NEOMA Alumni Mag - N°35 - Juin 2023 - 45

FOOD AND BEVERAGES, A DYNAMIC
LOCAL INDUSTRY TARGETING
THE INTERNATIONAL MARKET
Isobel O'Neill (CESEM 19), Marketing Executive
at Kerry
After studying during two years in Reims as part of her
CESEM degree, Isobel O'Neill joined the Irish food Board
graduate program, a governmental agency in charge of
promoting Irish brands. A position based in Paris, with
regular training sessions in Ireland: " A lot of people who
apply for the Bord Bia graduate programme do not speak
a second language, so having French was definitely a
competitive advantage " she comments. After 2 years, she
returned to Ireland where she found a position at Kerry,
Ireland's largest food and nutrition company, present in
over 100 countries: " I work with our global customers in
Europe, positioning Kerry's ingredients portfolio in line
with the customers' strategy and sharing market insight
to support the customers' new product development
process " she explains, adding that Ireland offers many
work opportunities in the food and beverage sector: " We
manufacture meat, dairy as well as alcoholic beverages
and export all over the world so there are positions
available for international profiles in start-ups but also in
more established companies " she confirms. A good thing
about joining an Irish company: " the progression curve is
made clear from the beginning so you know what you
can expect when you enter the firm " she says. What she
enjoys about living in Dublin: " The city is not too big so
planning things with friends is convenient. Moreover,
most of the people I went to college with ended up in
Dublin so there is really a village spirit " .
MAKING YOUR WAY INTO A LOCAL
IRISH COMPANY
Séverin Plassat (CESEM 12), Head of Group Operations
for Weir & Sons
After working in New York and Paris in the luxury sector for ten
years, Séverin Plassat and his wife Kiera O'Farrell (CESEM 10),
moved to Ireland two years ago: " During the COVID, we had a
lot of trouble getting a nanny so we chose to be close to family
for support " explains Séverin. While Kiera easily transferred into
Mc Kinsey's Irish office, finding a suitable position was more
challenging for her husband, who had been managing Berluti
and LVMH's stores in the US: " There are only 2 or 3 big players
in the luxury industry in Ireland and during the lockdown all the
shops were closed so companies were on hiring freezes " recalls
Séverin. Fluent in German, he found a job at Salesforce working
on CRM for luxury retail. Then, he got lucky: " We heard that
Ireland's biggest luxury watch and jewellery store, a cultural
icon in the country for over 100 years was hiring, so we
managed to get the managing director's address and we wrote
to him " recalls Kiera. " It is a very successful family owned
multi-brand company and they hired me to manage 160
employers and run a 15 million euros modernization project of
their department store, with interior designers " adds Séverin,
who was competing with Irish candidates for the position: " Even
with an amazing experience, it is very difficult to join a local
Irish company in a managing position and I am the first
foreigner ever in the board of directors. One of the reasons for
that may be that an Irish company is concerned that a foreigner
may only stay in Ireland for a short period. They hired
me for my French luxury experience as they see the French
luxury standard as the highest the world " reveals Séverin, who
hopes to remain in the company for a long time. And if you are
looking to work in the luxury sector, French profiles are also
appreciated in the luxury hotel and restaurant industry Kiera
adds.
A VERY SUPPORTIVE ENVIRONMENT FOR ENTREPRENEURS
Julian Kulkarni (CESEM 95), entrepreneur
After graduating from the Cesem program, Julian Kulkarni worked in the UK and in Belgium, leading
different positions in marketing across Europe - France, Belgium, Germany and UK before settling in
Ireland 10 years ago. His reason for moving to Ireland: " My kids were 10 and we wanted to give them
the opportunity to leave closer to nature, to speak English and be in a friendly environment. The move
was definitely more about lifestyle than money " says the entrepreneur, whose Irish wife now works for
a large tech company. After working as a chief marketing officer for Irish recruitment company Morgan
McKinley, he started his entrepreneurial career in Ireland, which he says has a lot more to offer than its
attractive 12.5% tax rate on corporations : " When you want to establish a business in Ireland, the
national foreign investment agency (IDA) will provide financial support, mentors and assist you in
transferring your company if it was created in another country " explains the Alumni, who has benefited
from funding and partnership with Enterprise Ireland through his startups (including a digital bank,
monejar.ie). The only downside he regrets is the limited transport infrastructure and inadequate
accommodation.
NEOMA ALUMNI mag JUIN 2023 - 45 -
http://www.monejar.ie
NEOMA Alumni Mag - N°35 - Juin 2023

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