13 February 2017
By Elaine Murphy
elaine@TheCork.ie
University College Cork has named Professor Thia Hennessy as the new Head of the University’s Department of Food Business and Development. The Department, which is part of the Cork University Business School (CUBS), undertakes teaching and research in the subjects of food business and marketing, international development and co-operative studies.
Speaking on Professor Hennessy’s appointment Professor Ciaran Murphy, head of the business school, said “Cork University Business School (CUBS) is currently in the midst of an exciting development campaign including the appointment of a number senior staff, the acquisition of the iconic Cork Savings Bank, as well as a plan to construct a new €106m business school building at a city centre location in Cork.
“We, at CUBS, recognise the importance of the agri-food sector to the local and national economy of Ireland and it is a key focus of our future development plans. We are delighted that Thia is joining the team and we look forward to building on her extensive experience and industry networks to better support the ongoing growth of the agri-food sector in Ireland”.
Professor Hennessy, an agricultural economist, joins UCC from Teagasc, the Agriculture and Food Development Authority of Ireland, where she was head of Agricultural Economics research for the last ten years. While working at Teagasc Thia developed an international reputation in the area of agricultural policy analysis and farm sustainability research. She also headed up the National Farm Survey, the official source of statistics on farming in Ireland. Under the auspices of the Teagasc-UCC alliance, Thia will continue to work with Teagasc in a part-time capacity on agri-food economic issues of mutual interest.
Professor Hennessy said: “I’m delighted to be joining UCC at an exciting time in the development of the Business School. It is also an exciting time for the agri-food industry in Ireland with the ongoing expansion of the dairy sector, the continued growth in food and drink exports and the looming challenges associated with Brexit and climate change.
“The need for food graduates and more agri-food business research has never been greater. I look forward to building on UCC’s strong reputation for excellence in teaching and research in Food and to strengthening the collaborative research programme that exists between UCC and Teagasc.”
