IoD Evening Briefing - Lessons from a Food Start-Up and other Opportunities Facing the Irish Food Sector - Cork

The Irish food and drink sector offers an embarrassment of opportunities. Having reported 6 years of consecutive growth, food and drink exports have reached a total of €11bn in 2016. Despite some strong headwinds such as the impact of the Brexit decision, long-term growth is expected to continue towards the industry’s 2025 target of €19bn.

Ireland has some real competitive advantages in this sector, as a leading source of sustainable food and drink. We have seen great success at some of the larger food groups and among smaller entrepreneurial businesses.

This presentation will cover some general views on the opportunities in the sector and lessons learned on recently establishing a new large-scale start-up, East Coast Bakehouse.

Registration

Registration will be from 5.00pm with the briefing beginning at 5.15pm sharp.

Places will be allocated on a first come, first served basis. Non-members may attend free or charge, please email Sharon Kirwan on skirwan@iodireland.ie. 

CPD: IoD events may be eligible for CPD, including Chartered Director CPD, please check with your relevant professional body.

Michael is a co-founder and executive chairman of ‘East Coast Bakehouse’ (Ireland's only commercial scale biscuit producer) and co-founder/chairman of ‘The Company of Food’ (a specialist food investment business), holding a number of investments in both established (private and public) food businesses and startups.

He is Chairman of Bord Bia, Chairman of the Grow Dublin Tourism Alliance and a co-founder of both the Soul of Haiti Foundation and Traidlinks (East Africa). He is a regular writer for The Irish Times.

Previously he held the roles of Managing Director of Evian/Volvic (UK), Fox’s Biscuits and Kellogg’s (UK and Ireland).

He won the EY Industry Entrepreneur of the Year Award in 2005 (when he led the MBO of the Jacob Fruitfield Group) and the Smurfit Graduate Business School Alumnus of the Year 2010.

Mazars is one of the leading professional services firms in Ireland. Services include audit, assurance, tax, consulting, financial advisory, corporate finance and financial outsourcing. With over 300 staff based in Dublin and Galway, Mazars Ireland is part of an integrated partnership with over 17,000 professionals in 77 countries.

Visit www.mazars.ie