Bord Bia has appointed Conor O’Sullivan as its new UK market manager. 

O’Sullivan was previously Bord Bia’s China market manager.

The UK is Ireland’s largest export destination for food and drink, accounting for over 30% of total exports.

The value of these exports was worth €5.6 billion last year and according to Bord Bia the UK "continues to be a strategic priority market for Irish producers". 

O’Sullivan will bring more than a decade of "international experience" to his latest role with Bord Bia.

He began his career in Beijing on Enterprise Ireland’s graduate programme where he supported "export growth" and provided market advisory for Irish SMEs across China.

In 2016 he joined Bord Bia as a market specialist in Shanghai where he played a "pivotal role in the launch of Irish beef in China and transformed promotional strategies for Irish pigmeat".  

He was then promoted to China market manager in 2020 and lead Bord Bia's team in Shanghai to "devise market strategies, deepen trade and consumer insight, and implement B2B and B2C campaigns to develop opportunities and build preference for Irish dairy, meat, seafood, and drinks in China". 

According to Shane Hamill, director of global business development at Bord Bia, O'Sullivan "demonstrated exceptional leadership and strategic insight during his time in China, navigating one of the most complex markets through the historically disruptive period of Covid 19 and its aftermath".

O'Sullivan will now be responsible for leading global business initiatives in the UK following his appointment.

He will also be heavily involved in promoting and supporting Bord Bia's food and drink sustainability programme, Origin Green, to help re-inforce Ireland's "global reputation and competitive advantage as a producer of quality sustainable food".

Speaking about his new role, O'Sullivan said that over the last decade, it had "been immensely rewarding to play a part in the growth of Ireland's incredible food and drink industry in Asia".

"I'm excited to continue doing so in Ireland’s largest export market.  

"I look forward to supporting ever closer collaboration with our retail, foodservice, manufacturing, and wholesale partners across the UK, leveraging Ireland's expertise and excellence to support on critical factors from sustainability and supply chain to nutrition and innovation," he added.