Kavanagh quits PepsiCo to become chief of National Dairy Council

THE National Dairy Council (NDC) has announced the appointment of Zoe Kavanagh as its new chief executive.

Ms Kavanagh, who comes from Naas, Kildare but lives in Dublin, returned to Ireland four years ago after living overseas for 10 years.

She graduated with a BAgSc in Agriculture and Food Engineering from University College Dublin in 1994.

Ms Kavanagh worked with PepsiCo for more than 16 years, and was general manager (Ireland-Beverages) for almost four years.

Before this her roles with PepsiCo included international account manager for food service where she was responsible for 13 European markets, and international customer operations manager.

She has also worked with leading household brand names including 7Up, Pepsi and Gatorade.

Speaking about her appointment, Ms Kavanagh said: “As you would appreciate, the National Dairy Council is at the midpoint in its five year strategic plan and has been involved in a lot of exciting and innovative work.

“I am really looking forward to continuing this and engaging with the diverse audiences that the National Dairy Council work with.”

Chairman of the NDC Dominic Cronin welcomed the appointment and said that Ms Kavanagh brings a unique level of commercial and marketing experience spanning the brand consumer and food service sectors.

“We believe that her strong focus of understanding consumers will be a big asset for the NDC and will contribute significantly to our strategic direction,” said Mr Cronin.

Ms Kavanagh’s appointment was approved by the NDC Board on March 30 and she will start in her new role on April 4, replacing Helen Brophy who has been appointed to a new position in Connacht Gold Co-op.

Mr Cronin paid tribute to Ms Brophy for her contribution to the NDC for the past three and a half years and said he wished her every success and happiness in her new role.