The Board of Tirlán Co-operative Society Ltd has today named Seán Molloy as its CEO Designate.
Tirlán, which was formerly known as Glanbia Co-op and Glanbia Ireland, added that its chief executive Jim Bergin will retire at the end of July after a 40 year career at the Co-Op.
Seán Molloy, who is currently Chief Ingredients and Agribusiness Officer and a director of Tirlán for the past 12 years, will assume the role of CEO on August 1, allowing for a smooth transition.
In his current role, he is responsible for revenues of over €2.5 billion and oversees exports across 100 countries.
Tirlán said today's announcement follows a comprehensive recruitment process, which was initiated when Jim Bergin informed the Board in June last year of his intention to retire from his position as CEO and to step down from the Board this year.
Tirlán sources its dairy and grains from a network of over 5,000 farm families who are at the heart of the business. Its brands include Ireland's biggest consumer dairy brand Avonmore.
Tirlán has a strong market presence in the UK, France, Germany, UAE, the US, North Africa, Japan and China.
The co-operative draws on a wealth of experience to deliver exceptional products and tailored nutritional solutions including Kilmeaden, Wexford, Truly Grass Fed, Solmiko, Promiko, CheddMax and GAIN.
John Murphy, Chairperson of Tirlán, expressed his deep appreciation to Jim Bergin for his outstanding contribution to the Co-op and the broader Irish agricultural sector.
He said that Mr Bergin can be particularly proud of his success in establishing Tirlán as an independent, 100% farmer-owned Co-op, culminating in the €307m buyout of the Glanbia Ireland business.
"In recent years he has successfully overseen the investment of €600m by our organisation to expand milk processing capacity, which facilitated significant growth in milk output at farm level following the abolition of EU milk quotas in 2015," Mr Murphy said.
"This now results in annual milk and grain payments from Tirlán of €2 billion, which, based on an analysis by EY, supports 19,000 jobs in the rural economy," he added.
Jim Bergin, CEO of Tirlán, said the close engagement of farmer shareholders and customers with Tirlán's workforce brings a unique level of accountability and dialogue.
"Having commenced my career in a co-op, transitioned to a plc for 34 years and progressed to a co-op again in 2021, has been a wonderful corporate adventure while the organisation created €2 billion of additional value for our farm families," Mr Bergin said.
Seán Molloy said that he was honoured and delighted to be appointed as CEO Designate.
"As we navigate the opportunities and challenges ahead in partnership with my 2,300 colleagues, I will focus on what is important to our farm families and customers as we lead an ambitious business into the future," he added.
