Sean O’Sullivan has been appointed to the Teagasc Authority for a five-year term by the Minister for Agriculture, Food and the Marine, Martin Heydon TD.

O’Sullivan served as CEO of Cork Marts until his retirement in 2025.

He initially joined Cork Marts as financial controller in 1995 and was appointed to the role of CEO less than 18 months later.

A qualified accountant and member of the Chartered Institute of Management Accountants, he has held senior finance and management roles and currently serves on education boards and the Golden Jubilee Trust.

Welcoming the appointment, Minister Heydon said: “I wish to congratulate Sean O’Sullivan on his appointment to the Teagasc Authority and wish him every success over the next five years.

“Through its advisory, research and education services, Teagasc has a very important role to play in supporting the development of a more competitive and resilient Irish agri-food sector, while protecting the environment and improving water quality.

“I would also like to express my appreciation to outgoing member Liam Woulfe for his contribution to the work of the Teagasc Authority over the past 10 years.”

‘Strategic thinking’

At a meeting of the Teagasc board on Wednesday (December 3), chair Liam Herlihy welcomed O’Sullivan to the Authority and congratulated him on his appointment.

Herlihy said: “With three decades of experience in agri-business, Sean O’Sullivan has driven transformative change through strategic thinking and diversification, overseeing growth, restructuring and reorganisation.

“His expertise will be enormously valuable to Teagasc in the years ahead, and I very much look forward to working closely with Sean in the future.”

Departure of Liam Woulfe

The appointment of Sean O’Sullivan follows the departure of Liam Woulfe from the Teagasc Authority.

First appointed in 2015, Liam Woulfe served two full terms on the Authority, with his final term expiring in July of this year.

Thanking Woulfe for his contributions to the Authority’s meetings over the last 10 years, Herlihy said: “Liam has made a significant contribution to Teagasc through his work on the organisation’s Authority.

"I want to thank him for his dedication and long-standing commitment to Teagasc.”