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Kevin Lane, who became Ornua CEO in January 2010, will leave Ornua at the end of June, following a board meeting on Tuesday.
Kevin Lane said “It has been an absolute honour to lead Ornua though a very significant period in its history. I have greatly enjoyed working with the board and the entire team at Ornua and wish the organisation continued success.”
During his tenure turnover increased by 35% to reach a high of €2.5bn in 2015. Following the sale of its US distribution business, DPI for €67m last year, turnover was €1.75bn.
Last year Ornua made €27m profit.
Financials
He leaves the business with a healthy balance sheet with net cash of €57m. During his tenure the board of Ornua suspended the 0.14c/l levy in 2016 which was a difficult year for dairy farmers. Under Kevin’s leadership, Ornua opened its first processing plant in Ireland, Kerrygold Park, and oversaw the international expansion of the iconic Kerrygold brand which now edges closer to becoming a €1 billion global brand.
Tribute
Ornua Chairman Aaron Forde said he and the board had been privileged to work with Mr. Lane over the past number of years and confirmed that a process will now commence to appoint a new CEO.
Kevin has successfully led Ornua through a period of significant change and growth, particularly the ending of dairy quotas in 2015.
"With great vision, Kevin together with his senior leadership team, have strategically reshaped and refocussed the Ornua business to unlock new routes to market and to drive international growth while consistently delivering strong results for Ireland’s dairy processors and farming community.
"On behalf of the Ornua board, the executive team and myself, we wish Kevin every success in the future.
"I look forward to continuing to work closely with him over the coming months to ensure a smooth transition and continue our focus on delivering our five year strategy ‘Ornua 2021’ and achieving our target of €3bn in revenues.”
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