The Sunday Times revealed its Rich List for 2024, with Dame Irene featuring in it for the first time alongside the likes of King Charles III, Sir Richard Branson and the Beckhams.

Dame Irene joins businessman Euan Blair and F1 driver Lewis Hamilton on the list the first time. 

Dame Irene’s £400m fortune placed her 324th alongside Liverpool-based businessman Andy Bell, who set up the £76 billion funds group AJ Bell in 1995, Trailfinders owner Sir Michael Gooley and construction moguls Dai and Richard Walters.

Despite being one of travel’s best-known faces, Dame Irene spent her early career in government, rising through the ranks to become chief executive of South Tyneside and Sunderland councils.

She also held positions in the national government – becoming first director general and then acting permanent secretary at the Department for Communities and Local Government (now known as Department for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities).

In 2011, she became chair of Hays Travel, the company founded by her husband John in 1980 at the back of his mum’s shop. 

The Hays family made the headlines in 2019 when they bought all 555 former Thomas Cook shops, re-employing 2,500 former Cook staff who had been made redundant following the travel giant’s collapse. 

Since John Hays’ passing in November 2020, Dame Irene has taken over a more prominent role in the company, becoming the face of Hays Travel and overseeing its expansion and growth.

Over the past 44 years, Hays Travel has in fact become one of the biggest family-owned companies in the country as well as the UK’s largest independent travel agent. 

Earlier this year, Hays Travel announced it had tripled its profits to almost £52 million in the 12 months ended 30 April 2023. According to Dame Irene, the listing was due to Hays Travel’s "conservative financial management".

"Retaining cash in the business enabled us to acquire Thomas Cook and the four acquisitions we have made since, as well as investing in our people, and our 490 branches across the UK," she said.

"We remain committed to utilising the funds within the business to support the people who have helped to build Hays Travel, our customers, and the communities where we operate through our Hays Travel Charitable Foundation and our Community Partnerships."

The company made the headlines earlier this month when it announced the acquisition of Miles Morgan Travel.