Ryanair hires first chief technology officer to plot digital charge
Ryanair is quickening efforts to forge its “online travel revolution” with the appointment of John Hurley as its first chief technology officer.
Hurley joins the business next month (15 September) when he assumes responsibility for developing its fledgling digital and technology strategy from the Ryanair Labs innovation hub. The unit launched last month and is in the process of recruiting a team of up to 200 people across marketing, content and strategy with Hurley tasked to oversee the rollout.
He will work closely with the airline’s chief executive Michael O’Leary.
Hurley joins from American educational publisher Houghton Mifflin Harcourt where he was vice president of software development.
The newly created role at Ryanair aims to prime the business for what it has called an ‘online travel revolution’ that it hopes can ‘change the world of online air travel’. Initiatives focus on boosting sales through an improved online path to purchase for customers after the business issued a number of profit warnings last year.
The budget airline kicked the plan off earlier this year through the revamp of its site and the introduction of its MyRyanair loyalty scheme, which already has 2 million sign-ups.
