Agri Careers: industry movers and shakers

Kate Milligan: Appointed commercial director of Airfield Estate

From an organic farm in Co Kildare, Kate graduated from Harper Adams University in 2001 with a BSc in Agri-Food production, marketing and management. In addition to running an agri-food consultancy, she was recently CEO of the Organic Trust.

Speaking about her appointment Katie says, “I am excited to join the busy team at Airfield Estate. As food and commercial sustainability comes increasingly to the fore, we have an important role to play in food education. We have big ambitions to take our expertise outside the walls of the estate so we can play a bigger part in this space”.

Martin Kavanagh: appointed chief executive of Munster Bovine

As a graduate of veterinary medicine, Martin has over 30 years of experience across a variety of commercial, technical and veterinary roles and has served as Munster Bovine’s interim Chief Executive since November 2023. Martin was previously their business development and sustainability manager where he oversaw the growth of milk recording and herd health services to support Co-op sustainability programmes.

Commenting on his appointment Martin says, “As one of the country’s leading cattle breeding and herd management service providers, Munster Bovine is in a unique position to drive the environmental and societal good of our agricultural industry. I’m committed to working in collaboration with our shareholders and stakeholders to deliver the best genetics, milk recording, farm ops and herd health services to herd owners.”

Thomas Hession: appointed senior agronomist at Brett Brothers

Thomas worked with Tirlán for 10 years and is a graduate of Agricultural Science from University College Dublin. Thomas is heading up the agronomy team at Brett Brothers, which works in partnership with grain growers throughout the southeast.

Thomas is delighted to join the business. “I look forward to the challenge of taking on new responsibilities and working with some of the best tillage farmers in the country”.

Donal O’Neill: appointed food and feed ingredients sales manager at Camida

Hailing from a farming background, Donal went to study Food and Agri-Business Management in UCD. From there he joined Ornua where he worked in Ireland and the UK holding various roles. After that, he moved to Tirlán to work as a business development manager until recently moving to Camida and taking up the food and feed ingredients position.

“I am delighted to be a part of such a reputable and innovative company. Simply put they are the best in the business and I look forward to working with my new and highly acclaimed colleagues and being a part of the team here. Having worked in this sector for many years, I am confident I will hit the ground running for Camida,” says Donal.

Mary Martin: appointed secretary of the Irish Timber Growers Association

With a background in admin support and education in community and rural development, Mary is a trained Forest Bathing Guide. She also manages her own business, providing secretarial services to managements and teams across various organisations and businesses both in the private and public sectors.

Speaking about her appointment, Mary says, “I am passionate about good communications and networking. I hope to assist ITGA in growing and expanding its membership and am very much looking forward to fostering strong working relationships with our members. I look forward to collaborating with and meeting many ITGA members over the coming weeks and months.”

Karol Kissane: appointed head of public sector services and economics at ifac

Karol started his career in banking and fintech where he qualified as a Chartered Accountant and subsequently qualified as a Chartered Tax Advisor. For the past number of years, he was a Senior Policy Executive with the IFA, with responsibility for areas such as dairy, farm business and renewables. He also has a dairy farm in his native Kerry.

Speaking about his new role Karol says, “I am excited to be taking on this new position with ifac. I am looking forward to helping ifac expand its offering, not only to existing farming, food and agri-related businesses but also to public sector organisations.”

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Agri Careers: industry movers and shakers