Bord Bia has announced the appointment of a new manager for the South East Asia region.
Lisa Phelan will join Bord Bia’s Global Business Development team, and will be based at the Irish Food Board’s Singapore Office.
She will be responsible for leading Bord Bia’s Global Business Initiatives in priority markets in both South East Asia and Oceania.
Phelan will also lead on regional customer engagement and “working cross-functionally” with other Bord Bia personnel to design and carry out the board’s strategy in the region.
The countries covered in this region include Australia, Indonesia, Malaysia, New Zealand, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, and Vietnam.
Irish food and drink exports to South East Asia increased by 25% from €315 million in 2021 to €394 million in 2022.
Phelan has worked for Kerry Group for a number of years, most recently in a strategic planning role for the business in the South Asia and Pacific region, where she was also based in Singapore.
She comes from Dublin and has a Master of Science (MSc) in International Business from the Smurfit Business School at University College Dublin (UCD).
Phelan’s predecessor in her new role, Ciarán Gallagher, has been promoted to the role of Bord Bia’s regional manager for Asia, Africa, and the Middle East, a role based in Dublin and which comes with the responsibility of leading Bord Bia’s market diversification programme.
Commenting on Phelan’s appointment to the role of South East Asia manager, Bord Bia’s global business development manager Shane Hamill said: “Lisa brings to the role a wealth of food industry knowledge and regional experience, at a time when there is growing focus on safe and sustainably produced food and drink among our international customers.
“She will also leverage Origin Green in customer interactions, to safeguard Ireland’s global reputation and competitive advantage as a producer of quality sustainable food,” Hamill added.
He said: “Bord Bia’s market prioritisation report has identified South East Asia as a growth market for Irish food and drink, and in particular dairy and meat ingredients. Bord Bia expects this strong growth trajectory to continue for the coming years.”