Martin Keane elected President designate of ICOS and Michael Spellman elected Vice-President designate.  Both will take up office from 1^st January 2015

Martin Keane has been elected President designate and Michael Spellman has been elected Vice-President designate of ICOS, the Irish Co-operative Organisation Society.

Mr. Keane and Mr. Spellman will take office from 1^st January 2015.

As President designate, Mr. Keane will succeed Bertie O’Leary who has served with distinction as President of ICOS since 2012.

Martin Keane is Vice-Chairman of Glanbia Co-operative Society, Vice-Chairman of Glanbia plc and is a Director of GIIL (Glanbia Ingredients Ireland Ltd.).  He is currently Vice President of ICOS and the Chairman of the ICOS Dairy Committee.  He farms at Errill, Portlaoise, Co. Laois and has completed the ICOS Co-operative Leadership Programme.  He was appointed to the Board of Glanbia plc in 2006.  Mr. Keane is a former director of Co-operative Animal Health Limited. He is also a director of ICS Europaks and is the current Chairman of Donaghmore Famine Workhouse Museum Co-operative Society.  Martin is married to Margaret and they have 3 children.

Michael Spellman is President of the European Association of Livestock Markets (EALM) which represents 14 national federations and over 600 livestock marts across Europe.  EALM marts are responsible for the sale of about 35 million cattle, sheep, pigs and horses annually.  Currently in his second term of office as Chairman of the National Marts Committee of ICOS,  he served as Vice-President of the European Association since 2012.   From Kilteevan, Co. Roscommon, he is a Board Member of ICOS and of Roscommon Co-operative Livestock Mart.  Michael is married to Marie and they have 2 children.

ICOS (the Irish Co-operative Organisation Society) represents co-operatives and organisations in Ireland – including the Irish dairy processing co-operatives and livestock marts – whose associated businesses have a combined turnover in the region of €14 billion, with some 150,000 individual members, employing 12,000 people in Ireland, and a further 24,000 people overseas.