This event has passed. Stay tuned for updates on the next Northern Ireland Food and Drink Annual Dinner, taking place on 16th October 2025!
Investment will be key to making Northern Ireland food and drink production more sustainable, guests were told at the 28th Northern Ireland Food and Drink Association (NIFDA) annual dinner.
Ursula Lavery MBE, NIFDA Chair and Technical and R&D Director at Pilgrim’s Europe, said the continued sustainable growth of the food and drink industry locally is also crucial to protecting the 113,000 good jobs supported by the sector and its role in feeding 10 million people worldwide.
Held in partnership with KPMG Ireland, the NIFDA annual dinner took place at the Hilton Hotel, Belfast on Thursday 3rd October, where Ivan Ryan, Regional Managing Director at Lidl Northern Ireland was keynote speaker. With over 250 industry representatives and government stakeholders in attendance, the event is a key fixture in the calendar of Northern Ireland food and drink and the wider business community.
The programme for the evening (2024) is as follows:
5:30pm | Drinks Reception with Industry |
7:10pm | Introduction and Welcome – Michael Bell OBE, NIFDA Executive Director |
7:15pm | Sponsor Address – Russell Smyth, Head of Sustainable Futures, KPMG Ireland |
7:25pm | Address – Professor Ursula Lavery MBE, NIFDA Chair |
7:35pm | Keynote Speaker – Ivan Ryan, Regional Managing Director Lidl Northern Ireland |
7.55pm | Thank you – Simon Fitzpatrick, NIFDA Vice-Chair |
8:00pm | Dinner |
10:30pm | Close |
Dress Code – The attire for the evening will be business dress.
Ticket Prices
TICKETS SALES ARE CURRENTLY CLOSED.
If you have any changes or queries regarding your purchased tickets please email Karen at karen@nifda.co.uk
If you have any further queries regarding the Annual Dinner please reach out to nifda@morrowcommunications.com
Keynote Speaker
Ivan Ryan is the Regional Managing Director for Lidl Northern Ireland.
Prior to his appointment in August 2023, Ivan was Senior Director of IT and Chief Information Officer at Lidl Ireland & Northern Ireland.
Ivan has been with the company since 2007 and has worked across many areas of the business, both locally and internationally, holding senior positions within HR, operations and finance.
With a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Accounting from the Technological University of the Shannon, Ivan also has a diploma in Employment Law from Technological University Dublin.
A Laois native, Ivan currently resides in Belfast where he leads the retailer’s operations across the region from Lidl’s Regional Distribution Centre based in Nutts Corner, County Antrim.
He enjoys spending time in Northern Ireland with his wife Marina and daughters Sophie and Holly,
In 2024, Lidl Northern Ireland celebrated its milestone 25th anniversary, having opened the doors to its first store in the island of Ireland at Cookstown in May 1999.
Ivan Ryan
Regional Managing Director
Lidl Northern Ireland
