Bord Bia, the Irish food board, has appointed Conor O’Sullivan to the position of UK market manager.
Based in London, O’Sullivan succeeds Donal Denvir in the role and will be tasked with growing opportunities for Irish food businesses within UK retailers.
He brings more than a decade of international experience to the role, having most recently served as Bord Bia’s China market manager.
The UK remains Ireland’s largest export destination for food and drink, accounting for over 30% of total exports and worth €5.7bn (£5.1bn) in 2024, a 9% increase from 2023, according to Bord Bia data.
This highlighted the UK market’s continued strategic importance to the Irish food and drink industry, it added.
“Conor has demonstrated exceptional leadership and strategic insight during his time in China, navigating one of the most complex markets through the historically disruptive period of Covid and its aftermath,” said Shane Hamill, director of global business development at Bord Bia.
“Over the past five years in Shanghai, Conor has consistently leveraged his strong relationship skills and strategic insight to keep Bord Bia relevant and impactful in a famously fast-moving and complex market,” Hamill added.
“In the UK, Conor will safeguard Ireland’s global reputation and competitive advantage as a producer of quality sustainable food, utilising our pioneering food and drink sustainability programme Origin Green. I’m confident his experience and energy will bring fresh momentum to our work in the region.”
O’Sullivan began his career in Beijing on Enterprise Ireland’s graduate programme, supporting export growth and providing market advisory for Irish SMEs across China.
He joined Bord Bia in 2016 as a market specialist in Shanghai, where he played a “pivotal role” in the launch of Irish beef in China and transformed promotional strategies for Irish pigmeat.
In 2020, he was promoted to China market manager where he led Bord Bia’s team in Shanghai to devise market strategies, enhancing trade and consumer insights, and executing B2B and B2C campaigns to unlock opportunities and strengthen preference for Irish dairy, meat, seafood and drinks in the country.
O’Sullivan said he was “thrilled” to be joining the Bord Bia team in London “at such a critical time for Irish food and drink exports”.
The UK and Irish food and drink industries shared “an unparalleled level of interconnectivity”, he said. “I look forward to supporting even closer collaboration with our retail, foodservice, manufacturing, and wholesale partners across the UK – leveraging Ireland’s expertise and driving progress in key areas such as sustainability, supply chain resilience, nutrition and innovation.”
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