Colin Donnery has been named as the next CEO of the FRS Network and will succeed Peter Byrne when he retires in February 2022.

Donnery has been working with FRS Network since 2004 and said the appointment was a "tremendous honour".

“This is an amazing organisation which has repeatedly proven its effectiveness and resourcefulness over the last 40 years. My mission will be to continue that growth, to work with the exceptional team that has been assembled and to maintain the enormous progress that FRS has achieved under the leadership of Peter Byrne,” Donnery said.

The business is active across Ireland and employs approximately 2,000 staff and has an annual turnover of €100m.

Qualifications

Donnery holds a MSc in executive leadership from Ulster University and served as a non-executive director of Macra na Feirme between 2017 and 2021. He is also a board member and former president of the National Recruitment Federation where he was awarded an honorary fellowship in 2015 for his services to the industry.

Speaking about the appointment, of National Co-Op Farm Relief Services (NCFRS) chair Francis Fitzgerald said: “Colin is steeped in FRS and has had an exceptional record of achievement in all the various divisions he has headed. We have all been greatly impressed by his stewardship of FRS Recruitment, FRS Training and Turas Nua, how he has grown and nurtured these business units to become important elements of the FRS Group.

“He has also made an immense contribution to the overall growth and success of FRS. We have no doubt that Colin will be a dynamic, tremendously effective CEO and a worthy successor to Peter. Colin will head up our excellent senior management team who have great experience across all areas of the business.”

Businesses involved with the FRS Network operate under the umbrella of the NCFRS and include FRS Farm Relief, FRS Fencing, FRS Recruitment, FRS Training, Herdwatch, Turas Nua, FRS Business Services, FRS Employability and most recently, Get the Shifts.