The five finalists for the inaugural Agricultural Science Association (ASA) Novus Award have been announced.
The award, sponsored by Kerry Group, is aimed at recognising outstanding leadership among graduates working in the agri-food sector.
Following a rigorous assessment by an independent panel of judges, a shortlist of five candidates has been selected from some 40 high calibre applicants, the ASA said.
The five finalists are:
- Dr. Anne Finnegan, AIB.
- Roy Geary, Zoetis.
- Páidí Kelly, PhD student Teagasc Moorepark.
- Dr. Stan Lalor, Grassland AGRO.
- Dr. Karina Pierce, UCD School of Agriculture and Food Science.
The overall winner be announced at the ASA conference banquet in the Lyrath Hotel, Kilkenny on Thursday September 10, 2015.
The award has a prize fund valued at €10,000 with the overall winner attending the prestigious Harvard Business School Agribusiness seminar which takes place over four days in Boston, USA in January 2016.
Congratulating the five finalists, ASA President Eoin Lowry said the overall quality of applications for the inaugural Novus Award is demonstration of the outstanding calibre of professionals within the agri-food sector.
Stan McCarthy, Kerry Group Chief Executive, said earlier this year at the launch of the award that success in today’s international food industry demands a relentless focus on innovation.
“Technologies, not even dreamt of a decade ago, are now widely impacting developments across the food chain and increasingly Irish graduates are among those leading this evolution and revolution,” he said.