TJ Flanagan has been appointed CEO of ICOS – the Irish Co-operative Organisation Society, effective 1^st July 2016 as announced/designated in January this year.  He was formerly Dairy Policy Executive of ICOS, and takes up the role of CEO following from the retirement of Seamus O’Donohoe who directed ICOS with distinction as CEO and formerly as Company Secretary and Director of Member Development.

ICOS represents over 130 co-operatives 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.

T.J. Flanagan said, “The co-operative sector in Ireland contributes very strongly to economic development at a national and regional level including investment, jobs creation and export led growth. I look forward to working with our member organisations and all stakeholders to ensure continuing strong progress for co-operatives, underpinned by analysis, policy and strategy around the key issues facing our industry for the future.”

Mr. Flanagan is a UCD Agriculture Graduate with over 15 years of experience working with ICOS and co-ops across a range of sectors.  Since 2007, he has served as Secretary of the ICOS Dairy Committee and has been responsible for the development of dairy policy within ICOS. Prior to that, he spent five years as Secretary of the ICOS Marts Committee. He is currently the Secretary of the National Dairies Association and a member of the National Milk Agency, as well as being a member of the Technical Advisory Committee of the Bord Bia Sustainable Dairy Assurance Scheme. He also currently represents ICOS on the COPA COGECA (General Confederation of Agricultural Cooperatives) Milk Working Group in Brussels, as well as the European Commission Civil Dialogue Group on Milk.

Mr. Flanagan was also responsible for the establishment of the Plunkett Institute, an ICOS initiative to develop a Corporate Governance Standard for Co-op Directors and is Executive Director of the Institute. The Institute is currently delivering a number of Director Development Programmes in co-ops across the country.  It is also working closely with co-op boards to develop training and engagement initiatives to encourage members to become more engaged with their co-ops and to create a generation of future leaders.

He recently completed a Professional Diploma in Corporate Governance at the UCD Smurfit School and is a member of the Corporate Governance Association of Ireland and the RDS. Prior to working for ICOS he worked as an Agronomist and Commercial Manager for Ed Flahavan and Sons in Co. Waterford.