Bord Bia announces strategic appointments
Bord Bia has announced a number of key appointments in the areas of marketing and consumer insight, with a view to bolstering Brexit planning support for Irish food and drinks companies.
Print16 October 2018
Bord Bia has confirmed a number of senior appointments, which have been made as part of the organisation’s most significant recruitment drive in over a decade. The new roles will of course mainly be based in Dublin, but also in Asia and US, as part of Bord Bia’s focus on identifying and building new markets for companies operating in the vital food and drink sector.
Tara McCarthy, CEO Bord Bia, said the key appointments bring a combination of in-house experience into senior strategic roles across the organisation. “Food and drink exports are worth over €12 billion annually to Ireland,” McCarthy said, “and the sector is facing a period of unprecedented change. Now more than ever it is important that the sector identifies and grows in new markets.”
Each new appointment has been made as a result of a competitive process. McCarthy added that the improved strength and depth of
these professionals add considerably to the strength and depth of expertise at senior levels in Bord Bia, leaving us perfectly positioned to guide and advise companies through the changes ahead.”
Karen Coyle: Global Relationship Manager, Dublin
The move will see her return to Dublin having headed up Bord Bia’s activities in North America for the past ten years. The focus of this new position will be to develop and strengthen relationships with global retail, foodservice and manufacturing companies and partners, by demonstrating the capability of the sector to meet their needs.
While Ms Coyle oversaw activities at Bord Bia’s New York based US head office, Irish food and beverage exports to the US grew to over €1.1 billion per annum, making it the Irish industry’s number two export market after the UK. Dealing with many of the world’s largest food and beverage companies, provides valuable experience in the newly created role of Global Relationship Manager.
Ailish Forde: Director of Markets
Ailish Forde has been appointed Director of Markets at Bord Bia where she will implement Bord Bia’s new Plan to Grow framework across all overseas markets. Previously, Ailish led the food and beverage division as Food and Beverage Strategy and Planning Director. Prior to joining Bord Bia, Ailish acted as Group Public Affairs Director for Coca-Cola HBC, building the reputation of the company and its brands across 28 markets worldwide. She has led the public affairs teams at Diageo Ireland, acted as Director General of The Retail Grocery Dairy and Allied Trades Association (RGDATA) and been Director of Consumer Foods at IBEC. Ailish also spent five years leading a marketing consultancy in Italy where she designed marketing strategies for companies interested in trading on European markets.
Eileen Bentley: Senior Marketing Strategy Manager, Dublin
Eileen originally joined Bord Bia’s London office as a graduate on IBEC’s Export Orientation Programme (EOP), initially focused on the speciality food sector before working on the UK foodservice programme. Subsequently, she spent time working with Sainsbury’s in London and Nespresso in Switzerland before returning to Ireland and to Bord Bia, where she has remained for the past ten years. Eileen holds a Bachelor of Law from UCD and a post-graduate diploma in business from the Michael Smurfit Graduate Business School.
As Senior Marketing Strategy Manager, Eileen will lead Bord Bia’s new marketing strategy team. Over the past year Eileen has been developing a new commercial marketing strategy development and implementation programme for Bord Bia’s client companies called Plan to Grow.
Ciarán Gallagher: Manager, Korea and South East Asia, Singapore
Ciaran is responsible for Bord Bia activities in Indonesia, Malaysia, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam, the Philippines, Japan and South Korea. Ciarán has been based in Asia for his entire career, starting with Glanbia Nutritionals in Shanghai as an Asia Pacific Business Analyst before becoming a Commercial Strategy, Analytics and Processes (CSAP) Manager Asia Pacific. He is also a former Chairperson of the Irish Chamber of Commerce China (2015-16).
Shane Hamill: Overseas Trade Manager, Dublin
Shane’s role will be to manage Bord Bia’s response to Brexit through a series of data-led projects and strategic communications. Shane has a wealth of experience in food sustainability, having worked with the United Nations in their Division for Sustainable Development and the European Commission in Brussels. At Landmark Public Affairs in Brussels, he advised leading multinational food and beverage companies and trade associations on EU policy, regulation and environmental issues. In 2016, Shane joined Bord Bia’s London office, moving to Dublin in early 2018.
Henry Horkan: Manager. North America
In his new role, Henry will be responsible for growing the North American market, identified as a priority market for seafood, dairy, beverages and prepared consumer foods in Bord Bia’s recent Prioritising Markets Report. Henry was previously based in Bord Bia’s London office for over 10 years working across several sectors and managing Bord Bia’s initial market response to Brexit. He joined Bord Bia as a Global Graduate based in Prague, working with Irish food and drink clients and assisting them to build their business across Eastern Europe.
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