LacPatrick Dairies chief executive Gabriel D’Arcy has announced his decision to resign as chief executive of cross-border milk processor.
The firm is largely supplied by dairy farmers in Northern Ireland, with around 700 of its 1,000 suppliers based in the region and the remainder in border counties of the Republic of Ireland.
It follows a turbulent six months at the firm and comes as merger talks with rival Lakeland Dairies appear to intensify.
LacPatrick Dairies chairman Andrew McConkey said: “I would like to wish Gabriel, his wife and family all the very best for their future.”
Gabriel D’Arcy said: “It has been an honour to serve LacPatrick and its shareholders. I would like to thank the chairman, the board, management, staff and shareholders for their support and assistance in transforming LacPatrick over the past four years.”
Separately, Dr. Sean Brady has been appointed by the co-op’s board on an interim basis as acting head of operations.
Commenting on Dr. Brady’s appointment, Andrew McConkey said: “I am confident that Sean’s experience will provide the board and management with the support and guidance required at this time.”
Gabriel D’Arcy
Prior to joining Town of Monaghan Co-op, as it was in August 2014, Gabriel D’Arcy had been managing director of Bord na Mona since 2008.
Before this, D’Arcy worked for almost 20 years with the Kerry Group and was closely involved in the rapid expansion of Kerry’s Ingredients Division in Europe of which he became the commercial director.
D’Arcy began his career in the Irish Defence Forces where he served for 12 years, both at home and abroad. As part of his cadetship at Military College, he completed a Bachelor’s degree at University College Galway.
He also holds a Master’s degree from University College Dublin from 1988, and an MBA from Kinston University Business School.
LacPatrick
LacPatrick was formed in July 2015 as a result of the merger of Ballyrashane and Town of Monaghan Co-ops.
Earlier in the summer, the boards of LacPatrick Dairies and Lakeland Dairies agreed to enter into exclusive discussions regarding an amalgamation of the two societies.
Also Read: Heads are down as Lakeland and LacPatrick in talksThe move follows a high-level meeting between the two firms which took place at the end of June.
