Join us at Bord Bia HQ in Dublin on 29 September, for a day of inspiration, connection, learning & practical insights
Firstly a signature MBW boost of inspiration & motivation!
Senior leaders sharing industry insights as well as the experiences, lessons and career moments that have shaped them.
Personal development workshop with professional coach Jodi Goldman, helping you build the key skills you need to turn your ambition into action, whatever that looks like.
Plenty of time to make genuine connections with our brilliant community including retailers, manufacturers and suppliers from across the industry, with the conversations and connections that MBW events are known for.
Practical ideas you'll be able to use straight away.
We’re excited to bring together a line-up of senior leaders and industry experts who will share practical industry knowledge, real experiences, practical lessons and the decisions that shaped their careers.
Deirdre Ryan, Director of Sustainability and Quality Assurance, Bord Bia
Cathal Garvey, CEO, Manor Farm
Orla Meehan, International Insights Specialist, Bord Bia
We’ll share the full agenda closer to the event, but expect a mix of keynote sessions, industry insight, and dedicated time for networking and personal development with a professional coach, all designed to help you build confidence, capability and connections plus the usual dose of MBW inspiration!
We will be running three other regional Conferences in Birmingham, Bradford & Belfast over Sep & Oct, with a very similar agenda. The aim is to deliver our events near to where our community are based, and ensure that we enable as many people to attend as possible. If you are unable to make this date, please consider attending our other conferences taking place in the other three locations.
Feeling very motivated and inspired after the Meat Business Women conference. It was such a positive and engaging session and I met so many inspiring women in the industry!

CEO, Manor Farm


International Insights Specialist, Bord Bia


Trading Director, Marks & Spencer
Laura Harper is Trading Director for M&S Food in Ireland, leading the Commercial and Franchise performance of the business across the market. Since joining M&S from Aldi, she has established herself as a highly capable and trusted leader, recognised for her pace, ownership and delivery focus.
After studying Law and Accountancy at Queens in Belfast, Laura chose to follow a career in the diverse and challenging world of Retail. Having started as an Area Manager with Aldi, she progressed into a Buying Director role- before taking the leap to M&S in 2023 based in Dublin.
M&S is transforming and Laura has played a central role in driving performance and strengthening alignment across the Irish business, with a clear focus on combining group strategy with local market relevance. With a strong bias for action, she develops high-performing teams, creating the conditions for long-term, sustainable growth.

Director of Sustainability and Quality Assurance,, Bord Bia
Deirdre is Director of Sustainability and Quality Assurance, (Origin Green) in Bord Bia where she is responsible for the management and strategic development of national quality assurance and sustainability programmes for the Irish food and Drink’s sector.
Prior to her appointment, Deirdre was Head of Sustainability for Lidl Ireland & Northern Ireland where she led the development and implementation of their first sustainability strategy. Deirdre has also held positions with leading dairy exporter Ornua, Nestle Switzerland, and Metro Group. Deirdre worked as a management consultant and in financial services before moving into the food industry.
Deirdre holds an MSc in Business Sustainability and an MBS in International Business from UCD Smurfit Graduate School, and a Commerce International with Italian from University College Dublin. She is also an Irish Olympian competing in the high jump at the London 2012 Olympics and has served as a member of the board of Sport Ireland since 2021.
Please accept {{cookieConsents}} cookies to view this content