| John Hays | |
| Birth Date: | 1949 7, df=yes |
| Death Place: | Sunderland, Tyne and Wear, England |
| Education: | University of Oxford Manchester Business School |
| Occupation: | Businessman |
| Known For: | Founder of Hays Travel |
| CEO, Hays Travel | |
| Term: | 1980–2020 |
| Successor: | Irene Hays |
| Children: | 2 |
John Hays (22 July 1949[1] – 13 November 2020) was a British businessman, and the founder/CEO of Hays Travel, now the largest independent travel agency in the UK.[2]
Hays earned a degree in mathematics from the University of Oxford.[3] He later earned an MBA from Manchester Business School.[4] In 1980, Hays founded Hays Travel in the back of his mother's children's wear store in Seaham, Durham.[5] Hays owned 56.42% and his wife Irene owned 43.58%.[6]
John Hays married Irene Lucas in 1997. She has chaired the company since his death. The couple had two children.[3]
John Hays died on 13 November 2020, aged 71, after collapsing at the company's Sunderland head office.[7] [8]