Irene Hays

Irene Hays CBE (née Lucas, born 4 February 1954) is a British businesswoman and former civil servant, and the chair of Hays Travel, the largest independent travel agent in the UK, which she owns with her husband John Hays.

Irene Hays
Born
Irene Lucas

(1954-02-04) 4 February 1954
Newcastle upon Tyne, England
NationalityBritish
OccupationBusinesswoman
Known forHays Travel Ltd
TitleChair, Hays Travel
Termsince 2011
Spouse(s)
John Hays (m. 1997)
Children2
Parent(s)Vincent and Isabelle Lucas

Early life

She was born Irene Lucas in Newcastle upon Tyne on 4 February 1954, the daughter of Vincent and Isabelle Lucas.[1]

Career

Hays worked in local government, rising to chief executive of South Tyneside Council and Sunderland City Council.[2] She was later an advisor to Ministers and Secretaries of State in Whitehall, and a Permanent Secretary.[2][3]

In 1980, her husband John founded Hays Travel in the back of his mother's children's wear store in Seaham, Durham.[4] John Hays owns 49.99% and Irene owns 50.01%.[2]

Hays has been the chair of Hays Travel since 2011.[1]

Since January 2019, Hays is a non-executive board member and chair of the Education Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) management board.[5]

Honours

She was awarded a CBE for services to Local Government in the 2008 New Year's Honours List.[2][3] In December 2018, she was awarded an honorary doctorate by the University of Sunderland.[6] Hays has been awarded an honorary MBA.[7]

Personal life

In 1997, she married John Hays, and they have one son and one daughter.[1] John Hays is the company's CEO.[2]

References
  1. "Lucas, Irene, (Mrs John Hays)". doi:10.1093/ww/9780199540884.013.U247160. Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  2. Ford, Coreena (9 October 2019). "Meet the couple behind Hays Travel as they offer hope to thousands of Thomas Cook staff". Chronicle. Retrieved 11 October 2019.
  3. "Irene Lucas CBE". RSA. Retrieved 11 October 2019.
  4. Davies, Rob (11 October 2019). "'We're no country bumpkins': Meet the couple who bought Thomas Cook". The Guardian. Retrieved 11 October 2019.
  5. "ESFA welcomes new Management Board Chair Irene Lucas CBE". FE News. 30 January 2019. Retrieved 11 October 2019.
  6. Mayling, Samantha (12 December 2018). "Irene Hays receives honorary doctorate". Travel Weekly. Retrieved 11 October 2019.
  7. "Who are Hays Travel? The business success story as firm set to save 2,500 jobs with deal to buy 555 Thomas Cook stores". Sunderland Echo. 9 October 2019. Retrieved 11 October 2019.
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