Karen Sugrue Hennessy is set to join the Dairygold board of directors as an independent non-executive director.

Sugrue Hennessy, who was raised on a dairy farm in Co. Kilkenny, will take up her new role on the Dairygold board of directors from January 2026.

She is a chartered accountant by profession and chartered director and has more than 25 years’ experience in governance, finance, and strategic leadership.

According to the Mitchelstown headquartered co-op Sugrue Hennessy "has a lifelong connection to Irish agriculture and co-operative enterprise".

She is currently chief executive of the sustainable agri-tech business, Real Leaf Farm (Ireland) Limited and is a former chief executive of the Design and Crafts Council of Ireland.

Sugrue Hennessy also worked for ten years as head of corporate development with Glanbia Nutritionals.

She is also vice-chair of the Board of Tourism Ireland and a non-executive director of the Board of Waterford Port, and chair of the audit and risk committees in both of those organisations.

Sugrue Hennessy holds an MBA from UCD.

The chair of Dairygold Pat Clancy, said today (Friday, November 21) that Sugrue Hennessy brings a "wealth of board and executive experience, particularly in the nutritionals and agri-food sectors".

"Her strong financial acumen, commercial insight and governance experience, will be of significant value to Dairygold, as we continue to build on our growth in dairy ingredients and nutritionals," he added.

Sugrue Hennessy's appointment to the Dairygold board of directors will follow the scheduled retirement of Annette Flynn on December 31, 2025, who will have served the maximum board tenure of ten years.

Dairygold

Meanwhile earlier this week the Dairygold board confirmed that it has reduced the October 'Quoted Milk Price' by 3.25c/L to 38c/L.

This is based on standard constituents of 3.3% protein and 3.6% butterfat, inclusive of sustainability and quality payments and VAT.

The co-op said that the October milk price equates to an average October farm gate milk price of 51.1c/L, based on the average October 2025 milk solids, achieved by Dairygold milk suppliers.