Who is Gareth Sheridan? The multi-millionaire halfway to securing his place on the presidential ballot

Independent candidate Gareth Sherdian is halfway to securing the necessary nominations to contest next month's presidential election.

On Tuesday, Mr Sheridan secured the nomination of Tipperary County Council, having already received the nomination of Kerry County Council last week.

In total, Mr Sheridan must receive nominations from four local authorities to contest the presidential election. He is due to present to members of Carlow County Council on Friday.

Who is Gareth Sheridan and how has he succeeded where other independent candidates have failed?

Mr Sheridan has no political background, but he is an award-winning entrepreneur, having founded pharmaceutical company Nutriband in 2014.

For doing so, he was crowned Ireland’s ‘Young Entrepreneur of the Year’ that same year, while Nutriband picked up the prize for Ireland’s ‘Best New Product’.

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Mr Sheridan has also worked as a business mentor with 100 Minds, a social enterprise that brings together some of Ireland’s top college students to raise money for charity.

Having founded Nutriband, he moved to the United States, where he lived for seven years.

However, he has since returned to Dublin, where he lives with his wife Heidi and their 2-year-old daughter Róe.

Mr Sheridan’s net worth stands at approximately €16 million in Nutriband shares and €500,000 in savings.

He owns a family residence in Utah and one additional property that they rent for $2,700. He also currently rents a two-bedroom apartment in Dublin for €3,000 a month.

Mr Sheridan has served as Nutriband CEO for many years, but he has stepped aside from the role in order to focus on his presidential campaign.

At 36-years-old, Mr Sheridan is looking to become the youngest ever candidate to be included on a presidential ballot in Ireland.

If elected, he says he will look to follow the example of former presidents Mary Robinson, Mary McAleese and Michael D. Higgins in championing social justice.

However, Mr Sheridan has stated that he is “not from the political establishment” and believes a genuinely independent and apolitical president should not be.