Irish dairy exporter Ornua has announced the appointment of Ciara O’Callaghan to the role of brand director.
In a statement on the matter, Ornua revealed that O’Callaghan will head up the company’s global innovation, packaging, insights and marketing team to develop and execute the brand marketing strategy for the group’s brand portfolio.
Under her new role, O’Callaghan will aim to improve brand positioning for Ornua’s portfolio, which includes Kerrygold, Pilgrims Choice, Dubliner, Shannongold, Forto and BEO milk powder.
Ornua is Ireland’s largest exporter of primary Irish dairy products, with sales of approximately €2 billion across 110 countries.
Ciara O’Callaghan
In her new role Ciara will report to Roisin Hennerty, CEO Americas and global marketing director.
Commenting on the appointment, Hennerty said: “We are delighted to announce Ciara’s appointment to brand director. Ciara will play an integral role in supporting the growth of the much-loved Kerrygold brand.
Brand growth is critical to the delivery of value-added routes to market for Irish dairy products and is a key pillar of Ornua’s growth strategy, Ornua 2021, which aims to grow the Kerrygold brand to €1 billion in global sales in the coming years.
“Ciara’s extensive experience of working with brands of scale in the food and dairy industry makes her the perfect fit for the role and we look forward to her continued contribution to achieving our growth strategy,” Hennerty concluded.
Reaction to 2017 exports
Meanwhile, Ornua welcomed Bord Bia Export Performance and Prospects 2017-2018 report, which details that Ireland’s agri-food exports exceeded €1 billion per month for the first-time last year.
Commenting on the news, Ornua’s head of communications and sustainability Jeanne Kelly said: “We are very pleased to see the Irish dairy sector performing so strongly. Specifically, it is encouraging to see the success of Irish butter in markets around the world.
“As the number one exporter of Irish butter and owner of the Kerrygold brand, we are delighted that Kerrygold’s annual global sales have reached record heights.”
Ornua’s ambition is to build on this success and diversify Kerrygold in the coming years, Kelly said.
Continued export success from the dairy sector will no doubt further strengthen Ireland’s stellar international reputation as an exporter of quality food and drink products.