The former head of airport operator, DAA, Kenny Jacobs, has joined drone delivery company Manna as executive chairman, as the company pushes for growth outside Ireland.
Jacobs has also been appointed president of the company, which was founded by entrepreneur Bobby Healy in 2018.
“Manna is one of the most exciting companies coming out of Ireland in a generation. Bobby and the team have built world-leading drone delivery technology and the opportunity now is to expand and commercialise that across a variety of industries in the US, UK and other markets where policy and regulation are more advanced. I could not be more excited to join,” Jacobs said.
Manna is shifting its focus to the US and UK, but pausing deliveries in Ireland as it cited “the absence of a clear national policy framework”, with the sector’s reliance on local planning processes creating “uncertainty around the infrastructure required to support drone delivery at scale”.
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Although Ireland, where it employs close to 200 people, will remain the company’s base for research, engineering, manufacturing and corporate functions, Manna said it will focus investment and operational resources on the United States, the UK and markets where regulatory pathways and local planning “are ready to support drone delivery”.
[ Manna announces ‘strategic pause’ that grounds drone deliveries in IrelandOpens in new window ]
In February, Jacobs stepped down as chief executive of DAA after he settled a lawsuit brought against the State airport operator following a rift with the board of the company.
In addition to leading DAA, Jacobs was previously chief marketing officer of Ryanair at a time when the company was expanding and undergoing digital transformation. He also held roles with Tesco and Metro Group.
“Kenny is one of the few executives who has scaled aviation, retail and digital businesses internationally – and done so commercially. We are entering the most important phase in Manna’s history, taking Irish-built technology to the markets where commercial drone delivery is now a reality,” said Healy. “Having Kenny as executive chair and president will give Manna the experience at scaling up operations and commercial partnerships.”
In April, Manna announced it had raised $50 million in funding to drive new growth. Led by Ark Invest, the Ireland Strategic Investment Fund (ISIF) and Schooner Capital, it brought the total amount raised by the company to $110 million.
The funding was expected to create up to 400 jobs at Manna in robotics, software engineering, aviation and operations, split between the US and Ireland. However, the number of jobs coming to Ireland was dependent on the ability of Manna to grow here.
