[2] Smurfit was born in St Helens, England, and educated at Clongowes Wood College, County Kildare, Ireland.
He was appointed chairman and chief executive officer of the Jefferson Smurfit Group in 1977, a position he held until his retirement as CEO in November 2002.
He owns a €53 million super yacht and the Smurfit Art Collection, which contains works by Irish artists such as John Lavery, William Orpen, Louis le Brocquy and Jack B.
He was appointed as a Knight Commander of the Royal Order of Francis I in November 2002 at a ceremony in Dublin in recognition his of contribution to charitable and humanitarian endeavour.
In 2005, Smurfit was appointed to be a Knight Commander of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire (KBE) in HM The Queen's Birthday Honours List 2005, published in June 2005.