Michael Carey, Founder and Executive Chairman, The Company of Food

Michael Carey graduated from University College Dublin with a BComm and an MBS.

Michael is founder and executive chairman of The Company of Food, a specialist food investment business. He is also an investor, a non-executive director at the Valeo Food Group and is the current Chairman of Bord Bia.

Michael started his entrepreneurial life when he established Jacob Fruitfield, one of Ireland’s leading, privately owned food businesses. Jacob Fruitfield brought together Fruitfield Foods, which was acquired from Nestlé in 2002, and Irish Biscuits, which was purchased from Groupe Danone in 2004. Jacob Fruitfield consumer brands comprise a number of Ireland’s best known consumer food products.

Prior to acquiring these businesses, Michael worked in a number of multinational food companies in Ireland and the UK. He held the Managing Directors’ roles at Kellogg’s (UK/Ireland), Fox’s Biscuits and Evian/Volvic (UK/Ireland) and Marketing Director, Cantrell & Cochrane and Jacob’s in Ireland.

In 2011 Valeo Foods acquired Jacob Fruitfield and the combined business of Valeo and Jacob Fruitfield has an annual turnover of approximately €300 million and a combined workforce of over 400.

Michael is a non-exec director of Traidlinks, Chairman of the Board of the Marketing Institute of Ireland and Chairman of the Soul of Haiti Foundation and a member of the Clinton Global Initiative.

He was the winner of the Bord Bia Food 2004 Entrepreneur of the Year Award and of Ernst & Young 2005 Industry Entrepreneur of the Year Award.