CEO of Kylemore Abbey, Conor Coyne, named One of Europe’s Most Dynamic CEOs

Conor Coyne has been at the helm in Kylemore Abbey since 2019, and now has recently been named one of Europe’s top 20 most dynamic CEO’s of 2023 by 'The CEO Publication'. The whole Kylemore team are delighted to Conor's enthusiasm, ambition, and skill be recognised after leading Kylemore Abbey through some of tourism's toughest years.

The publication, which has previously named the CEO’s of IKEA, UPS and Divani Collection Hotels, among Europe’s most dynamic CEO’s cited Coyne’s pride of place, collaborative approach and his endless curiosity into the many aspects of Kylemore’s business as the attributes that qualified him for this accolade. “When you see something as important as Kylemore Abbey in a local area, when you are a local, to be able to lead, that gives an enormous amount of personal and professional satisfaction,” says Conor Coyne.

Kylemore Abbey, one of Ireland’s best-loved visitor attractions, is the largest private employer in the region, employing over 140 people at the tourism season’s peak each year. As CEO of The Kylemore Trust, a non-for-profit which presides over the running of Kylemore Abbey & Gardens and which represents the interest of the Benedictine Community of Nuns who have owned and operated Kylemore Abbey for over 100 years, Coyne has worked towards creating a thriving, sustainable business which this year was named a “Great Place to Work”.

One of Coyne’s focuses on taking up the mantle in 2019 was to use Kylemore Abbey as an opportunity to showcase the best of the West of Ireland. To that end, the majority of the ingredients used in The Kylemore Kitchen café in Kylemore are of Irish origin, 90% of the suppliers in the Kylemore Craft & Design shop are Irish with 28% of those being from Galway, and the estate now showcases the beautiful Connemara breed of pony to the world.

Citing the strength of the team in Kylemore Abbey, the ethos of the Benedictine nuns that informs the estate, and the commitment to the sustainability, conservation, education, and social responsibility principles of Kylemore, Coyne sees 2024 as the year in which Kylemore will lay the foundation for an even greater future for Kylemore Abbey and the West of Ireland.

All photos courtesy of Kylemore Abbey.