By Business & Finance 
Pictured: Evelyn Moynihan, CEO, Kilkenny Group
This week sees new and notable appointments at Kilkenny Group, adaptive, Xeretec Ireland, Ornua and Coca-Cola Ireland
Evelyn Moynihan, CEO,
Kilkenny Group
Evelyn Moynihan has been appointed CEO of Kilkenny Group, the leading family-owned Irish retailer of premium Irish craft and design. The appointment was announced by Marian O’Gorman, the Kilkenny Group owner and former CEO, who will take on the new role of Group Chairperson.
Evelyn Moynihan joined Kilkenny Group as Marketing and Business Development Director in November 2019, assuming responsibility for the long-established luxury retailer’s marketing, innovation, e-commerce, IT, supply chain and buying functions. She has driven the group’s successful transition to a strong omni-channel presence in the past year, as well as planning future development strategy Marian O’Gorman, who has been CEO for over twenty years.
Marian O’Gorman is a standout leader in the retail and Irish design sector, having grown the Kilkenny Group to a €34 million business which includes 16 retail outlets, five restaurants and a thriving online offering. She has mentored and developed numerous talented Irish designers and craft suppliers from all corners of the country.
Experienced in the retail and FMCG sectors, Evelyn Moynihan spent over twenty years with major Irish corporates. She previously held senior roles with drinks industry leader, Diageo, and, most recently, with Musgrave Group, the country’s largest grocery distributor which accounts for a €4 billion turnover across its wholesale, food services and branded retail operation.
Evelyn Moynihan commented that the proud Irish business is testament to the immense vision, leadership and consumer insights of Marian O’Gorman.
“It is an honour to take the reins at this point, working with Marian, our experienced management team and the talented and loyal retail team, to continue the task of championing Irish design and creating innovative and inspiring customer experiences”, Moynihan told colleagues.
Speaking about the new appointment, Marian O’Gorman said she was delighted Evelyn Moynihan accepted the CEO role and is confident that she will have a hugely positive impact on the business, particularly in terms of commercial planning and team-building.
“Evelyn has already had a significant impact on the business, since joining as a director. She has brought a wealth of skills and experience and a relentless focus on the customer. I am confident this appointment will really strengthen the Kilkenny team and support future strategy development and growth, as we transition to a truly omnichannel global Irish design offering.”
Evelyn Moynihan is a graduate of Food Science from UCC, with a HDIP in Marketing & Management. She lives in Cork with her husband and two children, and is based at the Kilkenny Group headquarters at Churchfield in Cork city.
Irish Design Champions
Marian O’Gorman is also the founder of Champion Green, a national movement to encourage support for local business and rebuild communities, particularly in the wake of the pandemic. Having stepped away from the Kilkenny CEO position, O’Gorman hopes to devote further energy to Champion Green, driving practical local initiative in support of SMEs across Ireland.
Wishing her successor well, Marian O’Gorman said it had been a privilege to lead the Kilkenny Design team over the last thirty years.
“I am excited for the future and immensely proud of what we have achieved together too; especially proud of our people, and their unbelievable passion and resilience, in particular during the last 12 months”, the new Kilkenny Group Chairperson said.
Cathal Gillen, Managing Director,
adaptive
adaptive has appointed Cathal Gillen as Managing Director. This key appointment follows a period of expansion in Ireland and internationally.
Established in Dublin in 2016 as an analytics start-up, adaptive has grown to become a leading analytics and performance marketing consultancy with specialities in Pay-Per-Click advertising, Paid Social, SEO, CRM and Google Analytics Consulting. The company’s client list includes a diverse range of businesses in Ireland, UK, USA and Canada.
“It is on the back of our growth during the past year and our desire to continue to offer excellent service to our clients that we are delighted to welcome Cathal to adaptive. He brings with him a wealth of experience and a fantastic attitude that I am sure will drive further expansion and help us to solidify our position within our specialties,” said Brian Maher, Chief Executive and founder.
“Five years after the company was founded and four years since our first hire, we are now in a position where clients come to us because they know our reputation as specialists in the areas of data analytics and performance marketing. Although the events of last spring definitely threw us a curve-ball, 2020 turned out to be a transformational year for us; that translated into growth in our revenue and expansion of our team,” continued Brian.
Cathal joins adaptive from William Grant & Sons where most recently he was Global Marketing Effectiveness Manager, working across brands including Hendrick’s Gin, Glenfiddich and Tullamore D.E.W. Prior to William Grant & Sons, Cathal spent several years working with digital agencies ICAN and eightytwenty. As a result, Cathal brings to adaptive senior industry experience from both the agency and client sides.
“I’m thrilled to be joining adaptive and building on the great work already achieved by the team,” commented Cathal. “adaptive’s phenomenal growth to date is testament to the strength of the offering, the team, and of course the results that clients have benefitted from. I look forward to helping to support our clients’ revenue growth strategies, as well as building the profile of the consultancy both here and globally as we create a world-class offering out of Dublin”.
Brian further commented: “We are all about understanding data and translating that intelligence into an advantage that drives growth. Essentially, we use analytics expertise to give our clients the intelligence they need to really understand what is happening, then we link that into our performance marketing offering so that our clients can take full advantage of their new understanding of their data. Cathal’s appointment reflects our ongoing ambition here, his experience will help us to further maximise our client’s investment in performance marketing while being conscious of the wider marketing picture. ”
adaptive is the only consultancy in Ireland to concurrently hold certification as Premier Marketing Partner by Facebook, Premier Partner by Google and Analytics Partner by Google. Based in Dublin, adaptive serves not just the Irish market but clients across the globe that seek specialist knowledge in the areas of analytics and performance marketing.
“We provide a very specialist service offering and as we grew we wanted to retain that focus. Rather than expanding by widening our service offering, we have looked to offer what we do best into international markets. Initially, when we looked outside of Ireland, we took on clients in the UK, then across Europe and two years ago, we began to grow our business in the US. The US is now one of our biggest markets and overall, international business now accounts for a greater proportion of our revenue than domestic business,” said Brian. “Cathal has the international view that we value here at adaptive and we are excited to see where we can take the company with him as our new managing director.”
Liam Boyle, Area Account Manager,
Xeretec Ireland
Xeretec Ireland will expand into the North West through a €500,000 investment in Donegal and Sligo. Xeretec, who has been a trusted partner of Xerox for over 30 years and will invest in new personnel to support this expansion.
Xeretec Ireland General Manager, Tom Cleare said “Xeretec have a strong presence in the West of Ireland and this investment further demonstrates our commitment to the region and our position as industry leaders in managed print. We have responded to Covid-19 with a range of innovative products to facilitate digital transformation and remote working.”
Xerox Managing Director, Mark McPhillips said “Xeretec are a valued partner of Xerox and have been proven to deliver expert client service. This investment will allow us to continue our excellent relationship and deliver cutting edge technology to businesses in the North West of Ireland.”
Established in 1991, with 200 employees and Irish offices in Dublin and Galway, Xeretec specialise in managed print services, digital transformation and remote working capabilities. This investment includes the transfer of managed print service contracts from Xerox and the addition of Donegal native Liam Boyle as Area Account Manager. Xeretec will continue to work with local Xerox support for an enhanced customer experience.
Anne McFarland Independent Non-Executive Director,
Ornua
Pictured: Anne McFarland, Independent Non-Executive Director, Ornua
Anne O’Leary, Independent Non-Executive Director,
Ornua
Pictured: Anne O’Leary, Independent Non-Executive Director, Ornua.
Ornua Co-Operative, owner of Ireland’s iconic Kerrygold brand and the leading exporter of premium Irish dairy products worldwide with revenues of €2.3 billion, has announced the appointment of Anne McFarland and Anne O’Leary as Independent Non-Executive Directors. These new appointments bring a wealth of international experience to the Board of Ornua as the organisation seeks to drive further international growth for premium Irish dairy.
Anne McFarland is a Chartered Accountant with 40 years’ experience in finance, international business, and governance. Currently running her own finance and governance consultancy, Anne’s career has included senior finance roles and directorships with private and listed firms across multiple international markets. Most recently she was an Independent Director for Botswana Diamonds PLC, an AIM listed exploration company, and held senior executive financial positions in Glencore, a global producer and trader in natural commodities and Segezha Packaging, a multinational manufacturer of packaging for the building and food industries, both based in Moscow. She is also a published author on corporate governance. Anne has a BA from Trinity College Dublin, a diploma in Corporate Governance from UCD and a diploma in Law and Sport from the Law Society of Ireland.
Anne O’Leary is a Chartered Certified Accountant with over 40-years’ experience. Most recently, she was a senior audit partner with Ernst & Young where she advised a range of international clients across a wide range of sectors. As audit partner and advisor, Anne worked with an Irish dairy processing company for over ten years gaining in depth knowledge of the Irish dairy industry and international dairy markets. Anne has extensive experience in financial analysis and financial reporting having advised on acquisitions, divestments, restructuring, and debt refinancing. She has served, and continues to serve, on a number of charitable boards including South Munster Money Advice and Budget Services Limited. Anne is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Certified Accountants.
Announcing the appointments, Denis Cregan, Chair of Ornua Co-operative, said: “These key Board appointments cement the new governance structure we started to implement last year to underpin the delivery of Ornua’s ambitious expansion plans. I welcome Anne McFarland and Anne O’Leary to the Ornua Board and look forward to benefitting from their wealth of Irish and international business experience as we support the Ornua executive team in delivering its ambitious growth strategy.”
Commenting on the appointments, John Jordan, Chief Executive of Ornua Co-operative, said ‘The appointment of Anne McFarland and Anne O’Leary represents an important step in the strengthening of Ornua’s board, deepening our expertise and enhancing our international perspective as we face the continuing challenges of operating in a complex global trading environment. I would like to warmly welcome them and personally look forward to strengthening the diversity of thought around the Boardroom table as we look to build on the trajectory of growth Ornua has experienced in recent years working with our member Co-ops and the farmers of Ireland.”
The appointment of two Independent Non-Executive Directors represents the final step in the implementation of Ornua’s new governance structure. The Ornua Board now consists of eight appointees from member suppliers on a non-conflicted basis; three Independent Non-Executive Directors; an appointee from each of the Irish Farmers Association, Irish Creamery Milk Suppliers Association, and the Irish Co-operative Organisation Society and two Ornua Executives. This new structure delivers a modern, fit-for-purpose, co-operative governance model while maintaining a crucial link between Ornua, its members and its farmer shareholders.
Agnese Filippi, Country Manager,
Coca-Cola Ireland
Pictured: Agnese Filippi, Country Manager, Coca-Cola Ireland
The Coca-Cola Company today announced that Agnese Filippi has been appointed Country Manager of Coca-Cola Ireland. The announcement comes as the Coca-Cola Company continues on its transformation journey announcing the creation of a new European Operating Unit.
In recent months Coca-Cola launched a strategic transformation of the company with a focus on emerging stronger from the pandemic and accelerating growth in its operations. In an effort to achieve this the company is creating a more networked organisation which combines the power of scale with local execution.
Part of this transformation involves organising the business around operating units. The new Europe Operating Unit brings together the former Western Europe and Central & Eastern Europe organisations. It includes over 40 countries, stretching from Ireland to Russia, under the leadership of President Nikos Koumettis.
In line with this transformation Agnese Filippi has been appointed to the role of General Manager of Coca-Cola Ireland. Filippi replaces Petre Sandru, following his appointment as Vice-President of Operations for Coca-Cola’s business in China.
Filippi will be responsible for meeting the evolving needs of consumers, positioning the organisation to win in the marketplace and ensuring continued delivery of the company’s long-term growth and success in Ireland.
Filippi joins the Irish business from Coca-Cola Italy and Albania where, as Franchise Manager, she played an important role in creating new business opportunities among different departments and regions. During her time in Italy and Albania, she enabled the portfolio growth working on both sides of the Coca-Cola system, enhancing strategy for the hospitality sector and supporting strong innovation pipeline in still and sparkling beverages categories.
Agnese Filippi, Country Manager of Coca-Cola Ireland said: “I’m delighted to take up the role of General Manager at a pivotal time for Coca-Cola in Ireland. As we continue to navigate an uncertain path out of the pandemic we’ve all lived through, Coca-Cola together with our bottling partner, Coca-Cola HBC are focused on continuing to support our customers, particularly those in the hospitality sector. Sustainability will remain at the heart of our purpose as we accelerate our journey to a world without waste. Central to this will be continued investment in sustainable packaging design, championing greater collection and recycling of our products and partnering with others to make packaging waste a thing of the past in Ireland.”
“Over the past year, we have found new and creative ways to support the community by tailoring our initiatives to support some of the most vulnerable young people who have been impacted by the various restrictions that the pandemic had to impose. I look forward to continuing this work in the months and years to come.”
“As Ireland’s economy and society begins to reopen over the coming months, the Coca-Cola system is committed to partnering with our customers to emerge stronger from the crisis while ensuring we foster innovation across our product line to meet the evolving needs of consumers.”
Prior to joining Coca-Cola, Agnese held a number of senior roles at Ferrero in strategy and marketing. She holds a master’s degree in marketing, communication and sales management.
