Aaron Forde has been appointed as the new Chairperson of Shannon Group.
For sixteen years, he was Chief Executive of agri business, Aurivo which employed 650 people, holding the position up until December of 2019 when it recorded turnover of €446m. Aaron is expected to formally take up the five-year appointment following his appearance before the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport and Communications Networks.
His appointment was announced by the Minister for Transport, Eamon Ryan (GP) on Tuesday. “Aaron has a track record at a senior level in his role as CEO of Aurivo, one of the larger Co Operatives in the State, for 16 years. I am very pleased that he has accepted this appointment at what is a very challenging time, particularly for aviation, which is at the heart of Shannon Group’s business. I am confident that Aaron Forde will bring the right mix of skills and drive to this new role,” Minister Ryan stated.
Speaking about his new role, Forde detailed that he was hopeful to chart a recovery with Shannon Group to “build back better and stronger”. He succeeds Rose Hynes whose contract extension expired last August.
A native of Cavan, Forde has previously served as Chairman of Ornua from 2013 to 2019 while also working on the Sligo Economic Forum, IBEC, Mid-west radio and the external advisory Board of Institute of Technology, Sligo. He also is a Non Executive Director with a number of private companies and An Bord Iascaigh Mhara.
“As someone from the West of Ireland, Aaron Forde has a deep understanding of the challenges and needs of the region, which he will bring to bear in his position as Chairperson of Shannon Group, a key strategic asset at both a regional and national level,” Minister of State for International and Road Transport and Logistics Hildegarde Naughton (FG) commented.
CEO of Shannon Group, Mary Considine expressed her confidence that the new Chairman would be a strong asset. Central to their recovery strategy from COVID-19, she outlined was an intention “to double down and refocus on our mission to build sustainable livelihoods and a vibrant economy for our people and our regions, by shaping opportunities in aviation, property and tourism. Mr. Forde, having led a Global company located in the West of Ireland, brings with him a wealth of experience that will be an asset to Shannon Group”.
