Dame Irene Lucas-Hays DBE DL (née Lucas; born 4 February 1954) is a British businesswoman and former civil servant, and the chair of Hays Travel, the largest independent travel agent in the UK, which she jointly owned with her husband John Hays until his death in 2020.
[2][3] In 1980, her late husband John founded Hays Travel in the back of his mother's children's wear store in Seaham, Durham.
[6] She was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2008 New Year Honours for services to local government[2][3] and Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE) in the 2021 New Year Honours for services to training, education, and young people.
[7] In December 2018, she was awarded an honorary doctorate by the University of Sunderland.
[2] John Hays died on 13 November 2020, after collapsing from cardiac arrest at the company's Sunderland head office.