Pictured: Deirdre Ryan Director of Sustainability & Quality Assurance Origin Green Programme, Bord Bia

Deirdre Ryan Director of Sustainability & Quality Assurance Origin Green Programme, Bord Bia, talks to the Irish Independent

My job is to develop, implement and monitor our national sustainability programme for farmers, producers, manufacturers and retailers.

Positives on the horizon
We provide guidance and support so people understand sustainability and at the farm level, to increase awareness with farmer feedback is hugely important. On the company side we work with farmers and businesses to improve sustainability. Recently we had 300 companies on a webinar learning about setting emission targets.

When I got the job two years ago it was exciting but scary as the scope to drive momentum for the whole food industry is so wide and there’s a big responsibility to get it right.

I’ve taken opportunities before when I wondered if I could manage, but I know I’m really hard working, will do my absolute best and I’m able to ask for help.

The first six months were challenging, I was being torn in different directions, learning what to do. I started two weeks before the pandemic and we were able to work well online but now I’m extremely excited to be back with the team in mid May when we start our hybrid policy.

Finance
I loved studying International Commerce at UCD, taking Italian as a nice escape from the business subjects. During my Erasmus in Milan was when I got really into athletic training.

After graduating in 2004 I studied at Smurfit Graduate School and went to Belgium for secondment.

Read the full article By Mary McCarthy here. This article was originally published in the Irish Independent on 14 April 2022.