John Jordan, the chief executive of Irish dairy firm Ornua, has stepped down from his position to pursue an opportunity with a US-based private equity firm.
Ornua has named Donal Buggy as interim chief executive while it continues the search for Jordan's successor.
'Highly Respected'
Aidan O’Driscoll, board chair of Ornua Cooperative, said, "I am very pleased that we are in a position to appoint someone of the quality of Donal Buggy as interim CEO. Donal has been CFO at Ornua since 2013 and is widely known and highly respected by Ornua staff, customers and industry peers.
"The board and I are very confident in his ability to lead Ornua ably during the coming period. John Jordan will work with the board and Donal to ensure a smooth and efficient transition."
About John Jordan
Before stepping in as chief executive, Jordan was the CEO of Ornua Foods Europe, Middle East, Africa and Asia.
He was instrumental in developing long term strategies to boost the cooperative's consumer sales portfolio, the company said.
O’Driscoll said, "John Jordan has been an excellent chief executive for Ornua over the past five years, and prior to that, he held several other key management roles.
"John has given a huge part of his professional life to Ornua, as he joined us approximately 30 years ago. It has been a privilege to work with him, and on behalf of the board, the executive and the rest of the Ornua team, I want to thank John for all his efforts and wish him the very best for the future."
Jordan's efforts contributed to the growth of Ornua’s brand portfolio, including Kerrygold and Pilgrim’s Choice, and enabled it to explore new opportunities in the private-label sector, the company said.
Before this, he served as CEO of DPI Speciality Foods based in California, a division of Ornua in the US.
He has also held several senior commercial roles within the organisation in Dublin and in its international subsidiaries.
