Bord Bia Programme – Orfhlaith Brady

Having successfully completed the Bord Bia Masters programme, graduate Orfhlaith Brady, now working with Valeo Foods, tells us of the impact it had on her career:

With a primary degree in food science, prior roles in NPD, and a love of food, my goal has always been to progress my career in Ireland’s thriving food industry. When the opportunity arose to apply for this programme, I could see it was the perfect combination of industry-focused practicality and creativity-driven innovation. The part-time lectures coupled with hands-on industry experience particularly appealed to me. Perhaps the most attractive element was the link with Bord Bia and connection with their world class Thinking House. The hope when applying was that the programme could equip me to innovate better and ultimately contribute to the generation and launch of exciting and successful new food products.

What Was it Like….What did I learn

Practically, I have developed and honed the Design Thinking methodology, allowing me to research, ideate and test concepts with a more user-centric focus. This approach to idea generation and problem solving, I believe, will assist me in my career and benefit the projects I work on for years to come.

Personally, the programme has taught me to identify and nurture a growth mindset. Additionally, I have become more creative, open-minded and learned to embrace ambiguity. These are skills which I can apply to the workplace and will benefit problem solving and idea generation.

What’s been the impact on my life…

Since completing the Masters, I have joined Valeo Foods, Ireland’s largest ambient food supplier. Working in the Marketing team as New Product Development manager, alongside Insights and Marketing colleagues, I am exposed daily to the benefits of insight-driven product development. It is a real privilege to be continuing my career in the industry I love, now with a more developed and honed innovation skillset. It is also a pleasure to know that the skills gleaned from the masters will be applied to my personal and professional life for years to come.

DCU Business School and Bord Bia are now seeking applications from ambitious recent graduates who come from a broad range of undergraduate degrees and who want to develop their global food industry expertise.

To apply, please submit your CV and a cover letter detailing your reasons for and motivation in applying to this programme to bordbia@dcu.ie by May 29th 2020 at 5pm GMT.

You can also submit informal inquiries about this programme to bordbia@dcu.ie for the attention of Programme Chair, Dr Peter Robbins