Kenny Jacobs to become new CEO of Irish airport operator

Irish airport operator, daa, has announced that Kenny Jacobs will become its new CEO in January 2023, succeeding Dalton Philips, who left the business at the end of the summer.

In addition to Dublin and Cork airports in Ireland, daa has airport and travel retail business interests in 15 countries around the world through its subsidiary Aer Rianta International (ARI) and international aviation consultancy and investment through daa International.

Jacobs has signed a seven year contract with the state-owned company, which is headquartered at Dublin Airport.

A Cork native, Jacobs has extensive experience in marketing, commercial and operations in large consumer serving businesses and counts Ryanair as a previous employer.

“We are delighted that Kenny is joining daa as CEO. He brings a unique knowledge of aviation and retail businesses and understands the importance of excellent customer service, commercial growth, retail, and marketing and communications,” said daa chairman, Basil Geoghegan.

“His leadership, expertise and experience will be vital to our operations at Dublin and Cork airports, in ARI and in daa international as we embrace the growth opportunities that lie ahead.”

Kenny Jacobs said: “I am delighted to be taking up this role at an important time for daa and I am looking forward to working with daa’s experienced and committed team, as well as our airline and airport customers and other stakeholders to progress our growth plans for a sustainable future.

“I know first-hand the vital role that everyone at daa plays in supporting inbound tourism, providing connectivity for businesses in an open island economy and enabling the love of travel that Irish consumers have.

“My focus will be to deliver an efficient travel experience for consumers using our airports, supporting traffic growth and building on daa’s vast experience of operating national strategic infrastructure,  at home and abroad as a key economic enabler in terms of trade, tourism and social cohesion.”