A couple of well-known and respected members of Northern Ireland agri-food sector have been honoured by the King in his first New Year’s Honours list.
NIFDA Executive Director Michael Bell has been awarded an OBE for services to the Food and Drink Industry and the Economy in Northern Ireland, while Moy Park’s Professor Ursula Lavery is made an MBE for services to the Agri-Food Industry and to the Economy in Northern Ireland.
Michael said he was humbled to receive the honour.
“Food and drink is my lifelong passion, from watching my late father in the family bakery to spending decades working in and on behalf of the industry,” he said.
“While I’m personally delighted, this is also recognition for Northern Ireland food and drink as a whole, and the 113,000 people working in jobs related to the sector.
“Food and drink is one of Northern Ireland’s most dynamic and successful industries, and our NIFDA members are among the most innovative businesses in NI.
“It is a privilege to champion this great industry, and this honour is the icing on the cake.”
Michael’s passion for food began as a small boy, watching his father work in the family home bakery, with an early memory of a mountain of marzipan inspiring a career dedicated to food and drink.
He graduated from Queen’s University Belfast with a Food Science (Hons) degree and is a Chartered Scientist and a Fellow of the Institute of Food Science and Technology.
Michael holds a diploma in Company Direction from the Institute of Directors and is a Chartered Director and has also studied at McGill University, St Joseph’s University, Cornell University and Cranfield University.
For 12 years, he worked in the bakery trade in Northern Ireland and Malta.
During this period, he worked closely with major UK retailers and was the youngest member on the senior management board of Ormeau Bakery.
Since its foundation in 1996, Michael has been instrumental in the development of the Northern Ireland Food and Drink Association.
He also led the development of the Northern Ireland Food Chain Certification Ltd and the redevelopment of Taste of Ulster.
Michael is currently a Board Member of Agri-Quest and has held similar roles with AgriSearch and safefood.
In March 2018 Michael was elected Vice President of the Institute of Food and Science Technology.
When he is not savouring good food and drink, Michael enjoys sailing and hill walking.
Ursula, Technical and R&D Director Europe at Moy Park, said she was delighted and humbled to receive the honour.
“I am proud to be part of the Northern Ireland agrifood industry, and this award is testament to the talented people I work with and everything we are doing to drive food integrity, animal welfare and provide a sustainable supply chain for our farmers and customers,” she said.
Congratulating Ursula, Chris Kirke, President of Moy Park, said: “Ursula is committed to achieving excellence across the supply chain, from farm to fork.
“She is a dedicated researcher, director and leader in our industry and on behalf of Moy Park we offer her our congratulations.”
Ursula joined Moy Park in 1987 as a Marketing Executive having graduated with a BSc (Hons) in Food Science from Queen’s University, Belfast.
She moved into Technical and Quality Management the following year and since then has steadily helped build the company’s reputation as a leading food company with absolute commitment to animal health, food safety and quality.
Appointed to the Executive Board as Technical Director Europe in 2013, now Technical and R&D Director Europe, Ursula is responsible for an integrated Europe-wide technical organisation.
Recognised as a leading authority on food safety and poultry research, she sits on several advisory bodies, including IGD Technical Leadership Forum, Chilled Food Association (CFA), Food Industry Initiative on Antimicrobials (FIIA), where she is a founding member, and serves on the Food Industry Liaison Group of the Food Standards Agency NI.
Ursula has previously sat on the Food Standards Agency (FSA) Acting on Campylobacter Together (ACT).
She is a board member and Vice Chairperson of the Northern Ireland Food and Drink Association (NIFDA), both the Industrial Advisory Board of the Institute for Global Food Security (IGFS) and the AgriFood Quest Competence Centre at Queen’s University Belfast, and is a Non-Executive Director of both the Centre for Innovation Excellence in Livestock (CIEL) and GS1 UK, which seeks to apply international standards via barcodes to consumer goods, healthcare products and more.
Over the years, Ursula’s impact beyond Moy Park has been recognised with a series of industry awards, including a NIFDA Award for Outstanding Leadership during Covid-19; ‘International Director of the Year’ from the NI Institute of Directors in 2021; and a Women in Business leadership award in 2016.
In 2022 Ursula was appointed honorary ‘Professor of Practice’ at the IGFS and School of Biological Sciences at Queen’s University Belfast.
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