Irwin’s Bakery appoints new Chief Executive
Irwin’s bakery has announced the appointment of Michael Murphy to the position of chief executive.
In his role as Chief Executive, Michael will be responsible for the strategic direction and leadership of the bakery division within WD Irwin & Sons. In his previous role as commercial director, Michael was responsible for business development, driving key branded business and innovation in Britain and Ireland.
Michael has had a long and successful career with Irwin’s Bakery spanning 15 years. He joined the business in 1999 as National Account Manager, assuming the role of Commercial Controller in 2005, and was appointed to the Board in 2010 as Commercial Director.
Commenting on his new role, Michael Murphy said: “I am greatly honoured to take up the position of chief executive. Irwin’s is a third generation family business, which has been baking bread since 1912 and I am very excited to play a strategic role in driving success for the company. Together with the support of the fantastic team that has made Irwin’s the successful business it is today, I am confident we will continue to grow and innovate as a company, delivering high quality products for our customers and consumers.”
Michael has over 20 years’ experience in the FMCG sector working for Ranks Hovis McDougall (RHM) and Kerry Foods in England before joining Irwin’s. He held senior sales positions with RHM, developing customer facing strategies to support both the Mr Kipling and Cadbury cake brands. During his time at Kerry Foods, Michael was responsible for the growth of GB’s largest sausage brands, Richmond Irish and Walls.
The Portadown based business is NI’s only indigenous plant bakery and employs over 380 members of staff. The firm supplies its traditional range of bread, biscuits and cakes to major retailers across the UK and Ireland, as well as exporting to customers in international markets including Dubai and China.
