FDBusiness.com

Kepak Group, one of Europe’s leading meat producers with 15 manufacturing plants in Ireland and the UK, has appointment experienced food business professional Brian Farrell (pictured) as the new CEO of its Kepak Foods Division. Kepak has grown from a family-run butcher shop on Dublin’s Francis Street to an internationally operating, multi-faceted food innovator, employing over 5,000 people across 43 countries.

Kepak Foods Division is home to th group’s value added food concepts. This includes brands such as Rustlers, Feasters, Stript Snacks and Big Als that are found in retailers across the UK, Ireland and Europe. It also supplies foodservice market across Ireland, the UK and Europe with a range of high quality beef, chicken and pork based products.

Prior to joining Kepak, Brian held several senior executive positions with Glanbia plc and IBI Corporate Finance. Most recently, Brian was a member of the Glanbia Nutritionals executive leadership team with global responsibility for product management across a range of activities in the nutrition sector as well as leading all corporate development activity. Having trained as a chartered accountant with KPMG, Brian was previously a director of IBI Corporate Finance, providing M&A, funding, and strategic advice to a range of clients across industry sectors.

Speaking about the appointment, Kepak CEO, Simon Walker, said: “We are delighted to have Brian join the Kepak team as CEO of our Foods Division. Brian is a leader with a proven track record in managing businesses for growth and driving acquisitive development. I look forward to working alongside Brian and wish him every success in his new role.”

Brian is a fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in Ireland.