Eamon Ryan cancels appointment of new Shannon Group chair over social media comments

It's understood after the announcement, the Minister was made aware of a number of social media posts by the businessman, which caused him to rescind his decision. Photo: Julien Behal

Transport Minister Eamon Ryan has cancelled the appointment of the new chair of the Shannon Group, just hours after the cabinet approved the decision.

Aaron Forde was expected to formally take up the five-year appointment at Shannon Group Plc following his appearance before the Joint Oireachtas Committee on Transport and Communications Networks.

It's understood after the announcement, the Minister was made aware of a number of social media posts by the businessman, which caused him to rescind his decision.

A statement from the Minister said: "The Minister for Transport Eamon Ryan has announced that he will not be proceeding with the appointment of Mr Aaron Forde as chair of Shannon Group.

"In a phone conversation this evening Mr Ryan indicated that Mr Forde’s use of social media was below the standard expected of the chair of a state board.

"This is an important time for Shannon Group which has to chart a way through the crisis caused by the pandemic and plan for recovery. The Department of Transport will work to appoint a chair as quickly as possible."

In a letter of resignation to the Minister of Transport, Mr Forde apologised for the “insensitive and needless” language he used in a particular Tweet:

“I wish to apologise unreservedly for remarks I made on Twitter which have become the subject of focus. The language used in a particular Tweet was wrong, insensitive and needless. I am truly sorry.

“In particular, I wish to apologise to people from the Traveller community,” he said.

Mr Forde has since deleted his social media profiles.

Mr Forde has a track record at a senior level with international leadership experience gained across Ireland and the UK.

Mr Forde was Chief Executive of Aurivo, a globally focused agri-business, for 16 years until he left the Company at the end of 2019.

His previous board experience includes roles as Chairman of Ornua from 2013 to 2019, the Sligo Economic Forum, IBEC, Mid-west radio and the external advisory Board of Institute of Technology, Sligo. He also is a Non-Executive Director with a number of private companies.