By Irishexaminer.com,Martin Claffey

Copyright irishexaminer

An exit package — reported to be worth more than €1m — has been informally agreed, which will see the chief executive depart the semi-state company and is awaiting sign-off from Government.

This week, DAA chief people officer Siobhán Griffin sent an internal note to staff at DAA acknowledging that coverage of the CEO and the board might be “unsettling”.

“While board matters are confidential, we want to reiterate that Kenny is and remains DAA’s CEO. In the event of any mutual agreement being agreed and approved, we will update you,” the note said.

Mr Jacobs may not have received his final boarding call, but it seems only a matter of when.

It’s a scenario which could not have been foreseen when the Montenotte man took on the role in November 2022.

At the time, DAA chair Basil Geoghegan said Mr Jacobs would bring “unique knowledge of aviation and retail businesses”. Mr Geoghegan said:

His leadership, expertise and experience will be vital to our operations at Dublin and Cork airports, in ARI and in DAA International as we embrace the growth opportunities that lie ahead.

An honours UCC business graduate, Mr Jacobs impressed at companies including German international food wholesale giant Metro Group and Tesco, where he was instrumental in the company’s response to Aldi and Lidl eating into Tesco’s market share. But it was at Ryanair, serving as chief marketing officer, that he caught the eye of the aviation industry.

Mr Jacobs led Ryanair’s ‘Always Getting Better’ campaign which overhauled its customer service, digital sales operations, and a cumbersome booking website. Ryanair chief executive Michael O’Leary said the airline’s website and digital presence was “transformed” during Mr Jacobs’ tenure.

The carrier boosted the proportion of revenue earned from optional extras, such as assigned seating and additional baggage, by 10%. The load factor — how many seats are filled per flight — increased from 80% to 96%.

“Kenny was the author of the successful ‘Always Getting Better’ brand six years ago when he first joined, and he has championed many of the successful customer service improvements we have launched in recent years, which has underpinned our successful growth and evolution,” Mr O’Leary said in 2022.

Kenny Jacobs succeeded Dalton Philips

Mr Jacobs succeeded Dalton Philips as DAA chief executive in November 2022, after Mr Philips left the airport operator to join food giant Greencore.

The end of Mr Philips’ tenure, in the difficult post-covid period, was marked by queuing chaos at security gates at Dublin Airport. In October 2022, a customer experience survey of almost 140 brands and organisations by Amarách Research for The CX Company rate the DAA down in 130th place.

Mr Jacobs said his focus at DAA would be to “deliver an efficient travel experience for consumers using our airports, supporting traffic growth and building on DAA’s vast experience of operating national strategic infrastructure”.

By March 2023, Mr Jacobs had unveiled a 15-point plan to improve standards for passengers at Dublin Airport, including quicker security times, faster free Wi-Fi, additional and improved seating and improved food and beverage options.

Keenly aware of the value of data

The new chief executive was keenly aware of the value of data and customer feedback.

The Dublin Airport app was upgraded and a ‘Rate My Airport’ feature allowed passengers to give feedback and flag issues in real-time. A passenger panel was formed to meet with Mr Jacobs and Dublin Airport managing director Gary McLean to “ensure passenger needs are understood and to identify the services and facilities at Dublin Airport that need to be improved further”.

Mr Jacobs has highlighted a hands-on approach to problems. “I have low patience and a lot of energy so it’s just a better place to be sometimes than in the office sitting through stuff,” he said in a 2024 interview with executive consultancy Signium.

No-nonsense style

Mr Jacobs also brought a no-nonsense style when addressing the infrastructure needs of the DAA.

In May 2025, when he spoke to the Irish Examiner at the launch of the €200m capital investment plan for Cork Airport, he reiterated the need for improved infrastructure links to the city.

“Cork Airport has three bus routes. Even the bus that comes from Kinsale is full by the time it’s a couple of stops away. I think we’ve over 200 routes in Dublin, Dublin is connected with every single county in the country. So we definitely need more bus connectivity [in Cork]. That’s the easiest one while we’re waiting for a Luas to Cork airport.”

A proud Corkman — he’s one of the many long-suffering Rebel hurling fans — Mr Jacobs recalled at the launch of the Cork Airport Development Plan of his leaving Cork for Germany 30 years ago though the old airport terminal, lugging two bags as he set off for Germany.

In July, he heaped praise on Cork City Council for granting planning permission for an additional 670 long-term car parking spaces at the airport and for granting planning for a new solar farm to be built over the Holiday Blue carpark. Mr Jacobs said:

It’s a clear example of how a local authority can support its airport as a strategic asset — not just in terms of sustainability, but by enabling the conditions for jobs, investment, and long-term regional growth.

But a straight-talking attitude to the issues facing DAA, and the pace of change, could also get pushback, and he was vocal in criticism of delays changing “Russian roulette” planning procedures in Ireland.

In March 2025, Fingal County Council member Jimmy Guerin branded the approach of senior DAA management as “Trumpesque” and accused the DAA of mishandling passenger cap applications.

“I have attended meetings with the CEO of the DAA and it was clear from these meetings that there is a misunderstanding of how proper planning works,” stated Mr Guerin.

Mr Jacobs has always acknowledged he has a straight-talking style. “I’m never going to be called a classic CEO,” he told Signium.

Where the rubber hits the road really is passengers at the airport so I think to run the operation you have to reach those key touchpoints that define if it was a good or bad trip through the airport.

Crucially, relations between Mr Jacobs and some of the DAA board had become increasingly strained.

Mediation had been taking place to resolve the rift until what appears to be a point of no return was reached. An exit package has been hammered out by the board and representatives for Mr Jacobs and is awaiting approval from transport minister Darragh O’Brien and public expenditure minister Jack Chambers.

Unlike the exit of his predecessor Mr Philips, this time there is no interim chief executive, as Mr Jacobs remains in situ.

The board will doubtless already be looking to the long-term future, including massive infrastructural projects at Dublin and Cork airports, as well as bringing to fruition the process to remove Dublin’s 32m a year passenger limit.

They will also look to continue increasing profits at Aer Rianta International (ARI), which is responsible for the duty free shops at the two airports and a host of international locations and which saw sales increase by 13.9%.

Strong teams at Cork and Dublin airports

It remains to be seen who will take the controls from Mr Jacobs, with a strong management team in place. Both Cork and Dublin airports have impressive managing directors in place.

Dubin Airport MD Gary McLean has worked with DAA for almost 30 years. In Cork, airport managing director Niall MacCarthy is overseeing the €200m infrastructure upgrade underway to transform the southern hub. Mr MacCarthy is also chair of the Irish Tourism Industry Confederation.

When Mr Philips left in 2022, then chief financial officer Catherine Gubbins stepped in as interim DAA chief executive, but Ms Gubbins has since joined Greencore.

Peter Dunne, former chief financial officer of United Oil and Gas, succeeded Ms Gubbins as DAA chief financial officer.

DAA chief people officer Siobhán Griffin previously held roles with PwC and Paddy Power while ARI chief executive Ray Hernan spent 10 years as director of finance at Ryanair.

DAA Labs MD John Brennan is a previous director of operations at Dublin Airport. DAA chief governance and strategy officer Miriam Ryan has been an executive director of DAA since 2019. DAA International chief Nick Cole has worked worldwide in aviation while chief commercial and development officer Vincent Harrison previously served as Dublin Airport managing director.

Kenny Jacobs leaves DAA in good shape

Mr Jacobs leaves with DAA in a good place. Passenger numbers in Cork are up 15% while passenger figures for Dublin have been revised upwards to 36.2m.

In July, DAA submitted a planning application to Fingal County Council to expand the existing Pier 1 West building at Dublin Airport. The Government is moving to lift the cap at Dublin Airport. Work is getting underway on the new mezzanine floor in the Cork Airport terminal building, as the €200m airport regeneration gets underway.

Last month, Ireland rated top in a Ryanair list of best air traffic control services. Aer Rianta International (ARI),saw revenue of €1.24bn last year.

The next destination for Mr Jacobs is unclear. With two teenage children, he will be kept busy but his vast experience in aviation and retail means he is likely to remain in demand.

As a youngster, he applied for a job at Cork Airport, but was turned down. For now, he remains in the pilot’s seat at DAA, as the company’s internal note stated.

“Kenny, the executive team, and board are fully aligned in the focus on business-as-usual matters.”