Getting to Know Seán Molloy
Getting to Know Seán Molloy
Seán Molloy, Tirlán’s CEO Designate, answers the questions on everyone’s minds
Above: Seán Molloy, CEO, Tírlán
Tell us a little about yourself Seán
Along with my wife Fiona and our three children, Katie (17), Jack (15) and Andy (11), I live on our family farm in Co Offaly. My wife and I are both natives of Co Offaly where we returned to live when I started working for what was then Glanbia Plc – having worked and studied in Dublin for the previous 20 years. Growing up on a dairy farm, I have always had a great interest in farming and agriculture, an interest which to a large extent attracted me to working in the dairy industry.
What does it mean to you personally to be Tirlán’s next CEO?
Given its heritage, the calibre and dedication of the people who work for it, the passion of its members and its industry leadership position, Tirlán is an extraordinary organisation. To have the privilege to take on the role of CEO at Tirlán is both deeply humbling and a great honour. This honour is all the more significant given that I am following in the footsteps of Jim Bergin who over a career stretching back 40 years has brought Tirlán to where it is today – an internationally leading Co-op, highly invested and brimming with ambition for its members and employees.
What can employees expect over the coming months as you transition into the new role?
Over the coming months I will be working alongside Jim Bergin and my ELT colleagues to transition into my new role. As Jim is not departing until the late summer, there is a good time period for this transition to take place. In the interim, I will also be focused on continuing with the responsibilities associated with my existing role.
Have you considered what your key priorities will be when you take up the CEO position later in the year?
From a strategy standpoint my approach will be to ‘ensure continuity’, to build on the enormous strengths that this business has established over the years under the stewardship of Jim Bergin and my ELT colleagues.
In an ever changing world, I will also be mindful to ensure the business is positioned to navigate the next chapter of its development. The strategic deployment of our investment funds, an increasing focus on value creation and an ongoing determination to ensure the centrality of our customers to our business strategy will all be critical to our future success.
Along with my ELT colleagues, my focus will also be on continuing to build on the culture of coaching that is the hallmark of Tirlán, to foster the development of our people, to deliver on our D&I and sustainability agenda and to ensure meaningful and rewarding carers for Tirlán’s employees. This focus will ensure Tirlán continues to be a beacon that attracts and retains the very best people in every part of our business. This endeavour will also require us to continue to have the courage to address the hard questions and to make the hard decisions to ensure the long-term prosperity of our Co-op.
My approach will be to continue as a Co-op to put our farm families at the very heart of our organisation’s ambition – striving to develop ‘Our Co-op of the Future’, uniting employees and farmers alike in what is a noble cause.
If there was one thing you were most excited about/looking forward to what would that be?
I have always drawn great energy from engaging with people. In that regard, I am looking forward to interacting with and further getting to know my colleagues throughout the business and indeed with our Co-op members and getting feedback on the ambition we all have for the future of Tirlán.
Tell us one thing about yourself that might surprise people?
I first applied for a job with what was then Avonmore some 30 years ago – and got turned down! At the time the interviewer (who shall remain nameless!) told me during the interview that ‘the job would not suit me’ and I would be ‘better suited to a career in journalism’!
Milk gets Super
Milk gets Super
Avonmore Super Milk’s January campaign is promoting the product’s role in supporting our immune system
As part of our January Avonmore Super Milk campaign, we have been working with a number of influencers and health care professionals to drive education and awareness around the importance of Vitamin D and Super Milk’s role in supporting not only our bone health, but our immune systems too. Sponsored articles from well-known dietitian Orla Walsh have appeared in both national and regional press and we have had great engagement with content from influencers such as Aoibhín Garrihy and Caroline Hassett.
To read more about the importance of Vitamin D, click on our Avonmore Blog Post:
From kids to adults: Vitamin D’s role in your family’s health | Avonmore
Watch Aoibhín Garrihy create some delicious blueberry muffins using Avonmore Supermilk. You’ll find the full recipe below…..
Recipe – Oatmeal Blueberry Muffins
A family favourite, Oatmeal Blueberry Muffins are simple, wholesome and deliciously satisfying. The key to this recipe and the success of these muffins is the very first step… soak the oats in Avonmore Super Milk for 20 minutes. While this step will ensure the perfect texture and taste, adding Avonmore Super Milk which is fortified in Vitamin D ensures you’re also supporting your bone, muscle and immune health too. While the oats and milk soak melt your butter, pre-heat your oven and get your cases set. Mix the dry ingredients, all listed below and your wet ingredients before adding them all together. Once your oats are fully soaked add them, followed by the blueberries. Pop them into the cases and into the oven for five minutes at 220∞C then, keeping the muffins in the oven, reduce the oven temperature to 175∞C. Bake for an additional 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the centre comes out clean. Et Voila! The perfect lunchbox snack or 11 o’clock companion! #AD #AvonmoreSuperMilk #VitaminD
1 cup (240ml) Avonmore Super Milk
1 cup (85g) old-fashioned whole rolled oats
1 and 1/4 cups (156g) all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (8 Tbsp; 113g) unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
1/2 cup (170g) honey
1 large egg at room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup (140g) fresh or frozen blueberries
Making an impact
Making an impact
Tirlán gives back to local communities with €116,000 raised for charity throughout 2023
Tirlán and its employees raised over €116,000 for worthy causes across 2023, funding which is already having a positive impact in communities across the south-east, midlands and north-east.
Tirlán is also proud to directly support our communities through donations of funding and product via our branches and facilities where we have active fundraising and engagement networks.
Through the Tour de Tirlán cycle and the Two Peaks charity climb, over 140 employees raised funds which were shared among the Jack and Jill Children’s Foundation, the Father McGrath Centre in Kilkenny and Amber Women’s Refuge.
A fundraising committee, including employees, selected the charities and elected that Jack and Jill Children’s Foundation should be the lead partner charity for 2023, receiving over €72,000. This has allowed the charity to help fund up to 4,000 specialist hours of home nursing care for 400 children and their families.
The funding also allows Jack and Jill to provide a high quality, agile and efficient care service for extra special children with highly complex medical conditions and end of life care at home with their families, Deirdre Walsh, Incoming Interim CEO said.
“We look after families in every community in Ireland. What we do is provide in-home nursing care and respite care to children who are born with or develop neurological developmental delay associated with cognitive delay. We also look after children through our end of life care service. We give families the gift of time. Time for them to look after their children and do the normal things we take for granted. Demand for our service continues to grow. We have gone from looking after children up to the age of four to up to the age of six, so we now have 400 children nationwide.”
Accepting their donation, Steve Murphy, CEO, Fr McGrath Centre, said: “€22,000 is a lot of money and we can do so much with it. With a corporate donation like this we will build resources that will be there for generations to come,” he said.
Lisa Morris, Manager at Amber Trust, said: “For a local, under-funded service like ours, €22,000 is a huge amount and it will go directly into supporting women and children experiencing domestic violence in Kilkenny and Carlow. It will help provide refuge accommodation, our 24 hour helpline, outreach service, court accompaniment service, play therapy, awareness programmes in the community and more.”
The Tirlán team also provided significant support to the Cois Nore cancer support service in Kilkenny, with both marketing, social awareness and a direct financial contribution of €5,000 provided.
Over the past year, Tirlán was also proud to provide a direct financial contribution of €5,000 to the Riding for the Disabled and assist the charitable organisation with highlighting their nationwide volunteer programme.
Throughout 2023, Tirlán also provided significant financial commitment to agricultural shows and food festivals, such as Savour Kilkenny and the West Waterford Festival of Food.
Presenting the charities with their cheques, Jim O’Neill, Chief Operating & Consumer Officer, paid tribute to his colleagues across Tirlán. “Great credit goes to all of our colleagues who organised all of these events. Many of them were three months in the planning. I know our chosen charities will put this money to very good use. We’re already looking forward to next year’s fundraisers.”
Recognising our Tirlán Trailblazers
Lisa Stewart accepts the overall team award on behalf of the Consumer International Team for UHT
Recognising our Tirlán Trailblazers
The recent Trailblazer Awards celebrate colleagues that personify what living our values means
Recognition is a key part of the Tirlán culture and a simple “well done” and “thank you” can have such a positive impact on people’s lives, Mick O’Leary, Chief People, D&I & Org Development Officer said as he addressed the recent Trailblazer Awards.
The annual Awards celebrate colleagues across the business who were nominated as role models for our four values. We were joined in person by more than 200 people in Abbey Quarter and almost 300 colleagues online to share in the celebration.
Out of more than 120 nominations, nine individual awards were made along with one Team award under Collaborate for Success. Those recognised provide true insight into what living our values means and their stories help us better understand how we can live our values through our own behaviours.
Our values provide clarity for the type of behaviours we aspire to in Tirlán. It’s these behaviours which set the tone and shape a positive workplace culture for all our people. To help us understand what good looks like and how we can individually bring our values to life, we invited employees to nominate individuals or teams across Tirlán you consider to be role models or ambassadors for any one or more of our values.
Among the winners in the value categories were:
- Adapt to Grow recipients Alan Gilliland, Quality Coordinator at Lough Agish and Michael Ryan, Senior Business Manager with the Agri Ruminant Team
- Celebrate Individuality recipients Anne Byrne, Purchasing Administrator with the Procurement team; Ming Lim, Team Lead at the Whey Plant in Balllyragget and Tom Fanning, Training Co-ordinator at Belview
- Collaborate for Success award recipients Frances Holohan, Branch Administrator for Castlecomer, Freshford and Crettyard and Kevin Dunne, Digital Marketing Manager in Abbey Quarter
- Empower & Grow winners Claire Clancy, Process Excellence Specialist at Ballyragget and Connie Murphy, Reporting and Optimisation Analyst with the logistics team in Abbey Quarter.
The overall Team Award went to the Consumer International Team for UHT, represented by Lisa Stewart.
Congratulating all of those nominated and the winners, Jim Bergin, CEO said: “To have so many colleagues nominated and then recognised for these awards is incredible. We have had a very difficult year but we are exiting the year in really good condition. That is down to all the Trailblazers and the work that our full community of 2,300 people do on a day to day basis,” he said.
If you didn’t get a chance to join us, you can watch the recording to hear more.
Chewing the cud with… Eimear O’Connell
Chewing the cud with… Eimear O’Connell
Each month, we put the spotlight on a Tirlán employee and for our January newsletter, we’re talking to Singapore-based Eimear O’Connell
Account Executive for South East Asia, Eimear O’Connell is looking forward to a busy 2024.
The Singapore-based Kildare native moved to Tirlán from Bord Bia just over a year ago and her diverse role sees her involved in everything from managing customer relationships, liaising with distributors and planning Avonmore Professional Launch events across South East Asia.
Tirlán was one of her clients when she worked with Bord Bia and when the role was advertised, she jumped at the opportunity. Irish produce is very much in her DNA. Her grandfather was a dairy farmer and her uncle still farms in Clane, Co. Kildare to this day.
“We’re hiring new chefs in 2024 so we’re looking forward to increasing our chef to chef experience with the brand. This helps our launch events gain traction where we will promote the Avonmore professional brand. We showcase the UHT cream mostly, but also our butter and cheddar cheese. These events also give a great opportunity to interact with customers individually and make the selling interaction more personal.
“It’s a very diverse role. Some days it’s more like an account manager position – I’m managing documents and product orders. Another day could involve doing launch events or visiting a HORECA group in their head offices. It’s fantastic and I get to work with people from all over the world and experience their culture and traditions.
“Singapore is very hot and humid, but you get used to it. It’s very safe, very clean and it’s easy to travel anywhere. I’ve been here for the past two and a half years but I also love to get home to Ireland for Christmas and other family events.”
The Clane native was one of many on the Tirlán team who welcomed the Tirlán board to Vietnam in October. “We shared with them what we do in the market and showed them where their product goes. You can walk into a supermarket at home and see the product on the shelves. The foodservice industry is different and the board were really interested in how their product is used here and what we do to promote it, particularly with the work we do with chefs.
“While our colleagues in Ireland are busiest at Christmas, we also get to see the Chinese New Year and the Thai Water Festival for example. 2024 is shaping up to be equally busy and with more chefs, we will be doing more customer visits, more demonstrations, following new leads and translating them into new business.”
And while Eimear relaxed with family and friends over Christmas, when she’s back in Singapore she loves swimming and hiking. “To relax, I love swimming and going to the beach. I recently got my scuba diving license so I can now dive deeper.”
Our Branch teams ‘Adapt to Grow’
ABOVE: Alan Mooney with his winning entry in our Branch Hacks competition
Our Branch teams ‘Adapt to Grow’
The Adapt to Grow competition winners have been announced
Agricultural Lead, Yvonne O’Neill, has scooped the top prize in the pre-Christmas ‘Branch-Hacks’ competition run among Agri-Retail employees to celebrate the Co-op’s ‘Adapt to Grow’ value.
Yvonne’s SAP Cheat Sheet and bonus Feed Bins Display won her the €200 voucher top prize, with Eamon Kelleher’s Castlelyons Branch Closing Check Sheet and Alan Mooney’s Concrete Trough Marketing entry finishing joint second.
The competition encouraged everyone to share their best ideas, tips and tricks at work, showcasing the processes and procedures that help them in their role, no matter how big or small the impact to increases productivity and efficiency.
Across the business, ‘Adapt to Grow’ clearly demonstrates how Tirlán is open to new ideas and ways of thinking that help us all work more efficiently. To ‘Adapt to Grow’ means being flexible and creative when solving problems in an environment that is always changing. It also means having the courage to think differently and move away from what already exists and challenging the status quo, when necessary.
Oatstanding News!
Oatstanding News!
Avonmore Oats launches in China and the USA
Tirlán consumer category has embarked on an exciting journey in the growing plant-based market with the launch of Avonmore Oats in Ireland in May of last year and the roll-out of Avonmore Oats into China and Truly Gluten Free (TGF) Oat Milk in the USA.
The launch of the oat beverages is another example of our commitment to providing our consumers with choice, using the highest quality, Irish farmed ingredients – fully traceable oats. Furthermore, our oat beverages have a minimal number of ingredients and taste great, which sets us apart from our competitors.
Oat-based products, including oat drinks, are experiencing a significant market growth in China due to their perceived health benefits. Several international brands such as Oatly have contributed to increasing their awareness and are fuelling demand for oat-based beverages.
Avonmore Oats Barista was officially launched at China’s biggest Coffee Festival in Shanghai in October 2023. The product is distributed by Yifan, a major distributor with branches in nine key cities, cooperating with more than 1,000 retailers and sub-distributors across the market. Our focus is to develop the Tea and Beverage channel and eventually build momentum on ecommerce and retail channels.
The US plant market is also experiencing robust growth, with oat milk in particular demand. This is due to its nutritional profile, versatility and more favourable environmental sustainability factors versus other plant products.
We will be launching the Original and Extra Creamy SKUs in the retail channel in February 2024, starting with some key retailers such as The Fresh Market.
Thanks to all the cross-functional teams for bringing these products to market. Here’s to the success of Avonmore Oats in China and to Truly Gluten Free Oat Milk in the USA. This is just the beginning of our ambitious innovation journey in the plant/oat category.
Lifting our game
Lifting our game
The culture of a company is the sum of the behaviours of all its people. In Tirlán, our four values set the standard for our behaviours and thereby clearly set out Tirlán’s aspirations for our culture
In 2022, through collaboration across teams we defined our Purpose and Values and set out what type of culture we aspire to in Tirlán. In order to evolve our culture, we have to understand how we can bring our four values to life in our everyday interactions with colleagues, customers, suppliers and the communities around us. To help us better understand how we can make a difference, we kicked off a programme in October 23 spotlighting a value per quarter.
So far…
‘Adapt to Grow’ was first up and throughout the months of October, November and December, we held Team Conversations to identify behaviours we could change to bring the value to life within our own teams. We showcased Adapt to Grow in action in the Excellence Showcase in November, where examples of innovation and continuous improvement were highlighted across teams and functions. Throughout the quarter, we shared stories of people who role model Adapt to Grow across our business and we also used some traditional games like Connect Four and Jenga to encourage people to embrace the “have a go” mindset and learn from mistakes! Across our retail network the branch teams shared their branch hacks, showcasing how innovative thinking and small incremental changes can bring about improvements for both employees and customers. We ended the year recognising Values Trailblazers across the business.
First Quarter of 2024…
Over this quarter (Jan to March) we will spotlight ‘Celebrate Individuality’. Through this value, we celebrate the value of difference and how different perspectives can make for better outcomes. Throughout the months of January, February and March we will continue our Team Conversations, shifting our focus from Adapt to Grow to Celebrate Individuality. Through education and awareness events and activities, we will share inspirational stories of what good looks like and help disrupt those unconscious biases we all have. Keep an eye out for details of how you can get involved through future editions of Overherd and your normal communications channels.
Everyone has a voice…
It’s very important at Tirlán that all our people, regardless of role or location, have an opportunity to shape our culture in a positive and meaningful way. We all know that for those colleagues who serve customers or work in our production and distribution environments, it isn’t always straightforward to step out for a Team Conversation so in order to give everyone a voice, we will see these teams take time out across our business in January and February to participate in facilitated conversations about bringing our values to life in their workplace. Unlike the rest of the business, these sessions will cross all four values in one sitting, with teams collectively committing to changes in behaviours that will help us all “lift our game” as we further embed our values and evolve our culture.
Innovative Avonmore campaigns kick off 2024
Innovative Avonmore campaigns kick off 2024
New, fresh-looking Avonmore campaigns get the New Year off to a great start
‘Bring Your All’
Towards the end of January, Avonmore Protein Milk will launch ‘Bring Your All’, a fresh-looking campaign featuring athletes across rugby, soccer, GAA and gym. The campaign showcases athletes giving 100% to their sport or exercise and will appear on out-of-home advertising, retail advertising, YouTube, Instagram and TikTok.
To celebrate the launch of the campaign, we have two €150 Life Style Sports vouchers up for grabs. To be in with a chance of winning, please answer the following question.
“Avonmore Protein Milk is available in ‘Cookies & Cream’ flavour – True or False”
Send your entries to employeecomms@tirlan.ie
Closing Date for entry is Friday January 26th
‘More of what’s good for you’
As we start into a new year, Avonmore Slimline Milk’s new marketing campaign wants to inspire everyone to do more of what’s good for you. That could be having more balanced meals, spending more time outdoors, catching up with friends more or simply having more ‘me time’.
To launch the campaign, you’ll find three limited edition cartons of Avonmore Slimline milk in stores now, with the words RECHARGE, RESET and REFOCUS on them. The cartons feature a QR code bringing consumers to a website where they can find out all about the benefits of Avonmore Slimline milk.
Throughout the campaign, consumers will also have the chance to win lots of great prizes that will help them do ‘more of what’s good for you’ including book vouchers, cinema tickets, fitness gear and more. One lucky person will also win a luxury weekend break at Wineport Lodge in Co. Westmeath.
Visit www.avonmore.ie/slimline for more info
Making the grade
Making the grade
Tirlán has been nominated in three categories at the 2024 Green Awards
It’s awards season and the ESG team wanted to make sure that Tirlán gets recognised for the amazing work that’s happening right across the business on sustainability. We were busy in November applying for the 2024 Green Awards and in December, we were informed that we have been shortlisted for all three of the awards we applied for – The Green Large Organisation of the Year; The Green Food & Beverage Award and The Sustainable Energy Achievement Award. The results will be revealed at a gala ceremony on February 27th.
Our applications detailed the wide-ranging sustainability actions that are taking place across the entire company, in line with our Living Proof Sustainability Strategy, at both our sites and on-farm, and across our consumer, ingredients and agribusiness categories.
Just some of the initiatives recognised in our Green Award applications are:
- Reducing our greenhouse gas emissions on farm, facilitated by programmes such as our bespoke and industry-leading incentivisation programme The Sustainability Action Payment, The Twenty20 Beef Club – a partnership with Kepak on enhancing farm sustainability – and our work with ASSAP to improve water, soil and air quality
- The first of our 52 branches in Castlecomer transitioning to a low carbon operating store
- The ongoing work and achievements around reducing plastic use
- Embracing the circular economy through utilising dairy sludge from our processing sites as organic fertiliser (approved by the organic trust and spread under EPA approval)
- And of course, the fantastic work that takes place in Tirlán relating to community engagement and important fundraising activities.
In conjunction with the FarmGen team, we also got shortlisted for the Sustainable Energy Achievement award which outlined FarmGen, its sustainability benefits and the achievements of the programme to date. FarmGen was launched by Tirlán in 2019 as a renewable energy Solar PV scheme for Tirlán members, delivering carbon and cost savings from sustainable energy generation.
Well done to the FarmGen team who have been receiving some well-deserved recognition of late, having also been successful at the Business Excellence Showcase Awards!
It is a fantastic achievement to have been shortlisted for these three prestigious awards and provides well deserved appreciation for the hard work that takes place behind the scenes in delivering on our Living Proof Sustainability Strategy, implementing our ambitious sustainability projects and living out Tirlán’s Purpose, Vision and Values.
We are looking forward to the continued progress and acceleration of our sustainability journey into 2024!