Speakers
Domini Kemp
Domini is an award-winning Euro-toques chef, food writer and entrepreneur. She has completed the Chartered Director Diploma in the IoD and a Pg Dip in Positive Health at the Royal College of Surgeons, Dublin and is currently studying for a Diploma in Culinary Medicine. She is the author of five cookbooks and has recently become CEO of Valence Hospitality – restaurant operators of Nancy Hands Bar and Restaurant on Parkgate Street and Lottie’s in Rathmines, Dublin.
Maureen Gahan
Maureen Gahan joined Bord Bia in 2001 as a Trade Marketing Specialist. She has held responsibility for managing Bord Bia's foodservice programme since 2009. Her role includes developing relationships with buyers and identifying potential opportunities for Irish food and drink manufacturers. Prior to joining Bord Bia, Maureen worked with the Trade Development Institute in Dublin, a seafood importer in Paris and with Enterprise Ireland in their Stockholm office. Maureen holds a BSc in Management and is a graduate of the Dublin Institute of Technology.
Dave Henkes
Dave Henkes is a Senior Principal at Technomic, Inc. and is responsible for directing strategic consulting and research assignments for clients active in the food and beverage industries. Since joining the firm in 1996, Dave has managed a wide variety of multi-client engagements, and has conducted studies in markets around the world including the UK, Mexico, Germany, the Netherlands, and Canada. Prior to joining Technomic, Dave gained international food experience working with Nestle in Frankfurt, Germany. He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in International Studies from The American University in Washington, DC and a Masters of Business Administration degree in Marketing and International Business from the University of Illinois.
Jane Dunleavy
Jane is a Director with RED C Research. She joined RED C in 2015 following her completion of the Masters in Marketing at UCD Smurfit Business School. Prior to this Jane completed a Bachelor’s degree in Hospitality Management at DIT and worked as a Hotel General Manager for 10 years. Jane is a dualist researcher with experience and expertise in both Quantitative and Qualitative techniques. Since joining RED C she has been heavily involved on the Bord Bia account conducting research for a multitude of client companies and across numerous food & drink categories. In her spare time Jane loves to hike, sea swim and paddle board in her native Donegal.
Alex McGettigan
Initially pursuing a career as an actor after completing drama school, Alex started with Hawksmoor in 2011 when he joined as a waiter and bartender in their Seven Dials restaurant in London. In 2018 he took on his first General Manager role at Hawksmoor Knightsbridge and in 2023, when Hawksmoor opened its first Irish operation in Dublin, Alex moved to Ireland to help set up the business. Hawksmoor is the only hospitality company featured in the annual Best Companies to Work For list every year for the past decade. The company has also recently become carbon neutral, planning to be Net Zero by 2030.
David Walsh-Kemmis
David Walsh-Kemmis is the co-founder and co-owner of Ballykilcavan Brewing Company, based on his family farm near Stradbally in Co. Laois. David and his wife Lisa are the 13th generation of his family to live and work there, and all Ballykilcavan beers are made with barley and water sourced from the farm. The company won the sustainability award at the 2022 Small Firms Association awards, was named best small business at the 2022 Sustainable Business Awards and won the overall Agri-Food category in the same awards in 2023. They achieved Gold membership of Origin Green in both 2022 and 2023.
Aisling Kirwan
Aisling Kirwan is a co-founder and COO of Positive Carbon - an award-winning food waste monitoring company, that enables commercial kitchens to track and reduce their food waste - saving them thousands on food bills while reaching their sustainability goals. Aisling has been working in the food waste industry for the past eight years. Prior to starting Positive Carbon with her co-founder, Mark Kirwan, she rolled out food waste reduction initiatives to thousands of food retailers across Ireland, the UK, Australia and Chile, helping to divert millions of kilos of food from landfill. She has been named one of EU’s Top 100 women in Social Enterprise in 2022 and spoke at the 2023 World Economic Forum on how the EU and the world can decarbonise our food systems.
Darina Brennan
Darina is Group Executive Chef at Dalata PLC, Irelands largest hotel group, where she leads a team of 53 Head Chefs across Ireland, UK, Holland and Germany. Darina brings 30 years of industry experience to the role, having previous led Chef teams for the Luigi Malone restaurant group and Fire Restaurant at the Mansion House Dublin. In her role with Dalata, Darina brings a passion and drive for supporting small Irish artisan producers. She believes in training and mentoring younger staff and bringing creativity and passion to her menu development. Sustainability and “doing the right thing” is a huge focus for Dalata PLC. In her spare time, Darina fundraises for Belongto and Maire Keating Foundation.
Pierre Paslier
Pierre Paslier is a London-based Innovation Design Engineer who has spent his career exploring the intersection of design and technology. After completing his studies, Pierre co-founded two startups: Gravity Sketch, which creates 3D designs in virtual reality, and Notpla, which focuses on developing sustainable packaging. Pierre is the Co-CEO of Notpla, where he is dedicated to finding solutions to the global plastic crisis through his work on packaging made from seaweed. Notpla won Prince William’s £1,000,000 Earthshot Prize in 2022. Pierre has a Masters degree from the RCA’s Innovation Design Engineering program and INSA de Lyon. He is a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering Enterprise Hub and a member of the Industrial Advisory Board of Imperial College London, Dyson School of Design Engineering.
Amanda Roche-Kelly
As Managing Director for Just Eat since 2013, Amanda has driven the growth and expansion of the business in Ireland by working hand-in-glove with the company’s 3,600+ restaurant, takeaway, and grocery retail partners; and by responding to the ever-changing consumer landscape in Ireland. Amanda has also been a strong advocate for Just Eat’s partnership with Notpla, which produces seaweed packaging – a sustainable alternative to traditional plastic lined packaging. Prior to joining Just Eat Takeaway, Amanda worked as a Regional Manager with Bewleys Coffee, and as a Senior Brand Manager of Pernod Ricard wines. She holds a BA in Business Studies from Portobello Institute and a Diploma in Marketing & French from DkIT. She is also currently an ambassador for the Women Mean Business Organisation in Ireland and was one of the first WeQual Award winners in September 2019.
Grace Binchy
Grace works as Consumer Insight Specialist with Bord Bia. Grace worked for many years in the field of advertising, working with the Grey Group in London and New York as well as spending a significant period of time with the Publicis Group in Dublin. Her love of insight led her to specialise in consumer research, working for Lansdowne, now Lansdowne MRBI. Grace’s role in Bord Bia involves working with food and drinks companies from start ups to more well established companies, helping them understand the importance of the consumer and develop their brand positioning for the market place.
Jon Davies
Jon joined the Compass family in 2014 and became Managing Director of Levy UK & Ireland in 2018. His interest for all things food and catering, married with his love of sport and leisure mean this is the perfect role for him. Jon says the best part of his job is the variety of working with such prestigious venues throughout the UK and working with great people in the Levy team. Jon is passionate about Levy having a positive social impact, working with client partners to minimise Levy’s environmental footprint and creating a culture of openness, entrepreneurship and diversity. Whilst studying for a politics degree at York University, he worked evenings and weekends as a chef to pay off student debts.
Gordon Hardie
Gordon has 33 years’ experience working in the global beverage; food; and ingredients industries. He is former CEO of Bunge, a leading global agribusiness and food company, with integrated operations that circle the globe and revenues of US$50 billion.
Prior to joining Bunge, Gordon spent 12 years in Australia, where he co-led the IPO for Goodman Fielder Ltd. on the Australian Stock Exchange. A native of Co. Cork, Gordon holds a B.A. in languages and psychology and a higher diploma in education from University College Cork. He also holds an MBA from University College Dublin’s Smurfit Graduate School of Business, where he was honoured as Alumnus of the Year in 2015.