Dame Irene Lucas-Hays (née Lucas; born 4 February 1954) is a British businesswoman and former civil servant, and the chair of
Hays Travel
Hays Travel Limited is an independent travel agent chain headquartered in Sunderland, England. According to recent statistics, the company has the largest number of retail travel shops in the United Kingdom. As an independent agent, Hays Travel ...
, the largest independent travel agent in the UK, which she jointly owned with her husband
John Hays until his death in 2020.
Early life
She was born Irene Lucas in
Newcastle upon Tyne
Newcastle upon Tyne ( RP: , ), or simply Newcastle, is a city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England. The city is located on the River Tyne's northern bank and forms the largest part of the Tyneside built-up area. Newcastle is ...
on 4 February 1954, the daughter of Vincent and Isabelle Lucas.
Career
Hays worked in local government, rising to chief executive of
South Tyneside Council
South Tyneside Council is the local authority of South Tyneside in Tyne and Wear
Tyne and Wear () is a metropolitan county in North East England, situated around the mouths of the rivers Tyne and Wear. It was created in 1974, by the Loc ...
and
Sunderland City Council.
She was later an advisor to Ministers and Secretaries of State in Whitehall, and a Permanent Secretary.
In 1980, her late husband John founded
Hays Travel
Hays Travel Limited is an independent travel agent chain headquartered in Sunderland, England. According to recent statistics, the company has the largest number of retail travel shops in the United Kingdom. As an independent agent, Hays Travel ...
in the back of his mother's children's wear store in
Seaham
Seaham is a seaside town in County Durham, England. Located on the Durham Coast, Seaham is situated south of Sunderland and east of Durham. The town grew from the late 19th century onwards as a result of investments in its harbour and ...
,
Durham Durham most commonly refers to:
*Durham, England, a cathedral city and the county town of County Durham
*County Durham, an English county
* Durham County, North Carolina, a county in North Carolina, United States
*Durham, North Carolina, a city in N ...
.
John Hays owned 56.42% and Irene owns 43.58%.
Hays has been the chair of Hays Travel since 2011.
Since January 2019, Hays has been a non-executive board member and chair of the
Education and Skills Funding Agency
The Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) is an executive agency of the government of the United Kingdom, sponsored by the Department for Education.
The ESFA was formed on 1 April 2017 following the merger of the Education Funding Agency an ...
(ESFA) management board.
Honours
She was appointed
Commander of the Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations,
and public service outside the civil service. It was established ...
(CBE) in the
2008 New Year Honours for services to local government
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.
In December 2018, she was awarded an honorary doctorate by the
University of Sunderland
, mottoeng = Sweetly absorbing knowledge
, established = 1901 - Sunderland Technical College1969 - Sunderland Polytechnic1992 - University of Sunderland (gained university status)
, staff =
, chancellor = Emel ...
.
Hays has been awarded an honorary MBA.
She was appointed a Deputy Lieutenant of Tyne & Wear in 2020.
Personal life
In 1997, she married
John Hays, and they have one son and one daughter.
John was the company's CEO.
John Hays died on 13 November 2020, after collapsing from a cardiac arrest at the company's
Sunderland head office.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hays, Irene
Living people
1940s births
British women business executives
Civil servants in the Department for Communities and Local Government
British Permanent Secretaries
Dames Commander of the Order of the British Empire
Deputy Lieutenants of Tyne and Wear