Paul Gallen

Age: 40

Place of birth: Dublin.

Where you live: New York City.

Name of Company you work for: Abigail Kirsch at Chelsea Piers.

City you work in: New York City.

Profession: General Manager.

Why I chose this career: Childhood watching Fawlty Towers inspired my life long interest in the hotel and hospitality business.

Status: Married.

Family: Bebhinn, Hugh age 7 and Finn age 4.

The proudest moment of my career: Getting my first “real” job in New York City at the Plaza Hotel in 1994.

Biography: I was born in Dublin in 1972 and attended Coolmine Community School. After the leaving cert I studied hotel management at the Shannon College of Hotel Management from 1989-1993. I spent a couple of years working for Forte Hotels in England before moving to New York in 1994 where I started working at the Plaza Hotel in a variety of capacities. From 1999-2002 I was Director of Catering at the American Museum of Natural History. I was Assistant Director of Food & Beverage at the Waldorf-Astoria from 2003-2007 when I accepted the position of Assistant Director of Catering at the Hilton New York. In August 2012 I started as General Manager for Abigail Kirsch at Chelsea Piers. I live in New York City.