New appointments at Aer Lingus, Aspira, and Bord Bia

Sean Doyle, Chief Executive and Executive Director, Aer Lingus

Business & Finance highlights notable new appointments at Aer Lingus, Aspira, and Bord Bia.

Sean Doyle, Chief Executive and Executive Director

Aer Lingus

International Airlines Group (IAG) announced that Aer Lingus chief executive Stephen Kavanagh will step down on 1 January 2019 but will remain on the airline’s board as a non-executive director. He will be succeeded as chief executive and executive director by Sean Doyle who is currently British Airways director of network, fleet and alliances.

Sean Doyle, originally from Cork, will take up his new role on 1 January 2019. He joined British Airways in 2003 and has undertaken financial, strategy, commercial and alliance roles for British Airways culminating in his appointment to the airline’s executive management committee in 2016.   Willie Walsh commented. “Sean has successfully held a variety of roles within British Airways, acquiring significant expertise and experience, which makes him ideally suited to lead Aer Lingus. I am pleased that Aer Lingus chief operating officer, Mike Rutter, has extended his contract and will work with Sean to ensure that the airline continues to deliver its strong performance.”

Vikas Sahni, Head of Emerging Technologies 

Aspira

Aspira, the specialist enterprise solutions company, has appointed a new Head of Emerging Technologies, Vikas Sahni. The appointment follows the continued growth of the company across their offices in Dublin and Cork.

Vikas brings over 20 years’ experience in advanced computing and software development to the company. As well as working with the School of Computing in the National College of Ireland, Vikas is also a member of the NSAI mirror committee for BlockChain and Distributed Ledger Technologies, Cloud Computing, and Cybersecurity. This committee steers Irish efforts on the standardisation of digital ledger technology, providing recommendations to the ISO standards committee for blockchain.

Aspira CEO, Pat Lucey, commented on the announcement: “We’re delighted to appoint Vikas to this role. Vikas has a wealth of experience in emergent technologies. He will steer Aspira towards the future, developing forward-thinking solutions for our clients. Already a game-changer in the industry, we have no doubt that Vikas will be a fantastic asset to the team, bolstering and integrating our existing services.”

Shane Hamill, Overseas Trade Manager 

Bord Bia

 Bord Bia has appointed Shane Hamill as Overseas Trade Manager to manage Bord Bia’s response to Brexit through a series of data-led projects and strategic communications.

Hamill has a wealth of experience in food sustainability having worked with the United Nations in their Division for Sustainable Development and the European Commission in Brussels.  At Landmark Public Affairs in Brussels, he advised leading multinational food and beverage companies and trade associations on EU policy, regulation and environmental issues.  In 2016, Shane joined Bord Bia’s London office, moving to Dublin in early 2018.

Tara McCarthy, CEO Bord Bia, said: “We are delighted to see Shane in this pivotal position within Bord Bia.  Brexit presents a series of complex challenges to companies in the food and drink export sector in Ireland and Bord Bia is working hard to assist Irish companies to navigate these challenges. Shane brings a significant amount of international experience to this role, as well as a deep understanding of policy and sustainability issues, ensuring Bord Bia continues to offer companies the data-driven, strategic support they require at this uncertain time.”

Hamill holds a Degree in International Relations from DCU and a Master’s Degree in Business Sustainability from the Michael Smurfit Graduate Business School, undertaken as part of Bord Bia’s Origin Green Ambassador Programme.