The Board has a clear governance framework with defined responsibilities and accountabilities. Glanbia plc Senior Leadership comprises the Glanbia plc Group Operating Executive and the Group Senior Leadership Team.
Hugh McGuire
Term of office
Date of appointment: 1 January 2024
Tenure: Five full years (over each of his terms)
Committee Membership
Development Committee (Member)
Skills and Expertise
Extensive strategic, corporate development and acquisition experience. Strong leadership qualities acquired from a successful career within Glanbia plc.
Experience
Hugh McGuire was appointed as Chief Executive Officer on 1 January 2024. Hugh joined Glanbia in 2003 and previously held a range of senior leadership roles across the Group. He served as Chief Executive Officer of Glanbia’s Performance Nutrition business (“GPN”) from 2008 to 2023 where he led a period of substantial growth in the business. He has been a member of the Group Operating Executive since 2013 and previously served on the Board from June 2013 to April 2019. Prior to joining Glanbia, he worked with McKinsey & Company, Nestle and Leaf. Hugh graduated with an M.Sc. in Food Science from University College Dublin and has a Diploma in Accounting and Finance from the Association of Chartered Certified Accountants Ireland.
Key External Appointments
Director of ClonBio Group Limited.
Mark Garvey
Term of office
Date of Appointment: 12 November 2013
Tenure: Ten full years
Committee Membership
Development Committee (Member)
ESG Committee (Member)
Skills and Expertise
Strong background in finance and global executive management and extensive experience in the food and beverage industry.
Experience
Mark Garvey was appointed as Chief Financial Officer on 12 November 2013. Prior to joining Glanbia he held the position of Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer with Sara Lee Corporation, a leading global food and beverage company. Mark also held a number of senior finance roles in the Sara Lee Corporation in the US and Europe and prior to that he worked with Arthur Andersen in Ireland and the US. A Fellow of Chartered Accountants Ireland and the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, Mark graduated from University College Dublin with a Bachelor of Commerce degree and Diploma in Professional Accounting and has an Executive MBA from Northwestern University, Illinois, USA.
Key External Appointments
None.
Ian Doyle
Term of office
Date of appointment: 4 January 2022
Tenure: Two full years
Skills and Expertise
A deep knowledge of international corporate finance with extensive experience negotiating and structuring complex acquisitions, divestitures, investments and partnerships.
Experience
Ian Doyle is Chief Corporate Development Officer and is responsible for the development and implementation of our ESG strategy and for identifying partnership, acquisition and new business opportunities globally. Prior to joining Glanbia, he was Managing Director in the North American Consumer Retail Group of Nomura Securities with responsibility for food and beverage companies. Previously Ian was based in London and was part of Lehman Brothers’ European investment banking business. He holds a degree in Business Studies and German from Trinity College Dublin, Ireland.
Key External Appointments
None
Brian Phelan
Term of office
Date of appointment: 1 January 2004
Tenure: Twenty full years
Skills and Expertise
Experienced chief executive officer who has extensive strategic, commercial and corporate development experience. Strong leadership qualities acquired from a successful career within Glanbia.
Experience
Brian Phelan was appointed as CEO of Glanbia Nutritionals on 1 June 2013 and served as a Director of the Company between January 2013 and April 2019. Brian was previously Group Human Resources & Operations Development Director from 2004 to 2012. Since joining the Group in 1993, he has held a number of senior management positions. Prior to this, he worked with KPMG. He graduated from University College Cork, Ireland with a Bachelor of Commerce degree and is a Fellow of Chartered Accountants Ireland.
Key External Appointments
None
Wendy Smith
Term of office
Date of appointment: 1 March 2024
Tenure: Less than one year
Skills and Expertise
Significant finance experience with a particular focus on business transformation and leveraging digitisation and automation to accelerate long-term growth.
Experience
Wendy was appointed Chief Digital & Transformation Officer on 1 March 2024 having previously held the position of Chief Financial Officer, Glanbia Performance Nutrition. Prior to joining Glanbia, Wendy held senior finance positions with Amazon, Kellogg, Johnson & Johnson and Proctor and Gamble, working in the US, Europe and Asia, where several of her previous roles included digital and transformation responsibilities. She holds a Bachelor of Science (Mathematics) and Masters degree in Business Administration (Finance) from Brigham Young University in the United States.
Key External Appointments
None
Sue Sweem
Term of office
Date of appointment: 1 December 2021
Tenure: Two full years
Skills and Expertise
A deep knowledge of global human resources management with expertise in organisation development shaping the culture and capabilities of the business, and supporting the integration of acquisitions.
Experience
Sue Sweem is Chief Human Resources Officer and has responsibility for the strategic leadership of Group Human Resources within Glanbia. Previously, she was Chief People Officer for GPN from 2015 to 2021 and held other HR positions in GPN since joining in 2012. Prior to joining Glanbia, Sue was a HR Director at Walgreens and gained international experience while serving as Head of HR in the US for AkzoNobel, a global company based in The Netherlands. Sue holds a PhD in Organization Development from Benedictine University, a Masters degree in HR & Industrial Relations from Loyola University and a BS in Sociology from Iowa State University, USA.
Key External Appointments
None
Steve Yucknut
Term of office
Date of appointment: 1 January 2024
Tenure: Less than one year
Skills and Expertise
Strong leadership qualities with particular experience in business transformation, operations, mergers and acquisitions and performance improvement. Extensive tenure in the food and beverage industry.
Experience
Steve was appointed CEO of Glanbia Performance Nutrition on 1 January 2024 having previously held the position of President, GPN Americas. Steve joined the Group in 2015 as Chief Operating Officer of GPN and in 2019 took on the added responsibility of Chief Transformation Officer of GPN. Prior to joining Glanbia, Steve spent more than 25 years with Kraft Foods, holding a number of senior management positions across a range of markets and businesses, in the areas of product supply, R&D and sustainability. He holds a Masters degree in Manufacturing from DePaul University, USA.
Key External Appointments
None.