Elizabeth Arden column: Through the Red Door with The Shannon Airport Group CEO Mary Considine

Born in 1881, Elizabeth Arden was a woman way ahead of her time. Fascinated by skincare from a young age, she went on to pioneer the international beauty industry with many firsts including travel-sized products and the cult Eight Hour Cream.

An ardent suffragette, legendary innovator and tireless entrepreneur, Elizabeth Arden was an early example of the ability of women to achieve success against the odds.

In a male-dominated era, she created a global empire with her famous Red Door Salons. Her entrepreneurial spirit and commitment to innovation, quality and excellence remain the soul of the company today.

In the spirit of Elizabeth Arden, this column sets out to recognise the women in our industry whose personal and professional stories make them deserving of industry recognition.

The Shannon Airport Group CEO Mary Considine

Introduction: Mary Considine is an engaging, down-to-earth leader at the helm of The Shannon Airport Group who took on the CEO role shortly before COVID and lockdowns virtually paralysed the aviation industry and its associated travel retail.

She talks with The Moodie Davitt Report’s Colleen Morgan, detailing her childhood in Ireland’s Wild Atlantic Way as the eldest of seven children, her focus on a career in the aviation industry and the importance of a strong work/life balance.

Tell us about your childhood and upbringing.

I grew up on a small dairy farm just outside Ennis, County Clare, in the mid-west of Ireland on the beautiful Wild Atlantic Way. As the eldest of seven children, with five sisters and one brother, I quickly learned the value of responsibility. My father worked in haulage, so it was my mother who primarily managed the farm.

Life on the farm was busy and demanding, but it instilled in me important life skills from a young age.

There was always something to be done, so the word ‘bored’ was not part of our vocabulary. It was a very happy environment to grow up in. We all did our share, and this sense of responsibility and teamwork was a defining part of my childhood and helped shape my future. My parents were strong believers in hard work and education, values that were ingrained in us early on.

I did well at school, and especially enjoyed the STEM subjects. Traditional Irish music and dance were an important part of our community which I also really enjoyed and had the opportunity to travel around the country performing in various competitions and festivals.

Did you study accountancy, and what led to your first job?

My very first job, during my teenage years, was working in a local garage after school. I had just turned 17 when I deferred going to college for a year and took a position in an accounting practice. Having got the taste of that I decided to do my CPA exams, taking evening and weekend lectures, and qualified as an accountant before my 21st birthday.

While in that practice, a colleague asked me to go along with her to take an aptitude test for Aer Rianta. I passed, was interviewed, landed the job and the rest is history. I started in payroll but quickly progressed to management accounts, and other opportunities opened up for me. Working for Aer Rianta was an incredible experience, especially because the company owned three Irish airports and Aer Rianta International. I had opportunities to travel and work across the group, gaining broad exposure to commercial, route development and marketing areas.

Were you career focused? Did you always have an executive position in your sights?

My focus was always on doing a good job and taking every opportunity that arose along the way. Over the years I held various roles, including Airport Director, Chief Financial Officer, Company Secretary and Deputy CEO, before eventually stepping into the CEO role at The Shannon Airport Group.

I have been here over 30 years and have had the privilege of working with outstanding, supportive people who believed in me. I attribute much of my success to these relationships, as well as a willingness to embrace new challenges and trust that things will fall into place.

COVID lockdown occurred just months after you took on the role of CEO. A shock and a challenge at the same time?

Absolutely. It was an incredibly challenging time for everyone in aviation and tourism. Fortunately, we had a diversified revenue base, which helped sustain us through the crisis. We used the time to look at our unique selling points, reassess our strengths as an airport and invest in our infrastructure to ensure we were ready when things reopened.

I’m very proud of how we responded, upgrading our security screening system to offer passengers a more relaxed experience and ensuring more time for staff engagement in areas such as travel retail as the airport’s reliance on nonaeronautical revenues increases.

Shannon has a rich history and is synonymous with aviation, duty free and innovation. The world’s first duty-free shop, now a global multi-million-dollar industry, was established at Shannon Airport in 1947. We’ve built on that legacy at Shannon Duty Free, continuing to offer a curated selection of 100 local suppliers alongside international brands, which helps create a strong sense of place for travellers.

Shannon Airport has become a travel hub for people all over Ireland as a gateway to America, the UK, Europe and onwards. The economic contribution of our Group’s activities is worth €4 billion to the Irish economy and supports over 20,000 jobs.

What are you most proud of?

One of my core values is to always try to do the right thing. Loyalty and teamwork are also central to how I approach both life and work. I don’t believe there’s room for ‘I’ or ‘me’ in business. Success comes from collective effort; we are stronger together.

I’m incredibly proud of what we’ve accomplished at The Shannon Airport Group, especially our recent recognition as Ireland’s highest-ranked airport in the 2024 Customer Experience Insights report. This recognition is a testament to the dedication of our team. We’ve introduced initiatives such as Europe’s first airport sensory room for people with additional needs and earned ‘Age Friendly’ status from the World Health Organisation, one of only two airports worldwide to do so.

These achievements demonstrate our commitment to making every journey as easy and inclusive as possible.

Any advice for young women taking their first career steps?

Networking is a must for industry newcomers. I cannot overstate the value of building up a network of colleagues and associates and the power of relationships and mentorship.

We need to encourage more women into the aviation sector. It’s a fascinating, fast-paced industry, where no two days are alike. To that end, it was great to be able to lend our support to the establishment of a Women in Aviation networking grouping in our region, and to be speaking at the upcoming International Aviation Womens Association conference.

As I’ve progressed in my career, I’ve become more aware of male dominance in many industries. I believe that those of us who have had success have a responsibility to pave the way for other women, making it easier for them to follow their own career paths and achieve their goals.

Can you tell us something of your private life and how you juggle that with such a high-powered career?

I got married at the age of 26 and my husband Éibhear also has a busy job. Our three children range in age from 13 to 26 and raising them has always been a partnership. That’s really important if both parents are working; that’s how we balance work and family life.

Both Éibhear and the kids are heavily involved in sports, hurling and Gaelic football. My involvement is usually as the ‘taxi’ driver but that’s OK. It’s all part of the work/life balance, which everyone needs. Without that balance nothing works.

I don’t have a lot of spare time, but I really enjoy getting outdoors for a long walk and can usually fit that in however hectic my day is. We are fortunate to live in the countryside, about 35 minutes from the airport and the same distance to the coast and part of the West Atlantic Way, one of the longest defined coastal routes in the world. I love that as much as I love the world of aviation.

*This article first appeared in The Moodie Davitt eZine. Click here for that version. ✈

Elizabeth Arden will supply each of the remarkable women who takes part in our Through the Red Door series with a special gift box which will include: