The National Dairy Council (NDC) has announced the appointment of Emma Walls as its new chief executive officer (CEO).
Before now, Walls spent the last 16 years working with organic dairy producer Glenisk as commercial director.
She began her career with Wilson Hartnell Public Relations and later ran her own communications consultancy specialising in food and drink, before joining Glenisk in 2008.
She has held a variety of roles at Glenisk, including marketing, communications, sales, and innovation, and was appointed to its board of directors in 2015.
Speaking on behalf of the board of the NDC, its chairperson Eamon Carroll congratulated Walls on her appointment and said that she will be “an outstanding ambassador and advocate for the dairy sector”.
The new NDC CEO was appointed to the National Organic Strategy Forum in 2022 by Minister of State at the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Pippa Hackett.
She is also a director of Love Irish Food and is a member of Bord Bia’s Brand Forum Steering Committee. Walls is also a qualified barrister.
Commenting on her appointment, Walls said: “I am delighted to to be joining the NDC at a defining moment for Irish dairy. The challenges are significant but so too are the opportunities.
“This island nation is unlike any other place in the world for its climate, its small family farms and its pasture-based system.
“I am looking forward to working with, and on behalf of, the remarkable community of dairy farmers who protect our land and preserve our heritage for the generations to come, as they continue to produce the best quality, most nutritious food available,” Walls added.
She takes over from interim CEO Mark Keller, who has been in the role for nine months.
Eamon Carroll acknowledged the work of Keller in the role, saying: “Mark’s commitment and leadership have been invaluable during this time, ensuring stability and continued progress for the NDC.”
Keller will continue to work at the NDC in the role of strategic operations director.
He was appointed to interim CEO after Zoe Kavanagh stepped down earlier this year after 13 years in the role. Kavanagh moved on to become CEO of Repak.