Glenealy man Dalton takes charge at daa
AN ELECTRIC bike rental shop which recently opened in Laragh if offering cyclists a new way to tour the beautiful area.
Wicklow E-bikes, set up by local men Liam O’Brien and John Sheehan, offers e-bike and regular bike rentals with self-guided smartphone tours around County Wicklow. While living in Switzerland, Liam saw first-hand just how popular e-bikes were over there.
He felt that Wicklow’s spectacular scenery, naturally hilly terrain and endless network of quiet by-roads and trails have the potential to rival anything the Alps has to offer and are well suited to e-bikes.
‘Wicklow really is a hidden gem for leisure cyclists though many of the routes available are a well-kept secret and certainly not easily discovered by visitors to the area. Wicklow E-bikes is changing this by providing custom designed routes which take in the very best of what the county has to offer. Our smartphone tours ensure that our customers are guided along the safest, quietest and most scenic routes. Our routes are designed to avoid main roads and many are exclusively on off-road trails.’
John said there is still a wealth of cycle trails within the county.
‘While the area does not have an official greenway, we like to say the county has many as our app with its custom designed routes open up a vast network of cycle-friendly trails to our customers. In the couple of weeks we have been open, the reaction has been fantastic. We have already had repeat customers who having tried one GLENEALY native Dalton Philips has been appointed as the new CEO of Dublin Airport Authority (daa).
The Wicklow man succeeds Kevin Toland, who is taking up a new role as CEO of troubled baked goods group Aryzta.
Mr Philips, who also once ran the Brown Thomas department store business, will start as the chief executive of the daa, which operates both Dublin and Cork airports, on October 2. He has been appointed for a seven-year term.
‘I’m delighted to take up this role after a long career abroad and am looking forward to working with daa’s strong and ambitious team as well as all the key stakeholders,’ said Mr Philips.
‘Our focus will continue to be on providing the best customer experience for the millions of passengers who travel through our airports every year.’
Mr Philips has held a number of senior leadership roles in retail and related industries, working in 14 countries for companies. As well as being Chief Executive of the Brown Thomas Group and Morrisons supermarket, he was also the Chief Operating Officer of leading Canadian retailer Loblaw. He is also a Senior Advisor to The Boston Consulting Group, the global management consultancy.
He holds a BA (Hons) from University College Dublin, an MBA from Harvard Busi- route came back to try others.
‘Routes take in well-known sites such as Glendalough as well many hidden gems which are off the normal tourist trail.’
E-bikes make the most challenging Wicklow climbs a cinch and mean even the most infrequent cyclist can enjoy the great outdoors and all the beautiful ness School and an Honorary Doctorate of Management from Bradford University.
The son of the late Tim and Susan Philips, who previously owned the poultry agribusiness Ballyfree Eggs, Mr Philips has four sisters, Fiona, Scarlett, Georgina and Melanie. Outside of work he loves any Wicklow countryside has to offer.
If you would like to find out more about Wicklow e-bikes call into the guys in store, which is located next to Lynham’s of Laragh, or alternatively check out the website www.webike.ie or give Liam or John a call on (0404) 78214. number of activities with his family including long distance running, or low and slow cooking on his Big Green Egg barbecue.
Minister for Transport, Tourism and Sport Shane Ross welcomed Mr Philips’ appointment.
‘I wish to congratulate Dalton Philips on being appointed as the new CEO of the daa. Mr Philips takes over the reins at a very important time for the daa Group which includes Dublin Airport, Cork Airport, ARI and daa.
‘Dublin Airport in particular is experiencing unprecedented levels of growth. In 2016 Dublin was the fastest growing major airport in Europe as its passenger traffic increased by more than 11 per cent to 28 million.
‘Growth of this magnitude has implications for the infrastructure at the Airport, in particular delivery of a second parallel runway. This will be a priority for the new CEO, as ensuring the provision of adequate capacity at Dublin Airport will be a key enabler for Irish economic growth for decades to come and is an essential element of national infrastructure. Mr Philips’ extensive international experience and skill set will be key in leading the Company into the future.
‘I am sure Mr Philips will face many other challenges, including Brexit in his role as CEO of this very important State Company.’