At its July meeting, the Farm Tractor & Machinery Trade Association (FTMTA) executive council elected Diarmuid Claridge (pictured above) as the new president of the association.
Also Read: Jimmy Butler resigns as president of the FTMTADiarmuid has served as a member of the FTMTA council since early 2016 and has been vice-president of the association since January 2019.
Having grown up on a dairy and beef farm in south Kilkenny, Diarmuid says that he has had a passion for machinery from an early age.
After spending a couple of years working in Australia, he returned to Ireland to take up positions with big-name entities in the machinery sector – such as AGCO and Lemken.
This saw Diarmuid develop his skills and experience within the industry. In more recent years he was appointed as managing director of Pottinger Ireland – a subsidiary of Austrian manufacturer Pottinger Landtechnik GmbH.
In January of this year, Pottinger officially opened its new Irish headquarters in Clonmel, Co. Tipperary.
Looking back on his career to this point, Diarmuid said:
The farm machinery industry is an exciting and challenging environment to work within. I would highly recommend it to any school-leaver with a passion for machinery.
The new president said that “the farm machinery industry is facing a difficult and challenging time but it’s important that we focus on the horizon ahead, remain positive and, most importantly, adapt to change”.
“The FTMTA will play a vital role in ensuring that the industry continues to face those challenges and supports its members throughout Ireland.
“I look forward to working closely with the team at the FTMTA and my colleagues on the executive council as we look to the future of a progressive and vibrant trade.”