IRELAND – Carbery Group has announced the appointment of Jason Hawkins as the new Chief Executive and a Director of the company, and is set to take over from Dan MacSweeney when he retires after 25 years as CEO at the end of December 2017.

Hawkins joins the Irish food ingredients, flavours and cheese company having had valuable experience at Kerry Group, where he was responsible for the creation of the vision, strategy and overall growth for several of Kerry’s businesses in North America, having joined the company in 1999.

Hawkins joins Carbery Group from his currently role as Chief Operating Officer with Dairy Farmers of America (DFA), where he holds responsibility for the organisation’s global ingredients business.

DFA is a milk marketing co-operative and dairy food processor with substantial cheese, ingredients and flavours businesses.

Commenting on his new role Hawkins said he was delighted with the opportunity to join Carbery Group.

“I have, for a long time, admired Carbery as an organisation and I am very much looking forward to further developing the successful business which the excellent team that Carbery Group has built,” he said.

“Jason’s background with Kerry’s global ingredients business, combined with his experience at Dairy Farmers of America, makes him very well suited to build on the strong foundations that are in place at Carbery.

I am confident that under his leadership the business will continue to grow and develop in the years ahead, delivering for the milk suppliers of west Cork,” said Peter Fleming, chairman of Carbery Group.