L-R: Tom Byrne and Paul Neeson.

Aer Rianta International (ARI) has announced the appointment of Paul Neeson as Retail Director for ARI Ireland, effective early May.

Neeson succeeds Tom Byrne, who is leaving to pursue a new opportunity after a successful tenure leading the retailer’s Irish operations.

Neeson brings over 25 years of experience within the daa Group, including a previous stint as ARI Ireland’s Retail Director from 2019 to 2022.

Most recently, he served as Vice President commercial at daa International in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, where he drove transformative commercial strategies and customer-focused initiatives.

“We are delighted to welcome Paul back to ARI,” said ARI CEO Ray Hernan. “His proven leadership, deep retail expertise, and global perspective position him perfectly to lead our Irish operations into a new chapter of growth.”

Record-high revenues

He added: “We thank Tom for his exceptional contribution in leading the Irish team to achieve record-high revenues in 2024 and wish him continued success in his future endeavours.”

Neeson expressed enthusiasm for his return, stating: “It’s an honour to rejoin ARI and lead a business I am truly passionate about. I look forward to working with our talented teams and partners to build on the strong momentum in Ireland and deliver exceptional customer experiences.”

Neeson will join the ARI Executive Team and report directly to CEO Ray Hernan.