MD has successor by his side for results

Succession was clearly a core element of the message being delivered by Glanbia at the unveiling of its half-year results yesterday in Dublin.

Due to step down at the end of this year, Glanbia’s outgoing group managing director John Moloney, was joined by his imminent successor and long-time colleague, Siobhan Talbot, for the by now familiar roll-out of positive group figures.

“We have delivered double-digit growth consistently for the past three years, and we have been delivering good results for our shareholders every year since 2000,” John Moloney summarised.

Nothing is being left to chance in this well-flagged managerial handover. The group finance director before taking on her role as managing director designate, Talbot has been a key player in the group’s success for the past 20 years.

Having spent two years working with PwC in Australia with her husband at the end of the 1980s, Talbot was still with PwC when the couple returned to Dublin in 1989. She joined Waterford Foods in the early 1990s, and soon rose to financial controller, a role she held when Waterford merged with Avonmore Foods to form Avonmore Waterford Group (AWG) in 1997.

With AWG rebranding to Glanbia in 1999, Talbot has been in senior financial roles with the group ever since. John Moloney’s confidence in handing over the baton is quite understandable.

Moloney said: “Our recent management changes put in place an excellent team to continue to drive the business forward and to evolve the long-term strategy that will deliver the next phase of growth. Overall, Glanbia is in a strong position to capitalise on its unique portfolio of global businesses, development opportunities and strong balance sheet.”