Irene Hays

Dame Irene Lucas-Hays DBE DL (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 jointly owned with her husband John Hays until his death in 2020.

Dame

Irene Hays

DBE DL
Born
Irene Lucas

(1954-02-04) 4 February 1954
Newcastle upon Tyne, England
OccupationBusinesswoman
TitleChair & owner, Hays Travel
Term2011–present
PredecessorJohn Hays
Spouse
​
​
(m. 1997; died 2020)​
Children2

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 the position of 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 served as a Permanent Secretary.[2][3] In 1980, her late husband John founded Hays Travel in the back of his mother's children's wear store in Seaham, Durham.[4] John Hays owned 56.42%, and Irene owns 43.58%.[5]

Hays has been the chair of Hays Travel since 2011.[1] Since January 2019, Hays has been a non-executive board member and chair of the Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) management board.[6]

Honours

She was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2008 New Year Honours for services to local government[2][3] and Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE) in the 2021 New Year Honours for services to training, education, and young people.[7]

In December 2018, she was awarded an honorary doctorate by the University of Sunderland.[8] Hays has also been awarded an honorary MBA.[9] She was appointed a Deputy Lieutenant of Tyne & Wear in 2020.[10]

Personal life

In 1997, she married John Hays, and they have one son and one daughter.[1] John was the company's CEO.[2] John Hays died on 13 November 2020, after collapsing from cardiac arrest at the company's Sunderland head office.[11]

References
  1. "Lucas, Irene, (Mrs John Hays)". Who's Who. doi:10.1093/ww/9780199540884.013.U247160.
  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. "Hays Travel Limited". Global Database. Retrieved 18 September 2020.
  6. "ESFA welcomes new Management Board Chair Irene Lucas CBE". FE News. 30 January 2019. Retrieved 11 October 2019.
  7. "No. 63218". The London Gazette (Supplement). 31 December 2020. p. N7.
  8. Mayling, Samantha (12 December 2018). "Irene Hays receives honorary doctorate". Travel Weekly. Retrieved 11 October 2019.
  9. "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.
  10. Deputy Lieutenant Commissions, thegazette.co.uk. Accessed 25 November 2022.
  11. "Hays Travel founder John Hays dies after collapsing at Sunderland office while 'doing the job he loved'". sunderlandecho.com. Retrieved 25 November 2022.
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