The Minister for Transport, Eamon Ryan, has announced his intention to appoint Mr Conal Henry to the position of Chairperson of Shannon Group.
Mr Henry is expected to be formally appointed as Chair following his appearance before the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport and Communications which the Minister hopes can be arranged at the earliest opportunity.
Mr Conal Henry has held senior management positions including Founder and Chair of Fibrus Networks since 2018 and Chief Executive Officer of e|net (NBI) from 2006 to 2018. He was also Commercial Director at Ryanair and served on the Board of Shannon Foynes Port Company. He is a member of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants and holds a law degree from Queen’s University Belfast.
Minister Eamon Ryan said “Given the important role of Shannon Group to the economy of the Midwest region and nationally, I am pleased that Conal Henry is willing to accept the position of Chairperson of Shannon Group. Conal has 15 years’ experience at board level in both executive and non-executive positions and his career spans the aviation, telecoms, retail and banking sectors. I am confident that he will play a key role in leading Shannon Group in its continued recovery.”
Minister of State Hildegarde Naughton added “Aviation, and Shannon Airport, is critically important to our economy, both directly and indirectly, particularly for the Mid-West region. It is a key enabler of tourism and commerce, it connects businesses to suppliers and to customers, and it ever-facilitates and sustains our significant levels of foreign direct investment. I look forward to working closely with Conal in his new role and am confident of his ability to support Shannon Group as it emerges from the COVID-19 crisis.”
Minister Ryan also announced that he has accepted the resignation of Mr Pádraig Ó Céidigh as Chairperson of Shannon Group plc. Mr O’ Céidigh was appointed Chairperson of Shannon Group on 20 October 2021.
Commenting on Mr O’Céidigh’s resignation, the Minister said “I have accepted the resignation of Mr O’Céidigh and wish to thank him for his dedication and engagement as Chairperson of Shannon Group, particularly given these challenging times for the aviation sector. I would like to wish Mr O’Céidigh the best with his future endeavours.”
Welcoming his appointment, Mary Considine, CEO, Shannon Group said: “I am pleased to welcome Mr. Henry in his new role as Shannon Group chair. His vast experience across a range of commercial businesses including aviation, will be very valuable as we continue to drive our recovery and rebuild our business in the aftermath of the devastation caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We are committed to restoring our airport traffic and to building on our strong property investment strategy so that we can enhance our economic contribution to the mid-west region and nationally. We have already made significant strides in that direction, offering our passengers services to 26 destinations from Shannon Airport this summer.
“During the period of severe travel restrictions on aviation we took the opportunity to futureproof key elements of our airport infrastructure and continue our property investment strategy across our Group campus. We have worked hard to improve the airport experience for all our customers. We are determined to do more, and I look forward to working with Mr Henry and the Board to maximise future opportunities.”