IHI To Honour Joan

The Irish Hospitality Institute will honour Joan O’Shaughnessy with a Lifetime Achievement Award at its Founders Evening and Hospitality Management Awards on Thursday, 28th November at the Clayton Hotel, Burlington Road, Dublin.

Beginning her career in the former Royal Hibernian Hotel Dawson Street Dublin as a housekeeper but missing the food side of business, Joan O’Shaughnessy moved to catering company Gardner Merchant and four years later ran her own hotel and restaurant in the west of Ireland. She returned to work with Gardner Merchant and became Intel’s first general manager of the catering services.

Joan next moved to Campbell Catering in 1995 as their Operations Director. In 1998 she moved to the UK to head up the acquisitions of a number of smaller catering companies. On her return to Ireland in January 2001 as CEO of Campbell Catering, she continued to grow the business.

Aramark Ireland came into existence in Ireland in 2005 following its acquisition of Campbell Catering. During her tenure as CEO of Aramark Ireland, Joan grew the company to become, at the time, Ireland’s largest integrated services provider, supplying facilities, food services, environmental and property services.

In 2011, she stepped back from her CEO position, and in 2016 she became chairman of Tourism Ireland. She is pictured with the then CEO Niall Gibbons.

The Institute will also confer Fellowships on Aileesh Carew, CEO of Epic, The Irish Emigration Museum; Denyse Campbell, general manager, The Maldron Hotel, Dublin Airport; Karen Healy, managing director, Meraki; and Ruairí O'Connor, general manager, The River Lee Hotel.

During the evening awards will also be presented to a number of professionals in an array of management categories.