Hays Travel appoints new COO following John’s death
Hays Travel has moved swiftly to appoint Jonathon Woodall as Chief Operating Officer following the sudden death of founder and managing director John Hays last week.
The company said Jonathon will work with the Board and the senior leadership team to take forward the two-year business plan ‘as John and Irene intended’.
Jonathon joined Hays Travel in 2004 and worked closely with John for more than 16 years, said Hays.
He has held positions across the group, including Finance Manager, Head of Independence Group and Head of Commercial. Hays said he has played a key role in major acquisitions, which include Thomas Cook’s retail chain last year and more recently Tailor Made Travel.
Irene Hays, John’s widow and the company’s Chair said: "John was proud of the career success of our loyal, committed and talented people. Jonathon has excelled since he started, and while the circumstances of his promotion are not what anyone would have ever wanted, he has the confidence and support of everyone in the business."
Jonathon said: "I am privileged to take John’s legacy forward alongside all of the people in Hays Travel who want to do the same. Although these are challenging times for the travel industry, we have strong plans in place.
"Irene and I will continue to reach for excellence in the way we look after our people, our customers and our suppliers."
The Board, which had consisted of a total of just four directors prior to John’ death, will be further strengthened with the appointment of John Milburn, currently Head of Homeworking and Telesales, who will become Marketing and Homeworking Director, and Mark Hatton, former senior partner at Ernst & Young, who will take up a non-executive role.
They join Irene, Jane Schumm, Director of Retail, and Claire Maith, Group Finance Director.
Linsey McNeill
Editor Linsey McNeill has been writing about travel for more than three decades. Bylines include The Times, Telegraph, Observer, Guardian and Which? plus the South China Morning Post. She also shares insider tips on thetraveljournalist.co.uk
Vegas’s Billion-Dollar Secrets – What They Don’t Want Tourists to Know
Visit Florida’s New CEO Bryan Griffin Shares His Vision for State Tourism with Graham
Chicago’s Tourism Renaissance: Graham Interviews Kristin Reynolds of Choose Chicago
Graham Talks with Cassandra McCauley of MMGY NextFactor About the Latest Industry Research
Destination International’s Andreas Weissenborn: Research, Advocacy, and Destination Impact
Graham and Don Welsh Discuss the Success of Destinations International’s Annual Conference
Graham and CEO Andre Kiwitz on Ventura Travel’s UK Move and Recruitment for the Role
Brett Laiken and Graham Discuss Florida’s Tourism Momentum and Global Appeal
Graham and Elliot Ferguson on Positioning DC as a Cultural and Inclusive Global Destination
Graham Talks to Fraser Last About His England-to-Ireland Trek for Mental Health Awareness
Kathy Nelson Tells Graham About the Honour of Hosting the World Cup and Kansas City’s Future
Graham McKenzie on Sir Richie Richardson’s Dual Passion for Golf and His Homeland, Antigua
ADS PRO 
France prepares for a massive strike across all transports on September 18
Turkish tourism stalls due to soaring prices for accommodation and food
CCS Insight: eSIMs ready to take the travel world by storm
Germany new European Entry/Exit System limited to a single airport on October 12, 2025
Airlines suspend Madagascar services following unrest and army revolt