Board of Directors
Basil Geoghegan Dalton Philips Karen Morton Patricia King Chairman Chief Executive Officer Director Director Career experience Career experience Career experience Career experience Basil is a Partner of PJT Partners, a US Dalton’s roles, prior to joining daa, included Karen Morton was appointed to the Board Patricia is General Secretary of the Irish based publicly listed advisory investment Chief Executive of Wm Morrison plc, in January 2020 and in March 2020 was Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU) – the bank, where he leads its business in the UK Chief Operating Officer of Canadian retailer appointed to the Board Strategic umbrella organisation for trade unions in and Ireland. Prior to PJT Partners, he was Loblaw Companies and Chief Executive of Infrastructure Committee. Ireland and was previously Vice President of a Managing Director at Goldman Sachs, Brown Thomas Group. Among other roles, SIPTU. Patricia has extensive experience in Deutsche Bank and Citigroup in London he was also a Senior Advisor to The Boston Karen Morton has 20+ years Marketing the field of industrial relations at both sectoral and New York. He has broad M&A, corporate Consulting Group, a global management leadership experience. She currently works and national level in Ireland. She has served finance and strategy advisory experience, consultancy firm. as a Strategic Marketing Consultant, a as a board member of the RTÉ Authority, in the US, UK, Ireland and internationally. Marketing Lecturer, an Entrepreneur and the National Roads Authority and Pobal. He also has an extensive record in complex He is a board member of ACI Europe holds a number of Non-Executive Director M&A, public takeovers and anti-raid and IBEC. positions. Karen has extensive commercial, Patricia is a board member of the situations, including healthcare, financial strategy and marketing expertise in Apprenticeship Council and served on the Dalton has a BA from University College services, TMT and transport. Ireland, UK, US and internationally both Low Pay Commission and Court Services Dublin and an MBA from Harvard University. in multi-nationals and start-ups across Board. Basil is a Non-Executive Director of AIB Dalton became Chief Executive and ex a wide variety of sectors. Group plc and is patron of The Ireland officio board member of daa in October 2017. Originally appointed to the Board in July Fund of Great Britain. He is a member of the daa Board Strategic Karen was previously CMO (Chief Marketing 2012, reappointed in July 2015 and again Infrastructure Committee and the Board Officer) with Dell Financial Services and held in July 2018. Basil is a Scholar of, and holds an LLB Finance Committee. leadership roles in Monster.com, Eircom from Trinity College, Dublin and an LLM from and British Airways. She is a Non-Executive European University Institute and qualified Director of the Irish Chamber Orchestra as a solicitor with Slaughter and May. and of Water Safety Ireland. Karen holds a Bachelor of Business Degree from the Appointed Chairman in June 2018, he has University of Limerick and a Postgraduate been a member of the daa Board Nomination Diploma in Marketing. and Remuneration Committee and the Board Strategic Infrastructure Committee since his appointment to the Board. In March 2020, Basil was appointed to the Board Finance Committee.
Paul Mehlhorn Peter Cross Joseph O’Sullivan Denis Smyth Director Director Director Director Career experience Career experience Career experience Career experience Paul joined the Company in 2003 and is a Peter is managing director of Trasna Joseph joined the Company in 2010 and Denis joined the Company in 1979 and Passenger Screening Supervisor at Dublin Corporate Finance, an advisory firm currently holds the position of Security currently holds the position of Airport Duty Airport and has experience in airport security specialising in telecoms and infrastructure. Officer at Terminal 2 in Dublin Airport. He Manager. He has experience in airport operations. He is a member of the SIPTU He is a Non-Executive Director of the VHI, of has experience in airport operations. operations. He is a member of the SIPTU trade union and the Irish Congress of Trade Cubic Telecom – a high-growth technology He is a member of the SIPTU trade union. trade union and the Irish Congress of Trade Unions Worker Directors Group. Paul holds company backed by Qualcomm, Audi and Unions Worker Directors Group. a Certificate in first line management and a the Irish strategic Investment Fund – and of a Joseph was appointed to the Board in Diploma in Health and Safety. number of wind energy assets managed by February 2020 under the Worker Participation Denis holds diplomas in Airport Operations Arjun Infrastructure Partners. Peter was (State Enterprises) Acts, 1977 to 2001. In Management and Security Management. Paul was appointed to the Board in January previously director and audit committee chair June 2020, Joseph was appointed to the Denis was originally appointed to the Board in 2018 under the Worker Participation (State at Ervia, one of Ireland’s largest utility groups, Board Health, Safety, Security & Environment January 2014 and reappointed in January Enterprises) Acts, 1977 to 2001. Since and audit committee chair at the HSE. Prior Committee. 2018 under the Worker Participation (State February 2019, Paul has been a member to establishing Trasna, Peter worked as CFO Enterprises) Acts, 1977 to 2001. of the daa Board Health, Safety, Security at Eircom and CFO at BT Openreach, as & Environment Committee. Group Director of Corporate Finance at BT He was appointed to the daa Board Health, plc and as a trustee of BT’s defined benefit Safety, Security & Environment Committee pension scheme. He worked in corporate in March 2014 and the Board Finance finance at Barings and Morgan Stanley, and Committee in March 2016. he qualified as a chartered accountant with Arthur Andersen in Dublin.
Peter was appointed to the Board in March 2021.
62 | daa plc Annual Report and Financial Statements 2020 Overview Strategic report Governance Financial statements
Board composition breakdown by gender 75% Male Risteard Sheridan Ray Gammell Director Director Career experience Career experience Risteard is Company Secretary and Chief Ray is Senior Strategic Advisor to the Ray holds a Master’s degree in Business Compliance Officer for AerCap, a global Group CEO of Etihad Aviation Group. Studies from University College Dublin and leader in aircraft leasing and aviation finance, Ray joined Etihad in 2009 as Chief People a Bachelor of Arts degree from University 25% and the largest owner of commercial aircraft and Performance Officer, developing and College Galway. He is a Chartered Fellow in the world. He has extensive experience of leading the company’s commercially focused of the Chartered Institute of Personnel Female advising and reporting to the boards, audit people strategy, which was a key foundation Development. committees and senior management of for the growth of the Group. Ray also served multinationals and commercial semi-states as Interim Group Chief Executive Officer of Ray was appointed to the Board in January on governance, financial reporting, control Etihad Aviation Group in 2017, before taking 2020. In March 2020, he was appointed to and process matters. This experience on the role of Chief People and the daa Board Nomination and Remuneration Committee and the Board Health, Safety, was largely gained while working with the Transformation Officer. Breakdown by tenure professional services firms KPMG and EY. Security & Environment Committee. Risteard is a graduate of UCD and a Fellow As Senior Advisor to the Group CEO, Ray of Chartered Accountants Ireland (CAI). leads the equity partner strategy, essentially managing the Group’s investment strategy He also chairs the CAI Risk Management across multiple global airlines, in addition and Internal Audit Committee. Risteard was to other strategic responsibilities. A global appointed to the Board in September 2018. executive, Ray has over 30 years of In February 2020, Risteard was appointed experience, gained internationally with Intel Chairman of the daa Board Audit and Risk Corporation in the US and Ireland, the Royal Committee, having been originally appointed Bank of Scotland, and as an officer in the Irish to the committee in November 2018. Armed Forces, holding executive and board level positions across multiple industries In September 2020, Risteard was appointed and regions. Senior Independent Director.