Macdonald Hotels and Resorts names new CEO

Tuesday, December 8, 2020

Macdonald Hotels and Resorts appointed Tara O'Neill as the interim chief executive, taking over responsibility for the group's 30 hotels and five destinations in the UK and four in Spain.

The decision follows group chief executive Gordon Fraser's decision earlier this year to step down from management.

As a trained auditor at both Arthur Andersen and KPMG in Ireland and UK, O'Neill worked in the hotel industry, where she held senior positions at Luminar Leisure and Jamie Oliver Group, where she was a board member for several years.

Born in Bristol and educated at law school, O'Neill returned to Ireland in 2017 and went on to become chairman of retailer and hotel brand, Avoca.

She is also the former boss of Irish hotel and retail Avoca.

Mr Fraser will spend months working alongside O'Neill to ensure a smooth handover and maintain his position as group vice-chairman.