Each month, we put the spotlight on a Glanbia Ireland employee and for our August newsletter, we’re talking to Co-Op Operations Manager Niall Trainor

Co-op Operations Manager, Niall Trainor, is part of a close-knit team based out of Dungarvan which looks after the affairs of 11,000 co-op members, some active in farming, some retired and others deceased.

“Before Project Destiny our team of seven, based in Dungarvan in Waterford, operated in a separate entity from the Glanbia Ireland team. We are now delighted to integrate into the wider Irish business and its 3,500 employees.

“The past few years in particular have been very interesting with lots of growth and change. The acquisition of a stake in the Consumer and Agri businesses in 2017 has enabled us to get close to our colleagues in those businesses through the operation of Trading Bonus and other schemes. I’m lucky to be part of an experienced and committed Co-op team that has dealt with all the change with minimal fuss.”

The Cavan native now lives in Tramore in Waterford, the perfect base from which to pursue his downtime interests in music and theatre, cycling, swimming and “playing bad golf”, Niall says.

There is a great degree of variety in Niall’s role which varies over the calendar year and is also impacted by one-off projects such as Destiny. Many of the key items on the agenda for Niall and his team at the moment stem from Project Destiny, with the completion of the latest spin out of shares to members a key priority. Serving the needs of the Society membership, supporting the Society Council and managing day to day governance requirements form part of the “regular” job.

“Glanbia Ireland has been on a long and sometimes arduous journey over the past decade or more. Going back to our roots as a Co-op owned business augurs well for the future for all concerned. This journey started back in 2012 and it has been a gradual transition since then.

“It’s great to be an Irish business that is 100% Co-op owned. We can continue to run the business commercially but also have some flexibility to support farmers through tough times. It’s critical that we deliver on our promises now, take stock for a while and that we nurture this fantastic business that delivers for our shareholders and for farming communities in provincial Ireland.”