DAME IRENE HAYS
Owner and Chair of Hays Travel
Dame
Irene has been Chair of the Hays Travel Group since 2009, and was co-owner with
her husband, John (deceased), who founded Hays Travel in 1980.
She was
instrumental in the growth of the company and particularly in the acquisition
of Thomas Cook in 2019. Today, she leads the business alongside Jonathon
Woodall-Johnston, Chief Operating Officer.
Awarded a CBE in 2008, she was made a Dame in the
2021 New Year’s Honours for her services to training, education and young
people, which she said was recognition of the commitment the training team at
Hays had made to developing young people. Prior to the Thomas Cook acquisition, over 40%
of Hays’ senior leadership team and managers
had started out as apprentices.