Former enet CEO Conal Henry is to be appointed as the new Chairperson of Shannon Group, following the resignation of Pádraig Ó Céidigh last week.
The Minister for Transport Eamon Ryan said Mr Henry is expected to be formally appointed to the role following his appearance before the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport and Communications.
Minister Ryan said he hopes this can be arranged at the earliest opportunity.
"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," Minister Ryan said in a statement.
"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," he said.
"I am confident that he will play a key role in leading Shannon Group in its continued recovery," he added.
Conal Henry has held senior management positions including Founder and Chair of Fibrus Networks since 2018 and Chief Executive Officer of enet (NBI) from 2006 to 2018.
He was also Commercial Director at Ryanair and served on the Board of Shannon Foynes Port Company.
Mr O’ Céidigh was appointed Chairperson of Shannon Group on 20 October 2021.
"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," Minister Ryan said.
"I would like to wish Mr O’Céidigh the best with his future endeavours," he added.
Mary Considine, CEO of Shannon Group has welcomed the appointment of Conal Henry.
"I am pleased to welcome Mr Henry in his new role as Shannon Group chair," Ms Considine said in a statement.
"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," she added.
Ms Considine said they are determined to do more, and look forward to working with Mr Henry and the rest of the board in this regard.
