Agri-services group Origin Enterprises has announced that it has appointed Aiden Connolly as an independent non-executive director.
Connolly will take up the role from October 1.
Origin also announced that non-executive directors Hugh McCutcheon and Kate Allum will retire from the board following the group’s AGM, which is scheduled for November 25.
Connolly has 30 years’ experience in the agribusiness sector across a range of roles and countries. He is the president of AgriTech Capital, a US-based investment firm working in the agribusiness technology sector.
He is also CEO of Cainthus, an Irish agri-tech start-up that specialises in monitoring farm management practices that impact nutrition, health and behaviour of livestock.
Prior to taking up these roles, Connolly held multiple senior leadership positions at global animal health company Alltech over a period of more than 25 years, initially in Ireland and later in France, Brazil and the US.
As chief innovation officer, he was responsible for the commercialisation of Alltech’s research.
Connolly is an adjunct professor of marketing at the Smurfit School of Business at University College Dublin (UCD) and a visiting professor of agribusiness at the China Agriculture University in Beijing.
Retiring non-executive director Hugh McCutcheon was appointed to the role in 2011 and has held the positions of senior independent director and chair of the Audit Committee at various times.
He currently serves on the Acquisitions and Disposals Committee and the Audit and Risk Committee.
The other retiring director, Kate Allum, was appointed in 2015. In addition to chairing the Remuneration Committee, she was also a member of the Audit and Risk Committee.
Commenting on the change in personnel, Origin Enterprises chairperson Rose Hynes said: “On behalf of the group, I would like to express our gratitude to Hugh and Kate for their significant contributions, support and commitment to Origin during their respective tenures on the board.
“I am delighted to welcome Aidan to the board. He brings extensive international agribusiness experience and sectoral knowledge, including agri-tech expertise, which will further diversify and strengthen the range of skills and experience on Origin’s board ,” Hynes added.