Each month, we put the spotlight on a Tirlán employee and for our August newsletter, we spoke to Lindsay Kavanagh

For newly appointed Belview Site Manager, Lindsay Kavanagh, 2023 has been an epic year so far. They say things come in three’s and so far this year, she’s gotten married to fellow Tirlán employee, Jim Mullins, they are expecting their second child and now the Kilkenny city native has landed her dream job, back where she first began working with Tirlán in 2014.

“I started out as a Team Leader in Belview and moved into various production roles. In 2019, I moved to Ballyragget and into a Process Team Manager role. I was in Ballyragget until May of this year and moved back to Belview for what I thought was a short stint.

“I loved working in Belview. I always did. When I started out here, we were commissioning the plant so I really got to see it grow over the years and enjoyed working with the people here. When I walked back in here in May, it was like I had just been on holidays. I hadn’t been on the site for almost four years, but I settled right back in.
“Because of the time in my life, I wasn’t sure if I’d apply for the Site Manager role or not. But I’d previously slotted right back after my first maternity leave so decided to put my name forward. I talked it through with different people around the business and it wasn’t an issue. Tirlán is the type of working environment that sees you for who you are – not what you are. It values what you can contribute and not what stage in life you are at.

“The company has really grown since I started out. When I started, our focus was on processing milk, now we really put the emphasis on our customers and demand but even with that change, it’s still like one big family.”

Lindsay came to Tirlán directly from Kerry Group where she started out in Coleraine on their Graduate Programme.

“I always wanted to come back home to Kilkenny. Having Tirlán on my doorstep gave me a world of opportunities.

“This new job is my seventh role with Tirlán. Each and every one of them have been absolutely brilliant and I’m very thankful for all of the opportunities I’ve been given. There are very clear progression pathways for employees and plenty of help and support to get there.

“The variety is the best part of my new role, but it will also be the most challenging part, given that much of my experience has been in operations. But I’m eager to learn.”
And while having a two and a half year old keeps her hands full, Lindsay says: “I like to be busy. But to relax, I love spending time with friends and family.

“We have quite a large extended family, with plenty of nephews and nieces to spend time with. We also have dogs and horses so the majority of our time outside of work is spent in the great outdoors. We’re very happy in life and in work and it’s been an incredible year so far. We couldn’t ask for more.”