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Please click on their name to find out more about each mentor
Declan is Research, Development and Technical Director at Finnebrogue Artisan, leading a team of technologists who ensure Finnebrogue is at the forefront of market innovation and sustainable food production.
Declan has a degree in Food Science from Queen’s University Belfast and is currently sits on IFST’s Northern Ireland Branch. Declan has spent 20 years working in the food business, with 10 years at Marks and Spencer as a food technologist, managing a range of product categories including confectionary, bakery & cakes, biscuits, prepared fruit, dried fruit & nuts, red meat and poultry. Declan went on to lead the technical and development teams in Tesco Ireland & Northern Ireland, before joining Genesis Crafty who made their name producing handcrafted mince pies, scones and light & fluffy pancakes.
Francesca graduated from University of Leeds in 2020 in Food Science & Nutrition, during this time she completed a placement year as Technical Undergraduate at The Co-op working in the protein team.
Having completed her undergraduate degree Francesca has worked for two start up companies as a product development technologist, for a snacking manufacturer and more recently for a recipe kit subscription service.
Francesca has enjoyed returning to retail, joined M&S as a Graduate Food Technologist in 2022 and working in Bakery and FOTM functions. This role involves working closely with the supply base to ensure products are made safely to agreed standards, and with the category team to develop innovative products and set the quality standard.
Orlagh completed her undergraduate degree in Human Nutrition at Ulster University Coleraine, completing her placement year in the Public Health Nutrition of the Food Safety Authority of Ireland. She then undertook a PhD at Ulster University investigating vitamin D status and musculoskeletal health of care home residents in Northern Ireland which was a collaborative project with the Western Health and Social Care Trust.
After graduating from her PhD Orlagh worked as the PR co-ordinator for FoodNI, working closely with InvestNI and TourismNI to organise events and a series of growth development workshops for food business operators in Northern Ireland. Orlagh is currently working as the Northern Ireland Nutrition Product Specialist for Nutricia. Nutricia is a brand of the multi-national food product corporation Danone.
Orlaghs role consists of delivering regular updates to health care professionals on Nutricias innovative new products, resources and research. During her PhD Orlagh completed the Associate Fellow of the Higher Education Academy qualification and continues to work as a part-time teaching assistant at Ulster University
Barbara Bray MBE FIFST is a Registered Nutritionist and food safety consultant driving and delivering food safety and nutrition strategy for food businesses.
Her leadership roles have included being Co-Chairman of the Oxford Farming Conference and representing the Private Sector Mechanism in interventions at the UN Committee for Food Security in Rome. She is also a Fellow and committee member of IFST, a Governor at Harper Adams University and a trustee of the Nutrition Society.
In 2017, Barbara was awarded a Nuffield Farming Scholarship and travelled to Singapore, Indonesia, Japan, Israel, UK and USA to study international food and farming systems.
In 2019, Barbara was awarded an MBE in the Queen's Birthday Honours list for her 'Services to Food Nutrition’.
Barbara is currently researching diets to protect health of older adults in a doctoral training programme at the Centre for Public Health at Queen’s University Belfast. Her TEDx talk ‘What Youth can teach us about positive ageing’ looks at how we shape our food environment for the young and how we can adapt to better accommodate an ageing society.
Fiona has always had a keen interest in the Agri - Food industry through growing up on a dairy and sheep farm on the shores of Strangford Lough. She developed her interest further when attending Assumption Grammar school in Ballynahinch where she studied Nutrition and Food Science to A level.
In 2018 she was accepted to study BSc Food Quality, Safety and Nutrition with Professional Studies at Queen’s University Belfast. This was an exciting time for Fiona as she gained a great insight into the many career opportunities within the food industry. She completed a placement year at Glanbia Cheese in 2020 within the Technical Services department. Throughout this year, Fiona was offered many new learning experiences in her role which focussed on process and product improvement. The placement year also offered many challenges and rewards which helped Fiona develop valuable experience and expertise in an industry she realised that she would like to pursue a career in.
Returning to final year at Queen’s in 2021, Fiona’s dissertation project involved a study of the impact and control of Listeria species within an Industrial Dairy Plant. Aided by her experience at Glanbia Cheese, Fiona was able to succeed in this project and graduated with a First-Class Honours degree.
In August 2022, Fiona returned to Glanbia Cheese where she is now employed full time as a Technical Service Engineer. In 2023, Fiona was able to experience the exciting transition of the business ownership from Glanbia Cheese to Leprino Foods which will provide many opportunities for her to continue her learning and career progression within the dairy industry.
Victoria completed her undergraduate degree in 2019 in Human Nutrition at Ulster University (Coleraine), during which she completed her placement year as Research Intern at Nutrition Innovation Centre for Food and Health (NICHE).
Following graduation, Victoria took up a postgraduate internship at the Food Standards Agency (FSA), working to develop nutrition policy and legislation in Northern Ireland, and later took up the role at the FSA as a Science and Research Engagement Officer.
Victoria’s current role is the Private Secretary to the Chief Scientific Adviser (CSA) at the FSA. This role involves working closely with the CSA to provide assurance across the FSA’s range of science and evidence, and making sure that this is used to effectively underpin FSA’s strategy and policy making.
Diane Christie has over 25 years’ experience leading Product Development teams. Her career has spanned all food categories, developing, and launching hundreds of successful products with all high street retailers. Skilled in food processing, consumer insight and fast-moving consumer goods, she is currently Head of Innovation & Marketing for ABP Linden Foods since 2019. She is enjoying the challenge and fast pace of the meat industry which was her last unconquered food category! Her responsibilities encompass all Innovation & NPD activities within the ABP Linden and Kettyle sites in Ireland & Scotland.
Previous winner of the Institute of Directors Prize for Marketing & Strategic Management, Diane earned her MBA at the University of Ulster and has supported Product Development modules of Higher education courses throughout Northern Ireland. She is passionate about helping her teams reach their full potential and recognises she can only be as good as the motivated team she manages. She is fully committed to investing time in her team, proving if someone has the right mindset, they can be the best at anything.
Andrea Magill is a dynamic professional with a profound background in the food industry, characterized by a relentless pursuit of excellence and a passion for innovation. Graduating from Loughry in 2006, Andrea earned a her qualifications in Food Science & Technology of Food, coupled with a specialisation in Supply Management, laying the foundation for a remarkable career journey ahead.
Fuelled by a deep-seated curiosity and a drive for continuous learning, Andrea embarked on a diverse career path, traversing through the realms of clinical diagnostics, dairy, bakery, and food-to-go sectors. Each step of the way, Andrea immersed herself in the intricacies of each sector, finding a particular interest for food production and distribution, gaining invaluable insights and expertise.
A defining feature of Andrea 's career has been her leadership in Quality and Technical teams. With an unwavering commitment to uncompromising standards and meticulous attention to detail, Andrea has spearheaded these teams, ensuring that products exceed industry benchmarks for quality and safety.
In 2021, Andrea embraced a new professional chapter, joining a flourishing enterprise poised for growth and innovation. Since starting her journey in Around Noon, Andrea has been instrumental in steering the company towards success, contributing her wealth of experience and visionary leadership to propel its expansion and development.
Beyond her professional endeavours, Andrea remains deeply engaged in encouraging collaboration and knowledge-sharing within the food industry. A firm believer in the power of community and collective progress, Andrea participates in industry events, seminars, and mentorship initiatives, inspiring and empowering the next generation of food professionals.
Today, Andrea stands as a beacon of excellence in the food industry, renowned for her expertise, integrity, and unwavering dedication to advancing the field. With a rich tapestry of experiences and a boundless spirit of innovation, Andrea continues to shape the future of food, leaving a lasting mark on the industry landscape.
Megan joined Finnebrogue in Feb-22 as a commercial executive having recently moved home after completing the Princes’ Foods Commercial Graduate Scheme.She completed a business management degree in Newcastle University where she also headed up a charity during her student days providing food into deprived communities in Newcastle. It was through this she knew that the food industry was the career path she wanted to follow.
During her 2-year graduate programme with Princes she rotated within the marketing, buying & sales team after which she worked as a National Account Manager. Since moving to Finnebrogue Megan has been promoted to Commercial Manager with main responsibility for the Aldi business, the fastest growing account in Finnebrogue with 41% growth.
Sarah Hill started her career in Finnebrogue directly having finished a food degree in Harper Adams University. She started working in the sausage site as a shift QA before being moved to the vegetarian site where she was the only QA for the site. She was a key part of the team during the factory move from that site to the new state of the art vegetarian site opened in December 2020.
After 2 years working in the QA department Sarah took the opportunity to move to the Technical department as Quality Technologist where she became all the key contact regarding product quality – from logging, trending and investigating customer complaints to working with the sites to improve quality using all the available metrics. Most recently she has become the technical site lead for the sausage site where she works closely with the shift QA team and all departments to ensure the smooth running of the site on a day-to-day basis. Sarah is a great example of using skills gained to progress through a business and taking opportunities to progress when available.
Melissa graduated from Ulster University with a BScHons Business with Psychology Degree.Thereafter she commenced her career in recruitment with a large global recruitment company where she quickly progressed through the ranks to manage a team gaining experience across a range of specialisms.
She went onto gain experience across executive search before moving to another FTSE 100 large recruitment organisation where she managed key contracts and teams for clients such as Lloyd’s bank, Almac and Finnebrogue. Melissa then moved to Join Finnebrogue to focus on attraction, culture and employer branding at Finnebrogue.
Melissa is Head of Talent setting the strategy for Talent Attraction, Development and Retention strategies for the organisation. Melissa is also Vice - Chair of the NMD Labour Market Partnership supporting employment and education initiatives across the district.