Michael Bell OBE
Executive Director
Michael has over thirty-two years’ experience in the food industry. Prior to joining NIFDA he worked in the bakery trade in Northern Ireland and Malta for twelve years. During this period he worked closely with major retailers and obtained a place on the senior management board of Ormeau Bakery. Michael holds a Food Science (Hons) degree from The Queen’s University of Belfast. He is also a Chartered Scientist and a Fellow of the Institute of Food Science and Technology. He holds a Diploma in Company Director from the Institute of Directors. He has been instrumental in the development of NIFDA since its foundation in 1996.
Dr. Anna Monaghan
Business Development Executive
Dr Anna Monaghan joined NIFDA as Business Development Executive in January 2025. Anna graduated with 1st Class Honours BSc Food Quality, Safety and Nutrition with Professional Studies from Queen’s University, Belfast in 2018. She then went on to complete her Doctorate focused on maternal nutrition during pregnancy on neurodevelopmental outcomes of offspring, graduating in 2021 from Ulster University. From 2021-2024 she was STEM Network Lead for NI, working with a diverse range of companies across NI and mainland UK, with a specific focus on food companies and outreach work with young people interested in pursuing further studies/careers within the food sector. Anna has gained experience across the food sector over the last decade including working with the Product Optimization team at GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) in London and time spent within the hospitality sector in Baltimore, Maryland, USA She has been actively involved in the IFST since her student days being the UK Student Chair for 2 years and is the current Secretary for the NI committee. Outside of her passion for all things food related, Anna is a classically trained Grade 8 singer and loves music, walking and yoga in her spare time.
Harry Hamilton
Project Manager
Harry has been involved in the food and drink industry for 35 years, specialising in the field of business development. During his career, he has worked for some of Northern Ireland’s biggest food companies such as Moy Park, Dale Farm and Irwin’s Bakery. During his time with NIFDA, Harry managed the Access 6 programme which assisted 30 Northern Ireland food companies in developing food and drink export sales across Europe and USA. Since 2013, he has managed EU projects focusing on the areas of food exports, healthy food development and promoting sustainability within the sector. Working with Invest Northern Ireland, he also facilitated the Harvesting Tomorrow’s Skills collaborative network, looking at the key employment issues of skills gaps and sector attractiveness within the Northern Ireland food and drink industry.
Our Board
Governance – The NIFDA board meets four to five times a year. A chair is appointed by the board for a period of two years. We have a chair, a vice chair and an executive director.
Professor Ursula Lavery MBE
NIFDA Chair
Technical and R&D Director Pilgrim's Europe (including Moy Park) Ursula joined Moy Park in 1987 as a Marketing Executive having graduated with a BSc (Hons) in Food Science from Queen's University, Belfast. Ursula moved into Technical and Quality Management the following year and since then has steadily helped build Moy Park's reputation as a leading food company with absolute commitment to animal health, food safety and quality. Appointed to the Executive Board as Technical Director Europe in 2013, now Technical and R&D Director Europe, Ursula is responsible for an integrated Europe-wide Technical organisation. Recognised as a leading authority on Food Safety and Poultry research, Ursula sits on several advisory bodies including IGD Technical Leadership Forum, Chilled Food Association (CFA), Food Industry Initiative on Antimicrobials (FIIA) where she is a founding member, and serves on the Food Industry Liaison Group of the Food Standards Agency NI. Ursula has previously sat on the Food Standards Agency (FSA) Acting on Campylobacter Together (ACT). She is a board member and Vice Chairperson of the Northern Ireland Food and Drink Association (NIFDA), both the Industrial Advisory Board of the Institute for Global Food Security (IGFS) and the AgriFood Quest Competence Centre at Queen's University Belfast, and is a Non-Executive Director of both the Centre for Innovation Excellence in Livestock (CIEL) and GS1 UK, which seeks to apply international standards via barcodes to consumer goods, healthcare products and more. Over the years, Ursula's impact beyond Moy Park has been recognised with a series of industry awards including a NIFDA Award for Outstanding Leadership during Covid-19; ‘International Director of the Year’ from the NI Institute of Directors in 2021; and a Women in Business leadership award in 2016. In 2022 Ursula was appointed honorary 'Professor of Practice' at the IGFS and School of Biological Sciences at Queen's University Belfast. Ursula was awarded an MBE in His Majesty the King’s New Year’s honours list 2023. Ursula is community spirited and amongst various charitable and community activities has volunteered in the Big Beehive Build in Tanzania with the charity Farm Africa. It was an experience that will last a lifetime and has brought attention to the importance of biodiversity and sustainable business.
George Mullan
NIFDA Vice Chair (outgoing)
Managing Director ABP Food Group George Mullan studied Business Studies at the University of Ulster before commencing his career with ABP Food Group in 1986. George has worked for ABP Food Group for 30 years managing facilities in Longford, Ravensdale and Clones. Previous to that he worked in the ABP facilities in Cahir and Waterford. He played a key role in ABP’s entry into the Polish beef processing sector and was involved in the initial acquisitions there. In early 2016 George was appointed Managing Director of ABP NI. ABP NI comprises of 2 processing facilities – Lurgan and Newry – which process 2500 cattle and 3000 sheep per week and employ over 650 people over both sites. ABP NI serves all the leading retailers in NI and mainland Britain. ABP NI has recently collaborated with Fane Valley in a 50/50 joint venture of Linden Foods.
Simon Fitzpatrick
NIFDA Vice Chair
Simon Fitzpatrick Group Commercial Director, Coca-Coca HBC Cola‑Cola HBC is the one of world’s largest bottlers of beverages from the Coca-Cola Company. Coca-Cola HBC Northern Ireland Limited employs over 450 employees to produce, distribute, market and sell a wide range of beverages. The portfolio includes international brands such as Coca‑Cola, Fanta, Sprite and Schweppes, as well as local brands such as Deep RiverRock and Fruice. As a Business Graduate of the University of Ulster, Simon started his career in 2002 at Coca-Cola HBC. He progressed through the commercial function and has held a number of key positions in Field Sales and Key Account Management, culminating as Customer Director from 2014 to 2018. Simon spent one year outside CCHBC working as Director of Sales and Marketing for the Irish Football Association. Simon returned to CCHBC in 2019, as the acting Commercial Strategy & Insights Director, a role in which he led the company's Revenue Growth Management strategy. In March 2020, Simon was appointed to the position of Commercial Director, with responsibility for driving sustainable revenue growth for the business, leading a commercial team of 330 people. Simon joined the NIFDA board in 2023. Outside of work, Simon’s ingredients for a perfect day would be spending time with family, a walk and a coffee at the beach along the north coast and watching Tottenham Hotspur!
Peter Henry
NIFDA Honorary Treasurer
Managing Director Allied Bakeries Ltd Peter has a Degree in Mechanical Engineering and also holds an MSc in Engineering and Manufacturing Management. He is currently employed as General Manager of Allied Bakeries Ireland. He is responsible for Allied Bakeries in Ireland, producing and selling a range of bread products under the Kingsmill, Sunblest, Burgen and Allison brands. Peter’s previous roles included General Manager, Neill’s Flour, Production Manager, Michelin Tyres Plc, Ballymena, Northern Ireland. Peter began his career as a graduate Engineer with the Peugeot Motor Company in Coventry England, working in Quality Engineering and managing a Technical Centre. He also worked with the Dealer network in the Service Division, returning to Manufacturing and worked in Production and Human Resources.
Michael Bell OBE
NIFDA Executive Director
Executive Director Northern Ireland Food and Drink Association Michael’s passion for food began as a small boy, watching his father work in the family home bakery, with an early memory of a mountain of marzipan inspiring a career dedicated to food and drink. Michael graduated from Queen’s University Belfast with a Food Science (Hons) degree. He is a Chartered Scientist and a Fellow of the Institute of Food Science and Technology. He holds a diploma in Company Direction from the Institute of Directors and is a Chartered Director and has also studied at McGill University, St Joseph’s University, Cornell University and Cranfield University. For 12 years, Michael worked in the bakery trade in Northern Ireland and Malta. During this period, he worked closely with major UK retailers and was the youngest member on the senior management board of Ormeau Bakery. Since its foundation in 1996, Michael has been instrumental in the development of the Northern Ireland Food and Drink Association (NIFDA). He also led the development of the Northern Ireland Food Chain Certification Ltd and the redevelopment of Taste of Ulster. Michael is currently a Board Member of Agri-Quest and has held similar roles with AgriSearch and safefood. From 2018-2023 Michael served as Vice President of the Institute of Food and Science Technology. Michael supported the establishment of FareShare in Northern Ireland in 2014. For many years, Michael has been a respected judge of various food and drink awards – at both local and national levels. He has also been instrumental in a number of European collaborative projects. With just shy of four decades’ experience working in the food and drink industry, Michael remains passionate about inspiring the younger generation into a rewarding and stable career in the world of food and drink, “where every conceivable career aspiration already exists and is, in fact, flourishing.” When he is not savouring good food and drink, Michael enjoys sailing and hill walking.
Gordon Donaldson
NIFDA Board Member
Gordon Donaldson is the Chief Executive Officer of John Thompson and Sons, the leading animal feed manufacturer in Northern Ireland and the largest multispecies mill in Europe. Gordon has a Degree in Agricultural Science, a Masters from Queens University Belfast, and an MBA from the University of Ulster. Gordon has worked in the animal feed industry for his whole career, starting with Thompsons following his graduation 25 years ago. His interest in different agricultural markets has taken him to the United States with Lallemand Animal Nutrition, before his return to Thompsons in 2007 to secure the role of Sales Director. Thompsons was founded in 1870 and has a long history of providing nutritional advice and quality feed to producers and businesses within the ruminant, pig and poultry sectors of the Irish Animal Feed industry. Combining over 150 years’ experience, with a constant drive to create innovative solutions to modern problems, ensures that Thompsons is leading the way in creating a sustainable future for agriculture.
Nick Whelan
NIFDA Board Member
Group Chief Executive Dale Farm Nick Whelan is CEO at Dale Farm, the largest UK farmer-owned cooperative, owned by 1,300 UK farmers. Dale Farm employs 1,250 people at 8 sites, located across the UK and supplies a wide range of products into the retail, foodservice, ingredients and sports nutrition markets globally. He is also a member of the Food and Drink Sector Council for the UK, Chair of the CBI Northern Ireland’s Innovation Forum and a Board member at Dairy UK and Dairy UK Northern Ireland. In December 2018, Nick was also elected as a member of the Agricultural Forum. Previous to his appointment as Group Chief Executive of Dale Farm, Nick was Commercial Director in Ireland’s largest dairy business, Glanbia. Responsibilities included sales, marketing and business development activities for a billion-euro business, with sales activities into 60 countries globally from 2007 – July 2016. Nick also held senior management positions in the Kerry Group from 1995 – 2006. These included Business Unit Director for Kerry Sweet Ingredients based in Worcestershire UK for 10 years. Nick graduated from University College Cork in 1995 with a Bachelor of Commerce degree.
Tracy Hamilton MBE
NIFDA Board Member
Founding Director/Brand Director Mash Direct Award-winning entrepreneur Tracy Hamilton MBE, is a founding Director at Mash Direct (www.mashdirect.com). The innovative brand combines six generations of the Hamilton family’s farming expertise to produce an extensive range of delicious and award-winning ‘field to fork’ vegetable accompaniments, created fresh on their farm with the true taste and texture of home cooking. Mash Direct is headed by the Hamilton family team: husband and wife Martin and Tracy and their sons, Lance, and Jack. Mash Direct was established after Tracy and Martin decided to diversify their farm by adding value to their wholesale farming business. Tracy studied Business Studies at the University of Ulster and is a descendent of the renowned Mackie’s engineering family. Having always had a keen interest in marketing and brand development, she has been instrumental in turning Mash Direct into a household name and a pioneering brand throughout the UK and Ireland. In the 2020 New Year’s Honour List, Tracy was awarded an MBE in recognition of her unwavering commitment to growing and developing food and drink companies across Northern Ireland, as well as championing diversity in the agri-food sector. Tracy’s day-to-day role sees her immersed in the sales and marketing aspects of the business, building the brand, promoting the company domestically, nationally and internationally as well as developing Mash Direct’s corporate social responsibility profile to give back to the local community as much as possible. Tracy has been integral to the brand’s accelerated expansion and marketing strategy and has helped to grow Mash Direct into a national household name with a portfolio of over 50 products. Tracy was the first woman to sit on the Board of NIFDA (Northern Ireland Food and Drink Association) as well as serving as a Visiting Professor at the Ulster Business School at the University of Ulster and a Director of Food NI for over ten years. Amongst her many interests, Tracy is involved in the gardening world and manages their family home, a Historic Demesne on the shores of Strangford Lough. She is also a Director of the Northern Ireland Heritage Gardens trust and sits on the committee of the Irish Tree Society and is Vice President for Ireland of the International Dendrology Society. She is also a very active volunteer on the Mencap Special Events Committee and has been organising high profile events for Mencap since 1986. Tracy won Outstanding Business Woman of the Year at the Women in Business Awards in 2015. She was the only non-entry category and selected solely on judges’ discretion for her business acumen, entrepreneurial vision, and inspirational work ethic. Tracy has also previously won SME Director of the Year at the Northern Ireland Director of the Year awards in 2013 and was shortlisted for the Mid-Market Director of the Year in the UK Finals 2014. Tracy has won numerous entrepreneurial and agricultural awards including: • MBE for Services to the Northern Ireland Agri-Food Sector 2019 • Associateship of Royal Agricultural Societies (ARAgS) 2016 • Best Food Hero 2016 - Grow, Make, Eat, Drink Awards • Outstanding Businesswomen of the Year 2015 - Women in Business Awards • Finalist in the Mid-Market Director of the Year 2014 - Institute of Directors Awards • Agri-Business and Innovation Award 2013 - Women in Agriculture Awards • SME Director of the Year 2013 - Northern Ireland Director of the Year Awards • Best in Marketing/Communications 2011 - Women in Business Awards
Brian Irwin
NIFDA Board Member
Chairman Irwin’s Bakery Brian Irwin is Chairman of Irwin’s Bakery (W D Irwin & Sons) based in Portadown. The bakery was established in 1912 and now employs 400. Irwin’s Bakery bakes a wide range of all breads for NI and ROI supplying all major stores and supermarkets. Also known in GB for its range of Irish breads and its Howell House range of cakes and buns. They are available in all the multiple stores. “Keeping the customer to the forefront and being prepared to adapt and change has been key to our growth, as well as capitalising on the attractive provenance of the traditional products that we bake.” Outside of work, Brian supports Portadown and Irish Rugby.
Arthur Richmond
NIFDA Board Member
Group Chief Executive Officer SHS Group Arthur Richmond is the Group CEO and Board member at SHS Group. A graduate of Queen’s University Belfast, Arthur qualified as a Chartered Accountant with Grant Thornton. He has held various senior roles within the Group and is responsible for the business’ strategic direction. Founded in 1975, the SHS Group operates in the fast-moving consumer goods sector in the UK and Ireland. The Group owns WKD, Shloer, bottlegreen, Rocks, Meridian nut butters, Zip firelighters and distributes other major brands on behalf of national and international brand owners. SHS Group is also the largest supplier of own label Herbs & Spices and Condiments in Great Britain.
Tony Demaine
NIFDA Board Member
Site Director Cranswick In his role as Site Director at Cranswick, Tony is responsible for primary processing of pork and pig farming in Northern Ireland. Tony has worked in the meat processing industry all of his career and has held various senior roles in Karro, Tulip, George Weston Foods (ABF) and Grampian Country Foods in sites across England and Australia moving to Northern Ireland as part of Cranswick’s purchase of their Ballymena site in 2016. Tony has overseen the doubling of the turnover in NI for Cranswick from 70million to 150 million per year and employing almost 500 people. Tony has a passion for sustainability both environmental and for the farming sector in Northern Ireland. In addition to his role on the NIFDA Board, Tony is also vice chair of the Pork and Bacon Forum and is a member of the Institute of Meat (IoM).