Meet the Dansko Foods Team

CEO

David O’ Neill

David studied Food Business in UCC before beginning his career in Dansko Foods as production manager. There, he developed a firm understanding of the Dansko business model, product line and processes. He then transitioned to Trading Manager where he helped to further build Dansko’s international reputation and client base before becoming a company director in 2008. As CEO, David keeps up to date with latest market trends and also lends his expertise to key customers, advising them in a leading Commercial role.

Financial Director

Suzanne O’ Neill

Suzanne O’Neill is a Director of Dansko and is responsible for the Finance and HR Departments. Suzanne holds a BA in Economics and French and a MSc in Food Marketing from University College Cork. After completing her MSc, Suzanne worked in Aer Rianta’s (now known as the Dublin Airport Authority) Group Strategy Department before making her move back to the family business in the late nineties. While managing the Finance and HR functions, Suzanne works very closely with the Commercial, Operations and Supply Chain departments of the business.

As a Company Director, Suzanne Is involved in the Strategic direction of the company while ensuring good Corporate Governance.

Head of Operations

Chris O’ Doherty

With over 29 years’ experience in the Irish Dairy Industry, Chris joined Dansko Foods in 2018 as Head of Operations. He has in-depth experience across the Irish dairy industry, beginning his career in 1992 in Golden Vale’s Ingredients Dept.

He initially worked in production and the lab before moving into R&D for 3 years. Chris then moved into production subsidies/claims legislation and grant applications for 8 years. Following this, he worked as butter/separation manager and warehouse manager for 4 years. Golden Vale was purchased by the Kerry Group in 2001, and Chris moved into Kerry Foods in 2007 as Brunchetta Operations Manager and then on to the Process Cheese Dept. for 7 years, followed by a move into purchasing in 2015.

Supply Chain Manager

John Culhane

John has been with Dansko Foods since 2012. He initially joined the business as Business Development & Commercial Manager and after seven years he transitioned to Head of Supply Chain.

His team leadership along with his commercial acumen and approach to problem solving has ensured a consistently reliable supply chain for Dansko’s complex market needs.

Customer Service Executive

Timmy Roche

Timmy joined the Dansko Foods customer service team in 2017 and has since become an integral part of the team. Overseeing the day-to-day logistics within a fast-moving organisation, he has quickly become Dansko Foods’ logistics expert. His reliability and expertise have allowed him to develop long-lasting relationships with our service partners.

Customer Service Executive

Dhivya Vasudevan

Dhivya joined Dansko Foods in 2020 as a Customer Service Executive. She has a passion for the food industry and recently graduated from University College Cork with an MSc in Food Business and Innovation, following a BSc in Food Science from the University of Madras. Dhivya is a pivotal part of our Supply Chain team, regularly showcasing her in-depth skillset such as problem-solving, adaptability and developing & nurturing customer relations.

Production Manager

Marius Ludewig

Marius joined Dansko Foods in 2012. He began his career with Dansko Foods as an end of line Quality and Grading Operator, who also managed stock-taking in our production facility before progressing to Production Manager in 2017.
Marius’ attention to detail, ability to work to tight deadlines and product knowledge ensures operations run smoothly at our facility in Kilmallock, Ireland.

Quality Manager

Liam McKenna

Liam joined Dansko Foods in 1994 and worked in various functions in operations and warehousing before becoming Quality Manager. He also leads our in-house product grading team.
Liam’s vast knowledge of operations, Quality Systems, expertise in the grading of raw material and knowledge of end-use applications gained over his years working in the food industry makes him an invaluable part of our team.

Accountant

Jason McHale

Jason joined in Dansko in 2014. After graduating from CIT, Jason spent a number of years in accounting practices before joining Dansko. He collaborates with many different departments overseeing a range of areas, including cashflow, costings, purchasing, sales, month end returns, Revenue and payroll.

Accountant

Maria Kerins

Maria joined Dansko Foods in 2019 as a management accountant. She is responsible for the day-to-day financial reporting and budgeting process for the group. She also works on other areas in the business such as Corporate Finance and Compliance. Maria holds an Honours BBus in Accounting and graduated from CIT in 2013.

Prior to working with Dansko, Maria worked in private practice as an accountant across Audit & Accounts, Tax, Corporate Finance & Consultancy before making her move to industry.

Maria is also responsible for the IS side of the business and ensuring our ERP system is operating as it should be. She works closely with the Production, Operations, Supply Chain and Commercial departments to continuously develop our system to optimise all departments.

Quality Improvement Analyst

Madan Vijay

Madan joined Dansko Foods in 2020 as a Quality Improvement Analyst. He holds an MSc in Food Business and Innovation from University College Cork as well as a BTech in Food Technology and Management from the National Institute of Food Technology and Entrepreneurship and Management, Haryana.
Madan’s role is in analysing current systems and making necessary improvements as we grow our business.