Gary Owens has been named as the chairperson of daa, which operates the Dublin and Cork airports as well as Aer Rianta Ireland and daa International.
Mr Owens will take up his five year term in June.
He currently serves as Chair to Dublin Bus and is a Director on the Board of the CIE Group, and will continue in that role until a successor is appointed.
Mr Owens replaces Basil Geoghegan at daa.
The airports operator has an interim CEO after its former chief executive Kenny Jacobs earlier this year said he would “voluntarily step down” after he settled a lawsuit brought against the daa. He had been involved in a row for several months with the daa board before he decided to leave.
In December, daa appointed Nick Cole to the newly created position of deputy CEO at the airport operator.
Mr Cole was currently CEO of DAA International and combines his new duties with his existing responsibilities.
Announcing today’s appointment, Minister for Transport Darragh O’Brien said that Mr Owen’s wealth of experience in governance and state board leadership will help guide the daa Board in delivering on daa’s mandate over the coming years.
“I wish him every success as he takes on the role of chairing the Group,” Mr O’Brien said.
The Minister also thanked outgoing Chair Basil Geoghegan, noting the significant contribution he has made to the group since he was appointed in 2018. He said Mr Geoghegan had served during some of the most challenging years for both daa and the wider aviation sector.
