Shannon seeks top CEO

With the newly independent Shannon Airport set for take-off, a worldwide search has begun to recruit a chief executive to pilot…

With the newly independent Shannon Airport set for take-off, a worldwide search has begun to recruit a chief executive to pilot its development.

To recap, Shannon was separated from the Dublin Airport Authority on December 31st and is due to merge in July with the landbank of Shannon Development to form a new State-owned agency charged with developing an aviation hub that can drive commerce and tourism in the midwest.

“Shannon is preparing for take-off and we’re looking for the right captain,” Rose Hynes, chairwoman of the Shannon Airport Authority, told me this week.

“We have done our research and have a solid roadmap. Within five years we will create a significant number of new jobs here, and grow airport passenger numbers towards 2.5 million per year.”

READ MORE

The new chief executive should be able to tap into new Government incentives for inward aviation investment.

Hynes said the authority was “casting the net wide” to find an “experienced and entrepreneurial leader who’ll have the chance to create a new era for the airport, the region and indeed the whole aviation industry in Ireland”.

Ciarán Hancock

Ciarán Hancock

Ciarán Hancock is Business Editor of The Irish Times