A day in the life of an Origin Green Ambassador

"It’s not every day you get to travel the world, continue to grow your career and leave with a world class masters at the end of it."

A day in the life of and Origin Green Ambassdor

"After working for five years, it was refreshing to be a student again and have the opportunity to question and discuss issues related to sustainability with a diverse group of peers, professors, professionals and other industry experts."

I have always had an interest in food and agriculture and after studying Food and Agri-Business Management in UCD I worked in a commercial role for an animal feed ingredient importer in Ireland. Here I gained a lot of experience in global supply chains but also became more aware of the growing need for action on sustainability in supply chains in Ireland and globally. Eventually, I knew I wanted to focus more on sustainability, and I was fortunate to gain a place on the Origin Green Programme to help me achieve this goal.

Throughout my time on the programme, I was encouraged at every stage to learn and take as much as I could from our modules and placements. After working for five years, it was refreshing to be a student again and have the opportunity to question and discuss issues related to sustainability with a diverse group of peers, professors, professionals and other industry experts. During the programme I moved to London to work in the wholesale and then retail industry, during these two placements I experienced first hand the challenges and opportunities related to sustainability for these two very different supply chains in the food industry. My final placement was with an environmental consultancy, here the importance of collaboration between businesses, NGOs, governments, and civil society was highlighted and I experienced what collaboration can look like. Each placement brought different experiences and I enjoyed the variety; in some I was able to focus on areas linked to my previous work experience but in all I was encouraged to work on different areas of sustainability that were relatively new to me.

What I enjoyed most about the Origin Green Programme was getting the opportunity to work in different types of leading businesses on different projects, meeting and becoming friends with interesting and passionate people I would never have met otherwise and representing the Irish food and drink industry abroad. During the programme I got the opportunity to attend conference’s, supplier meetings, NGO meetings and I also met with stakeholders from technology providers to government departments. The Origin Green Programme is well known and respected in many placement companies which can help you hit the ground running but it is also great to go to a new company where you can introduce or enhance what they know about Origin Green, Bord Bia and the great food and drink producers we have here in Ireland. 

A day in the life of an Origin Green Ambassador

"I have learnt so much from the other (fantastic) Origin Green Ambassadors and brilliant colleagues I have met along the way. The programme is a fantastic opportunity to build a strong network in the industry – which is really important as I have learned over the course of the programme just how small the food sustainability space is."

I joined the Origin Green Ambassador programme in September 2021 having completed a masters in Co-operatives, Agri-food and Sustainable Development the previous year. Prior to that I had spent 3 years working as a Food & Agribusiness Consultant where I worked with a range of client types across the food supply chain. I have always been interested in agriculture and grew up on a mixed livestock farm in Co. Cork.

During my time on the Origin Green Programme I did a 1-year placement with McDonald’s in a hybrid role with their Global Impact and UK & I sustainability team, and I am currently in the middle of a 6-month placement in the Environment team with Tesco. I have been based in London for all of my placements which I have really enjoyed. Throughout the programme I was fortunate enough to attend different events such as the EAT DRINK THINK Sustainable Nutrition event run by Kerry and the Sustainable Food & Drink Conference held in London. I also got onto farms through supplier or knowledge-sharing visits – for example I went to FAI regenerative farm in Oxford which was an amazing opportunity to see regen-ag in practice.

I am currently on my placement with Tesco, and on a typical day I will either travel to the Tesco head office based in Welwyn Garden City, or their central office which is based in Farringdon. My work in Tesco is focused on developing their nature strategy and a lot of my time is spent identifying biodiversity risk hotspots in their supply chain. Tesco has a longstanding partnership with WWF and it is really exciting to see in practice the projects taking place and the impact being made through the partnership. One thing I really enjoy about this role is that I spend a lot of time talking to various start-ups or tech companies who provide innovative nature-based solutions to see if they could play a role in enhancing nature and biodiversity – not just in Tesco’s supply chain but at a wider landscape level.

The most enjoyable aspect of the programme for me has been meeting so many amazing people in the sustainability and wider food industry. I have learnt so much from the other (fantastic) Origin Green Ambassadors and brilliant colleagues I have met along the way. The programme is a fantastic opportunity to build a strong network in the industry – which is really important as I have learned over the course of the programme just how small the food sustainability space is.

I think people should apply for the Origin Green Ambassador Programme as in my experience, the placement opportunities have been second to none and it is a fantastic way to gain a masters in sustainability in a really practical and hands on way.