Daa appoints Catherine Gubbins as interim chief executive

The appointment follows Dalton Phillips' departure to take up the position of chief executive at the Greencore Group

Ms Gubbins first joined Daa in 2014 as the group financial controller.

Daa, the operator of Dublin and Cork airports, has appointed Catherine Gubbins as interim chief executive as the company searches to replace Dalton Phillips.

The appointment follows Mr Phillips's departure to take up the position of chief executive at the Greencore Group.

Daa said in a statement it was making "good progress" in securing a permanent chief executive.

The company said while the recruitment process continues "the full responsibilities of CEO transfer to Catherine Gubbins in the interim. In this capacity, she will also become an ex officio member of the daa plc board of directors."

Ms Gubbins first joined Daa in 2014 as the group financial controller. She has previously served as a member of Daa’s executive management team and director of finance. In February 2021, she was appointed group chief financial officer.

Prior to joining Daa she had worked for the professional services company PwC for 16 years. She held various roles in the firm including the position of senior manager in the assurance and business advisory function.

Mr Phillips leaves Daa after nearly five years at the helm, having been first appointed as chief executive in October 2017.

This summer, Mr Phillips came under fire over Daa's handling of the Dublin Airport travel disruption, which at one stage, saw over 1,000 passengers miss their flights in one weekend due to lengthy security waiting times.