Sorcha Donnelly, Kepak’s Commercial Director on DEI, leadership and her inspiration

In November 2021 Sorcha was appointed the first female on the Bord Bia Meat & Livestock Board as an industry representative.

Sorcha has worked in management roles in both export and domestic markets managing high level strategic accounts across both retail and foodservice channels. With a keen interest in mentoring and people development Sorcha is now moving into a new role focused on Talent Development & Strategic Project Management.

Sorcha is passionate about addressing the gender balance in the meat industry and in 2022 was appointed to the Kepak DEI committee to support policy development in this area.

Outside of work, Sorcha is a mother of two and lives in Dublin with her husband and children. In her spare time she enjoys hillwalking, seasonal sea swimming and listening to podcasts on all things people & career related!

Thanks for your time today Sorcha, please share with us a brief overview of your career journey to date, how did you get into the meat industry and make your way to Kepak and onto the Bord Bia meat board?

I joined Kepak as a graduate in 2000 without a specific career plan in mind. My career choice at the time centred around utilising my language skills and Kepak offered graduate roles working in EU export sales at the time which is what drew my initial interest.

Once I started however I found I really enjoyed working in the food industry. It offered plenty of career opportunities working my way from Graduate trainee to Account Manager and through to Commercial Director level.

I was delighted to be appointed as the first female on to the Bord Bia Meat & Livestock Board in 2021, hopefully the first of many!

What’s the most exciting part of your job right now?

The area I am most passionate about is people management & development which is also an area that Kepak have highlighted as a key priority within the business.

I am delighted now to be moving into a new role as Head of Talent Development & Strategic Projects for the Commercial & Procurement teams. I’ll be focusing on resource planning, people development and implementing new ways of working across the organisation.

The skills and experience I have gained in over 20 years managing and mentoring teams will be invaluable in this role. I’m fortunate to work for a company which recognises the need to support our teams across the business in this area.

Can you tell us a little more about the progress Kepak has made in championing gender balance and being an equal opportunities employer?

Kepak recognise that achieving diversity, equity, and inclusion is a journey not a destination and real change takes time. In developing our DEI strategy we identified our core impact areas as Gender, Race & Culture LGBTQIA+ & Ability and we have an employee led DEI committee focused on activating our strategy.

Kepak are an active member of the Ag Diff programme set up by Bord Bia to promote gender equality and also a member of Grocery Aid’s DIG programme which is dedicated to making our industry a progressive environment where people can thrive.

Based on our most recent set of data, we have strong representation of women in head of group function roles (45%) and we over index in the percentage of female graduates (55%) – who are the management and leaders of the future.

We have also seen huge progress made as a result of the mentoring programmes we are involved in, not just through Meat Business Women but with other strategic partners across the industry.

Mentoring is critical to inclusion and promoting diversity and for those that have been involved in these programmes to date, we are seeing the results and breaking down barriers.

What advice could you give to other business leaders who are aiming to advance the representation of women in senior leadership?

Make DEI a focus within your business and create a culture of mentoring and development for high potential females within your organisation.

Women often need a different level of support & encouragement to help them progress to the next level and may have different needs.

Understanding these needs, providing flexible working policies, actively promoting diversity and setting up mentor programmes within the business can help to drive change in this area.

How do you think business leaders could offer support to the next generation and ensure that all colleagues reach their full potential?

Shared learnings and experiences are really powerful and leaders who show some level of vulnerability and openness can often engage and motivate their teams in a really positive way.

Offering to mentor or coach a junior team member (male or female) even on a different team can work really well provided you set clear goals and structure and you have commitment on both sides.

Inviting junior team members to attend senior leadership meetings, customer or supplier meetings can be a great way to help them learn how to interact confidently with senior team members and learn what is expected at that level in an organisation.

What women have inspired, supported, and lit the way for you on your career journey?

The strongest female role model I have had in my life is my mother. While not a ‘career woman’ in the modern sense of the word she did work part time and was involved in every school board of management and committee going! She taught me to always work hard to better yourself and the world around you.

She also encouraged us to keep a positive mindset no matter how much life throws at you and put ourselves forward for opportunities as she would say ‘nothing ventured nothing gained!’.

Outside of my family I have made some really good friends over the years who I often lean on for both personal & career advice and I am a strong believer in building your own networks and making positive connections to help you in both your personal and career life. A network like Meat Business Women is ideal for this.

What trait do you have that helps you succeed as a leader in the ag industry?

Resilience and a positive mindset. The industry is ever changing and meat is always an exciting area to be involved in. At the same time you have to be prepared for the challenges that come your way and keep driving for innovative solutions and positive change.

What would you tell young women looking to join the meat industry?

If you are looking for a career in an exciting industry and you want responsibility early on in your career then you can’t beat this industry. I love working in a food business as it is a tangible product that everyone has an opinion on! Meat is a ‘hero category’ in any retail business and very much ‘centre of plate’ in the foodservice channel so you will always be working with a product that people care about.

Be prepared to work hard but it can be very rewarding seeing the products you have worked on developing with your customers appear on the shelf in your local supermarket or even in a store in Europe or other export markets.

What advice can you provide to women who already work in the industry about moving up the ladder?

Challenge yourself to learn and develop at every stage in your career and invest time and energy in your development.

Moving ‘horizontally’ within your organisation at certain stages can be just as important as moving ‘vertically’. Throughout my career I have been fortunate to have worked on several internal projects from ERP implementation projects to setting up and managing sales support teams. Every role has given me more confidence and helped me learn more about the wider business.

Get involved in project teams outside your own function and keep putting yourself forward for new opportunities.

What are you most looking forward to at the Meat Business Women networking event in September?

I attended the Meat Business Women event in the UK in May and I came away feeling inspired and more connected to other females in the industry. Women are excellent communicators and this event is a great opportunity to connect with other women in a safe space where the focus is on shared learning.

There will always be someone who has walked the path before you and is willing to help you learn from both from their successes and their failures!

Connecting incredible women in the meat industry is what we’re all about at Meat Business Women. If you’d like to connect with Sorcha on LinkedIn click here.

Find out more about Meat Business Women membership here