ITAA names ex-president Clare Dunne as new chief executive
Tom ParryThe Irish Travel Agents Association (ITAA) has appointed former president Clare Dunne as its new chief executive.
Dunne, founder of The Travel Broker, will take up the role in July and her appointment follows the recent retirement of Pat Dawson.
Having begun her career in reservations for Aer Lingus, Dunne gained her first travel agency experience at International Travel Bureau, before managing Griffin Travel and going on to open The Travel Broker in 1994.
She acted as the ITAA’s first female president from 2012 to 2014 and co-founded the Irish chapter of the Association of Women Travel Executives in 2017, serving as chair until March 2023.
Dunne said: “I could not be more thrilled and honoured to accept this appointment from the board of the ITAA. Serving this industry and giving it my all is in my DNA. The significance of being named the organisation’s first female CEO is not lost on me; I look forward to building on the great work of my colleagues to grow our industry at home and abroad.
“As The Travel Broker moves on to a new chapter I will look back on my many years there very fondly and I look forward to the exciting challenges and opportunities afforded to me in this new position,” she added.
Paul Hackett, president of the ITAA, said “A leader in the Irish travel industry with over 40 years’ experience building a successful business, long-lasting professional relationships and personal networks, Clare Dunne is a passionate advocate of excellent service, lifelong learning and leadership.
“I know all of us at the ITAA are delighted to have Clare at the forefront of all matters pertaining to the Irish travel industry, representing travel agents and associates with her decades of experience and dedication to quality in all matters.
“Clare was an essential member of the ITAA public affairs committee who linked in with the Department of Transport to secure business supports for the travel trade throughout the Covid-19 pandemic, assisting in the leading of the industry at a critical juncture. The ITAA could not be in more capable hands.”
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