Ryanair’s CMO, Kenny Jacobs, to exit the company in April

Irish budget airline, Ryanair, announced on Monday that its current Chief Marketing Officer, Kenny Jacobs, will be exiting the position by the end of April after serving the airline for six years. Jacobs played a prominent role in Ryanair’s campaign that aimed at improving customer service. The CMO cited his desire to pursue other goals as the reason for quitting.

Jacobs joined the Irish budget airline in 2014. He is known as the lead behind the airline’s “Always Getting Better” customer experience improvement program that was targeted at providing impeccable customer service. Jacobs had also modified and upgraded the airline’s website to make it cater to individual customer preferences. While announcing his departure from Ryanair, the CMO said that he is looking forward to taking the summer off and enjoy quality time with his family, following which, he’ll go in pursuit of the challenge.

Jacobs’ Tenure Saw An Around 10% Growth In Optional Extras Driven Revenue

CEO Michael O’Leary commented on the news and appreciated Jacobs for his unfaltering commitment to improving customer service and digital presence for Ryanair during his tenure. The CEO further highlighted that under Jacobs, Ryanair saw a boost from a little over 20% to just above 30% in terms of the revenue that the company generates from optional extras. Such extras include the likes of additional baggage and assigned seating. O’Leary said:

“Kenny was the author of the successful ‘Always Getting Better’ brand six years ago when he first joined, and he has championed many of the successful customer service improvements we have launched in recent years, which has underpinned our successful growth and evolution.”

Jacobs’ announcement comes amidst various other management decisions that Ryanair has recently publicized. A number of Ryanair’s subsidiaries now have their own chief executive who leads operations, with all of them liable to report to O’Leary who currently holds the position of the CEO for the entire group.

Ryanair’s No Compete Clause Found Unenforceable In The Irish Court Of Law

Jacob’s resignation also came only a few weeks after Peter Bellew, the chief operating officer of Ryanair, had announced his departure from the airline to join its staunch rival, EasyJet. Ryanair had initially tried to hold Bellew to a non-compete clause. After 12 months of litigation, however, the case was dismissed as the agreement was found unenforceable.

Ryanair hasn’t posted any significant gains in the stock market in 2020 so far. It opened at around 14.90 EUR in January and is currently exchanging hands at 15.42 EUR.