The Ulster Bank lunch took place today at Balmoral Show 2017, hosting key food sector leaders in the event’s main marquee.
Speaking at the Ulster Bank lunch, Moy Park Chief Executive Janet McCollum revealed that innovation is what drives the ongoing success of Northern Ireland’s largest company.
Continually finding new and better ways of doing things is at the heart of the company’s longevity, she stated.
McCollum emphasised that Northern Ireland’s agri-food industry, as a whole, truly punches above its weight in this area.
In partnership with Belfast-based Devenish Nutrition, Moy Park created the UK’s first Omega 3 enriched chicken.
McCollum told the audience the project was 10 years in the making, and described it as a “true health innovation”.
The Ulster Bank lunch at Balmoral Show is now in its ninth year and has welcomed speakers including Dunbia Group Chief Executive Jim Dobson, Hilton Food Group PLC Chief Executive Robert Watson, and Owen Brennan, Chief Executive of Devenish Nutrition.
Ulster Bank’s Head of Northern Ireland, Richard Donnan, commented: “The food and drink sector continues to be a key driver of the Northern Ireland economy and the leadership of people like Janet and other members of our audience today is absolutely central to that.
Ulster Bank is strongly committed to continuing to support innovation throughout the food chain and our principal sponsorship of the Balmoral Show helps us communicate that and our involvement in the sector as a whole.
“To be innovative, we must always challenge conventional thinking. Attracting new talent with fresh ideas, and developing our own people, is one of the ways we do this at Moy Park,” McCollum said.
She continued, saying: “We need the best and brightest to look at careers in the food industry and to understand the breadth of roles that exist – from chefs and nutritionists to marketers, technologists, researchers and engineers”.
The Moy Park chief executive concluded: “As we look to the future, no doubt there will be challenges ahead. Although there will be changes to the environment in which we operate, we are confident that we have a robust business that can continue to innovate, thrive and grow.”
