September was a busy month, marking two significant milestones in our graduate programme – a beginning and an ending

On Monday, 9th September, we were delighted to welcome 16 new graduates for their first day in Tirlán and the first day of their Unearth Your Future Graduate Programme. This cohort will work in areas including Finance, IT, Supply Chain, Planning, Marketing, Operations, Quality, R&D, OH&S and Agri. Among the group, we are lucky to welcome back some who have worked as interns with Tirlán previously.

The day began with a warm welcome from Karen O’Brien, who remarked on how delighted she was that such a talented and diverse group of individuals are ready to embark on their careers with Tirlán. She reminded them that they have two years of learning and experiences ahead so to stay patient, curious and open to development opportunities. Next, Lisa Koep presented the group with an overview of Tirlán’s rich and unique history as well as speaking to the diverse portfolio of products and activities.

Her message to the graduates was to share their ideas as they look at Tirlán with fresh eyes. After lunch there was a change of direction and oat lattes all round when Una Flanagan, Mahsa Naghshineh and Sarah Whelan from the R&D team delivered an excellent product demonstration session.

The day ended with a visit from Mick O’Leary, who having started his career on the graduate programme, is ideally placed to give advice on how best to grow your career in Tirlán. Over the next couple of weeks, the graduates will come back together to build their connections as a group and to learn more about Tirlán. Best of luck to all our 2024 Unearth Your Future graduates!

Then, on Friday, 13th September, we celebrated the achievements of our graduates who have completed their journey which started back in 2022. Aoife Murphy opened the event by recognising the remarkable resilience this group has shown over the last two years. She said they have seen more change than most so early in their career and have navigating changes including graduating college and starting their professional lives in Covid times, along with the launch of Tirlán in the middle of their two year programme.

Two of the graduates, Patrick Kehoe and Thomas Shevlin, shared their personal graduate journeys, sharing both their highlights and their challenges. Afterwards five of the graduates showcased their greenbelt continuous improvement projects. All the projects were outstanding and after a competitive voting process, Patrick Hayes’ project was announced as the inaugural Tirlán Challenge winning project. Special thanks to Eoghan Brophy and Michael Phelan for supporting the graduates with their greenbelt projects. We wish Aaron Tynan, Alexander Nulty, Eoin Regan, Kyeesha Glenn-Davi, Louise Lynch, Niall Behan, Patrick Hayes, Patrick Kehoe, Steven Atkinson, John O’Dwyer and Thomas Shevlin all the best as they embark on the next stage of their careers at Tirlán.

With the support of their managers and peers, we look forward to seeing all our graduates thrive in the coming years.