IRELAND. Leading travel retailer Aer Rianta International (ARI) has named Ray Hernan as Chief Executive Officer, parent company DAA said today. He replaces Jack MacGowan in the role after MacGowan left at the end of May to pursue new opportunities.
Hernan, who is currently Chief Executive of Ireland-state-owned bus company Bus Éireann, will take up his new role in August. Before joining Bus Éireann in late 2016, Hernan held a number of executive roles in the retail sector, including Chief Executive of Arnotts, Director of Finance with Selfridges in the UK, and Chief Financial Officer at Irish retail group Brown Thomas. He also spent ten years as Director of Finance at Ryanair, and previously worked at IAWS plc (now Arytza).
“Ray Hernan is a fantastic addition to the executive team and I am confident that he will be a great leader for ARI,” said DAA Chief Executive Dalton Philips. “Ray has a decade of retail experience and played a huge role in the successful repositioning of Arnotts. He has spent almost 25 years in customer-focused businesses and his previous jobs have provided him with significant insight into the worlds of retail and aviation.”
Hernan said: “ARI is a great business with strong operations in Ireland and abroad. I’m really looking forward to joining the ARI team and to working with our staff, partners and suppliers to continue to enhance the retail experience in line with the changing needs and expectations of our international customers and suppliers.”
ARI runs travel retail businesses in 12 countries including Bahrain, Canada, Cyprus, India, Ireland, Lebanon, New Zealand, and Saudi Arabia. The stores that it operates directly and with joint-venture partners have a combined annual turnover of more than €1 billion.
DAA also named Anthony Kenny as Deputy Chief Executive and Chief Financial Officer of ARI. Kenny, who is currently Acting CEO of ARI, has been Chief Financial Officer and previously Finance Director with ARI since November 2012 and has previously held other senior roles with DAA, Hagemeyer Ireland and Irish Continental Group.
