GIVEN how long it took to replace Rose Hynes, and how long it took to find an alternative after the appointment of Aaron Forde as chairman of Shannon Group fell through, there was shock this week when it was announced as Conal Henry got the nod to replace Pádraig Ó Céidigh.
On those previous occasions it took months for a replacement to be found, but in this case it took a mere six days.
Inevitably, given how quickly it happened and how much disappointment there is at the Ó Céidigh resignation, the fact that such a quick decision was made will be seen as an attempt to quell any controversy.
On Tuesday, Minister Eamon Ryan announced that Mr Henry would be next to be appointed. “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.”
Regarding the Ó Céidigh departure, he said, “I have accepted the resignation of Mr Ó 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 Ó Céidigh the best with his future endeavours.”
Minister of State at the Department of Transport, Galway’s 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.”
Mr Henry has held a number of senior management positions and was a commercial director of Ryanair between 2002 and 2004.
He served as chief executive of Limerick-based telecommunications company enet (Open Access Networks) for 12 years.
He has also served as non executive director of Shannon Foynes Port, while he is founder and chairman of Fibrus, a broadband network provider in the North.
He is a member of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants and holds a law degree from Queen’s University Belfast.
In a statement posted on LinkedIn this week he stated he is “privileged to have been asked by Minister Ryan to chair such an important component of growth and development in regional Ireland”.
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.”
Clare TD Joe Carey also welcomed the appointment.
“Mr Henry is facing a really challenging role but he is more than up to the task and I look forward to working with him closely in the time ahead.”
Fianna Fáil’s Cathal Crowe said that the role of chairman should be expanded.
“Whilst I welcome Mr Henry’s appointment, it concerns me that Pádraig Ó Céidigh’s tenure was a board chairperson so in effect his functions were limited to just being at the airport when the board was actually meeting.
“I believe in order to see a full recovery to pre-Covid levels, we need to see Mr Henry in an executive chairperson role. This would ensure that he’s in the airport on a more permanent basis – that is the only way that somebody can effectively oversee the running of Shannon Group and Shannon Airport. This is an issue I will be taking up with Minister Ryan.”
“Today, I am writing to him to ask that he change the terms of Mr Henry’s appointment so that we ensure a very hands-on chair is leading Shannon Group at this critical time.”
Mr Henry will be formally appointed following an appearance before the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport & Communications.
Owen Ryan has been a journalist with the Clare Champion since 2007, having previously worked with a number of other publications in Limerick, Cork and Galway. His first book will be published in December 2024.