionalise governance.


He has held numerous board-level and fiduciary appointments, including leadership roles within organisations responsible for significant real estate, infrastructure, and operating assets. Most notably, Brian served two terms as Chairman of a UK pension fund, having acted as a board member for more than twenty years, providing long-term LP-side oversight across investment strategy, risk management, governance, and manager accountability.


A former President and Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants (FCMA), Brian attended Harvard Business School. His leadership is defined by independent judgement, operational realism, and fiduciary discipline, bringing experienced oversight and challenge to Karlsrock’s advisory, investment, and capital allocation activities.

“Karlsrock approaches decisions with care and perspective. Their work reflects an understanding of both capital and the people behind it.”

― John Brien - Principal, Private Family Office