Press release
Tánaiste announces 2 new appointments to the Board of Enterprise Ireland
From Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment; Enterprise Ireland
Published on
Last updated on
From Department of Enterprise, Trade and Employment; Enterprise Ireland
Published on
Last updated on
The Tánaiste and Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment, Leo Varadkar TD, is pleased to announce the appointment of Jim Woulfe and Lucinda Woods to the Board of Enterprise Ireland (EI).
Commenting on today’s announcement, the Tánaiste said:
"Last week’s results, which show a record increase in jobs of almost 12,000 last year, demonstrate the strength of Irish businesses, across every part of the country. This has been in spite of the immense difficulties of the past couple of years. Enterprise Ireland has done phenomenal work and will continue to play a pivotal role as we build on this in the period ahead.
"I wish Jim and Lucinda the very best of luck as they take on this new challenge. I’m confident their previous experience will bring a huge amount to the board and they will be very well-placed to help businesses get back on their feet after this extraordinary period."
Terence O’Rourke, Chairman of Enterprise Ireland said:
"I would like to extend a warm welcome to Lucinda and Jim to Board of Enterprise Ireland. Their vast business experience will be a valuable asset to our Board, and I look forward to working with them in the coming years to ensure that Enterprise Ireland assisted companies continue to make a very important contribution to economic activity across all parts of the country."
Jim Woulfe, Chief Executive of Dairygold Co-Operative Society until December 2021 when he retired after 42 years’ service. Dairygold is a leading global Agri & Dairy company with locations in Ireland, UK, Germany, Spain and China. Dairygold employs 1,275 people directly and with a turnover of €1.02 billion, has c. 7,000 shareholders and is the country’s second largest dairy processor assembling 1.49 billion litres of milk annually from its 2,700 milk producers.
Jim has worked in the agri-food sector throughout his career. A UCC Dairy Science graduate, he joined the milk processing division Ballyclough Co-operative in 1979 (subsequently merged into Dairygold). He has held many leadership roles throughout his career including Head of HR at Dairygold and Head of Agri Business Dairygold before his appointment as Chief Executive in 2009.
Jim successfully led Dairygold through the EU deregulation of milk controls and the subsequent growth and expansion, with the objective being to maximise returns to farmer members while simultaneously growing the net asset value of the business. The Dairygold business has grown substantially from a turnover of €555m and profitability of €8m in 2009, to a turnover of €1.02 billon and profitability of €26m in 2020.
Working with the Dairygold Board, together with other stakeholders, Jim led the largest capital investment programme in Dairygold’s history. A total of €450m has been invested in the business which has seen milk supply grow by over 80% to 1.49 bn litres in 2021. The capital investment has not just regenerated it’s Dairy Sites but has established world-class Dairy processing facilities across the business serving the Co-op’s Members and the wider community well into the future.
Jim’s present Board Memberships include:
Jim’s previous Board memberships included:
Lucinda is an experienced finance and strategy leader with a career spanning large publicly listed companies and the start-up and scale up ecosystem.
She was Strategy and Business Development Director, and a member of the Group Executive Committee, at The Restaurant Group plc, a FTSE 250 constituent. During this time, she also served as Interim Group Chief Marketing Officer, implementing a range of key turnaround initiatives. Prior to this, she held a number of senior finance roles at Paddy Power (now Flutter Entertainment plc).
She is currently working with Manna Drone Delivery, having raised a $25m Series A in 2021, to revolutionise last mile logistics using sustainable drone technology to enable fast and affordable deliveries of consumer products. She is also on the Board, and Finance & Audit Committee, of the Rotunda Hospital.
Earlier in her career, Lucinda worked in corporate finance for Investec, providing strategic and financing advice to companies across a range of different sectors. Prior to that, she qualified as a Chartered Accountant with KPMG.
She holds an MBA from Harvard Business School, where she was a Fulbright Scholar, and a BA in Philosophy, Politics and Economics from Oxford University.