Adam Hannon joins the Global Business Development team as the meat and foodservice market specialist for North America while Daragh Flanagan joins the team as a drinks market specialist. Both will be based in Bord Bia’s New York office.
Adam joins Bord Bia from Lidl Ireland where he held the role of category buyer for lamb, sauces, condiments, oils and fats. He is an alumnus of the Bord Bia Talent Academy having completed the Supply Chain and Account Management programme. During the programme, Adam worked for Ocado Retail in the UK where he was part of the commercial team responsible for lamb purchasing.
In his new role for Bord Bia he will be responsible for the foodservice channel across all product categories and will support client companies seeking to develop their success in the North American market.
Daragh joins Bord Bia having completed the Jameson graduate programme, where he was based in Oslo, Norway with responsibility for the promotion of the Jameson Irish whiskey portfolio. More recently, he worked for Diageo Ireland as a luxury spirits executive, responsible for improving the distribution and performance of key brands throughout Ireland.
As part of his role with Bord Bia, Daragh will work to connect Irish companies with key customers in the market and to help support the growth of the Irish brewing and distilling industry.
These recruitments are part of Bord Bia’s strategy to expand services to Irish companies currently operating in the US and for those wishing to create new routes to market in North America.
Commenting on the appointments, Henry Horkan, North America manager said: “Bord Bia is delighted to welcome both Adam and Daragh to the expanding Global Business Development team. They will act as key players for the drink, foodservice and meat sectors, playing an important role for Irish companies exporting to the US. Last year, Irish food and drink exports to the US were valued at €1.5bn. These appointments come at a pivotal time with Bord Bia expanding new routes to market for Irish companies.”
Minister Pippa Hackett, who is in Houston, Texas, leading a Government trade mission to the US said it is great to see an expansion within the US with the appointment of two experienced market specialists.