Donal O'Neill was recently appointed food and feed ingredients sales manager at Camida
Hailing from a farming background, Donal went to study Food and AgriBusiness Management in UCD. From there he joined Ornua where he worked in Ireland and the UK holding various roles. After that, he moved to Tirlan to work as a business development manager until recently moving to Camida and taking up the food and feed ingredients position.
We spoke to Donal and asked him about his journey to his current role; his fondest memories of UCD and advice for students currently considering studying Agriculture and Food Science or indeed a career in the Agrifood industry.
- What led you to study Agriculture?
Growing up on a farm I had interest in Agriculture from a young age and therefore Ag Science was the right course for me
- What advice would you give to someone considering studying Agriculture?
As I started my Ag Science journey in WIT I got a great opportunity to sample a range of modules, e.g in the morning you could be dehorning calves and then in the afternoon you could be in a microbiology lab. For anyone starting in UCD I would recommend the omnibus to enable you to get a flavour before deciding what to focus on. I ended up doing Food & Agribusiness management myself.
- What is your fondest memory from your time at UCD?
I have many fond memories in UCD, ranging from tea breaks in the Ag building, to chicken fillet rolls in Centra to pints in the Clubhouse and many in between.
My graduation day does stand out I guess; Tipperary had won the all-Ireland the day before so everyone was in good spirits heading to UCD on the Monday morning. It was also a great opportunity for my family to meet a lot of my friends which they wouldn’t have met before.
- What is the proudest moment of your career to date?
Proudest moment would be leading Camida’s Food & feed Division. Fantastic people to work with and exciting times ahead. Always a nice bonus to be representing a team based in my home county Tipperary
- What have been the most challenging aspects of your career?
Being in sales you face challenges daily. Even through my own career we have had Brexit, covid-19, war in Ukraine and inflation to name a few. The key thing about challenges is how you solve and learn from them. This both benefits your own development and of course the customer who is at the centre of everything
- Describe your typical work day in your new role as sales manager of Camida’s Food and Feed Ingredients division.
Every day is different to be honest. We are blessed to have a state-of-the-art office in Clonmel which has recently been extended. Depending on the week I would be in the office 2-3 days a week. The rest of the time would be spent travelling. Travelling could involve an early start and trip to the airport to visit customers/suppliers or attend tradeshows. Travelling could also look like working for a few hours at home before getting in the car to meet our Irish customers and suppliers
- In your career and/or personal life, who have been the most inspiring or helpful mentors/advisors that you’ve had to date?
I was very lucky to have great managers/mentors throughout my career with Ornua (in both Ireland & the UK), Glanbia Ireland/Tirlan and now Camida.
In my personal like my parents Paul & Mary B, and sister Siobhan were a massive influence and always supported me along the way. Then in recent years my now wife Cathy has been a major driving force in my career
- Have you always been interested in this career area
Growing up I would have always been quiet an outgoing person which looking back compliments what I am doing today. I got my first taste of sales as a student in the recession with no summer job selling firewood which I got from our farm. Door to door sales as a naïve teenager is as good an education as any. Then a few years layer through the PWE that UCD offer I got my first formal sales training with Arrabawn in their Newport branch in Tipperary. It was after this experience that I knew sales was the career area I wanted to progress in.
How did your studies at UCD support or encourage that interest?
As I said above the professional work experience was key to this. In terms of support at UCD the careers office helped me draw up my CV, we did mock interviews and by competing in the agri food debate I improved my presentation skills and confidence as a result
What do you do to relax? Tell us a bit about your current life, family and hobbies.
Well, 2024 has been a year like no other. I have recently gotten married, built a house and changed job so we are not idol! But in normal times my hurling career and farm would be my main hobbies
What is the best piece of advice you’ve ever been given?
“What you put in you get out”. It's simple but applies to all aspects of life, be it your career, education sport and relationships.