Meet The Team

Elaine Donohue has several years of experience at senior management within the food industry, holding a first class honours degree in international marketing practice, Prince II project management, and a diploma in strategic growth for the food industry from Smurfit Business School in Dublin. She gained robust knowledge of the retail industry and its workings following her years with Lidl Ireland. She then developed an extensive international perspective from working for Bord Bia in its London office. Returning to Ireland, she worked commercially as a national account manager for Greene Farm Foods and Brady Family Ham, one of Ireland’s top 40 brands, managing both domestic and export channels.

Emilia Furey has more than 15 years of food industry knowledge and expertise, with several years’ experience in senior management roles in Irish and Australian food businesses. She brings to BIA, a strong understanding of retailing Irish artisan foods with an emphasis on farmhouse cheeses from Ireland and Europe, as well as much experience driving operations within fast paced organisations in the food industry. Prior to commencing her role as Head of Community and Operations for the BIA Innovator Campus; Emilia held the position of Head of Retail for Sheridans Cheesemongers where she coordinated and ran the day-to-day activities for the large retail part of the business across Ireland for several years. She holds a M.Sc in Health Psychology; a diploma in HR Management from UCD; as well as a completing the Teagasc Farmhouse Cheese Production certificate with Teagasc, Moorepark.

As part of founding partner Teagasc’s contribution to BIA Innovator Campus, we are delighted that Colm Foley is now in place as our in-house food technologist. Our food community are already benefitting from Colm’s Irish and European experience in product development. He holds an M.Sc. in Food & Wine Management and a B.Bs. in Culinary Arts, and has experience in recipe formulation, new product development, and food safety & quality, spending time working in the French food industry.While working full time on the BIA Innovator Campus Colm is a member of Teagasc’s Food Industry Development Department and is a vital link to the services, resources and knowledge base within Teagasc. Colm says “I moved back from France to join the BIA Innovator Campus and I am really looking forward to working with the breadth of companies that will pass through our doors”.

Sandra Regan has more than 20 years’ experience working within the food manufacturing and retail sector in Ireland, specialising in Procurement, Product Development and Change Management. She brings a strong commercial focus to BIA across manufacturing, food service and retail, having honed her skills as a buyer for O’Brien’s Irish Sandwich Bars and more recently Smyths Toys. A graduate of LYIT, University of Huddersfield and UCC where she specialised in Food Science and Technology, Sandra brings a broad spectrum of knowledge both professionally and academically to BIA. Sandra says ‘’BIA is at the fore front of advancing the progress of the west Ireland as a go-to destination for all things food. I am beyond excited to play a part in helping achieve that goal.’