JIM WOULFE SET TO RETIRE FROM DAIRYGOLD
… DAIRYGOLD SHOWS OPERATING PROFIT OF €26 MILLION
Dairygold CEO Jim Woulfe has announced his decision to retire after 42 years of service and 12 years as the business head. The announcement comes as Dairygold announced an operating profit of €26 million for 2020 (full story inside).
Mr Woulfe (60) informed the board of his intention to retire at a meeting late on Tuesday night. A native of Ardagh, Co Limerick, he graduated in Dairy Science from University College Cork (UCC) and joined Ballyclough Co-op in Mallow in 1979.
Jim said he is very proud of Dairygold today - 'the strength of the business, its members and the Leadership team'. “I have enjoyed every year of my 42 years working in Dairygold and the Irish Agri and Dairy industry. I sincerely thank the many stakeholders in the business for the tremendous support I have been given over the years.
“In my decision to retire I believe that the business is in a good place and that now is the right time to pass the baton on to the next CEO who will work with a strong leadership team to continue to take the Dairygold organisation forward to its next stage of strategic growth.”
Dairygold chairman Mr John O’Gorman, paid tribute to the departing CEO saying he has provided Dairygold with an outstanding performance throughout his career and in particular as CEO from July 2009 to date’.
“He has worked with the Board and enthusiastically led the business through twelve years of substantial transformation.
“He has served Dairygold and its members and staff with outstanding vision with revenues growing from €555 million in 2009 to €1.02 billion by end of 2020 along with the Net Asset Value (NAV) of the Society growing from €206 million to €388 million by end of 2020, an increase of over 88% under his leadership.
“The growth arising has been substantially underpinned by the Society’s need to accommodate post quota milk expansion which required a major capital investment programme during the past decade.
“This highly successful capital investment programme has regenerated and transformed the Society’s dairy processing sites in Mitchelstown, Mallow and Mogeely into
world-class dairy processing facilities capable of processing projected milk growth up to and beyond peak-milk 2025,” he said.
John noted Jim’s work in creating the worldwide reach of Dairygold and the cautious structuring of its business model, saying that during his tenure as CEO, Jim led col
laboration with Ornua for the establishment of its Kerrygold Butter manufacturing Centre of Excellence in Mitchelstown and with Norwegian Co-op TINE for the establishment of its Jarlsberg Cheese factory in Mogeely.
“Today, Dairygold’s Agri Business is well structured and consolidated into a vibrant and efficient network of Co Op Superstores and farm services provision to support sustainable farming activity and rural living across the region.
“On behalf of the Board, our committees, and our members and staff and on my own behalf, I thank Jim most sincerely for his huge contribution to Dairygold, for his commitment and leadership in the dairy business and for the foundation he has laid within the business for the benefit of sustainable dairy farming into the future. I extend every good wish and happiness for the future to Jim, to his wife Ann and their family,” he added.