Jordan will assume the role on 30 June 2018, succeeding Kevin Lane, who announced his resignation as CEO on 12 December 2017.
He is currently CEO of Ornua Foods Europe, Middle East Africa and Asia where his role included the regional development of the company’s brand portfolio, including Kerrygold and Pilgrim’s Choice, as well as working with its retail partners to develop new opportunities in the private-label sector of the market.
Jordan was previously CEO at DPI Speciality Foods, a division of Ornua and the third-largest speciality food distributor in the US. Prior to this, he held the position of marketing director of consumer foods at Ornua, responsible for the strategic direction and development of the Ornua brands portfolio.
Responsible for the strategic direction
He holds an MSc in Business Administration from Trinity College Dublin, an MSc in Environmental Resource Management from University College Dublin and a BSc in Biotechnology from Dublin City University.
Aaron Forde, chairman of Ornua, said: “I am delighted to announce John’s appointment as the next chief executive of Ornua. This follows a comprehensive selection process led by a board subcommittee. John will succeed Kevin at the end of June, facilitating an orderly transition at the chief executive level.
“John has proven leadership skills and brings to his new role a deep knowledge of the organisation, the industry it operates in and proven international executive experience. As chief executive, he will continue to develop and drive Ornua’s strategic agenda as per our five-year strategy ‘Ornua 2021’, to deliver sustainable long-term value for Ornua’s members’ farmer base. My fellow board directors and I look forward to working with John as Ornua enters a new chapter of growth.”
‘New chapter of growth’
On his new role, Jordan said: “I am both delighted and very proud to be assuming the role of chief executive of Ornua Co-Op. I look forward to working with Aaron Forde as chairman, the board of directors, the executive and the entire Ornua team across all of the international markets in which we operate.
“As we face into the challenges of ongoing market volatility, significant uncertainty surrounding Brexit and other areas of international trade, I am confident that Ornua is well positioned to manage all of this from a position of strength. With a strong platform of financial performance over the past few years and a clear articulation of strategy to deliver growth of €3bn in revenues by 2021, I welcome the opportunity to continue to develop and build on the remarkable performance we have achieved thus far.”