Michael Stanley

Michael Stanley co-founded Cairn Homes plc and was appointed CEO prior to the company's IPO in June 2015. With over two decades of experience in residential development, Michael has also held leadership roles across the packaging, energy, agritech, and healthcare sectors. Under his leadership, Cairn has become a leading Irish business, delivering thousands of homes nationwide. Michael is also a board member of IBEC.

He was previously Chief Executive Officer of Stanley Holdings following its demerger from Shannon Homes. The Stanley family founded Shannon Homes in 1970, and the company was one of Ireland's largest homebuilders in the 1990s and 2000s. Prior to co-founding Cairn Homes, Stanley was investor and board advisor with Endeco Technologies for almost 14 years.

Career history

• Investor and board advisor, Endeco Technologies (approximately 14 years)
• Chief Executive Officer, Stanley Holdings
• Co-founder and Chief Executive Officer, Cairn Homes plc (2014-present)

Under his leadership, Cairn has built over 10,000 homes for more than 25,000 people. In 2024, Stanley and his team achieved a 29 per cent annual growth in revenue to €859 million and a 32 per cent growth in operating profit to €150 million. Cairn Homes recorded a 60 per cent rise in revenue to €450 million in the first half of 2026, with the home builder forecasting its sales would exceed €1 billion this year for the first time. Stanley has been recognized multiple times as Business Person of the Month by leading Irish business publications.

What Michael Stanley could bring to Cairn Homes: Stanley's three-decade track record in residential development, combined with his experience across diverse sectors including packaging, energy, agritech, and healthcare, positions him to drive innovation and operational excellence at Cairn. His proven ability to scale a company from startup to a €1 billion revenue enterprise, navigate post-financial crisis recovery, and build Ireland's largest homebuilder demonstrates strategic vision and resilience that could accelerate Cairn's expansion into new geographic markets and product categories.