A chartered accountant by profession, having worked with PricewaterhouseCoopers in Cork and Dublin, and also at the most senior levels in the Irish and international beverage industry. He was CEO and Chairman of Beamish & Crawford Plc for over twelve years, and on the Board and leadership team of Scottish & Newcastle(UK) Ltd (a FTSE 100 company, and the largest brewer and cider Group in the UK and Irish markets combined). He has also served in senior management and board roles across a broad range of other private and public sector enterprises in Ireland.
Alf is Chairman of the Quintas Financial Services Group and of Granite Consulting & On-Line Marketing Ltd. He serves on a number of other boards including the Moran Hotel Group, the Bewleys Hotel Group, the Kilkenny Group, and Kedco Plc. He also runs his own company, Alf Smiddy & Company Ltd, which works with organisations in the private and public sectors in Ireland on organisational strategy, marketing and business development, and strategic financial management.
He is a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in Ireland , a fellow of the Irish Marketing Institute, and has a Diploma in Corporate Direction from the Irish Institute of Directors. In 2009 he graduated with a Masters in Executive Leadership through Boston College and the University of Ulster.
Aiden is the founding member of Eolas International. He is a qualified Food Scientist with over 14 years experience in the Food and Beverage industry. Aiden provides the strategic vision for the company and leads our business development as well as playing an active role in key projects. Aiden recently completed an Enterprise Ireland funded MSc in International Business in Trinity College Dublin, and is leading plans for the further development of the company. Aiden says "It has been a fantastic experience to have been involved in the development of a unique, progressive and innovative company, such as Eolas International. The combination of very talented, eager and motivated staff in conjunction with progressive and forward looking clients, places us in a very fortunate and exciting position as we continue to grow our business. It is our mission to become the unquestioned choice as partner for our clients varied research needs".
Born and raised in Kerry, John is a graduate of the Engineering school in UCD. He began his professional life in the UK, working as a systems engineer with Electronic Data Systems. He soon spread his wings within this company, engaging as a project manager in Scotland, Belgium and Switzerland. After 7 years, John joined IBM, based in Dublin and working primarily for clients in the financial sector. In 2002, John brought his extensive project management experience with him to Cork. He co-founded Eolas International with Aiden Lee to capitalize on the opportunities provided by the need for innovative market research in the food and drink industry. He has overseen the operational growth of the company, and still immerses himself in projects, particularly in the market research and quality audit arenas. John says "We have fostered a culture of continuous learning in this company. Our team is encouraged to innovate and to act intuitively and this is applied to all projects. This results in clients telling us that they are excited by our solutions and that is a huge compliment."
Sarah Fehily (B.Comm, H Dip Marketing Practice). Prior to joining Eolas International Sarah has over twelve years experience in project management, working as an Account Director in the USA for various Advertising Agencies. Sarah has managed large marketing, consumer research, advertising and promotional campaigns for clients such as Clos Du Bois Wineries and Levis Dockers. Sarah is adept at in-depth interviewing and focus group moderation. At Eolas International Sarah leads and takes an active role in both qualitative and quantitative research studies for our Irish and international clients.
Fidelma Kirwan (PhD Nutrition) has over seventeen years experience in the food industry. At Eolas she manages both long and short term projects to provide actionable sensory guidance ensuring product success. Specialist sensory projects undertaken include developing specific sensory specifications to assist in product outsourcing, product development, monitoring sensory quality control/assurance, and product matching and formulation. At Eolas she develops and implements the ongoing sensory analysis and evaluation of a range of food and beverages. Fidelma works closely with the consumer team with sensory findings feeding, shaping and further interpreting the results from consumer studies. Fidelma says "At Eolas International, the established ethos is to encourage each team member to focus on the important issue of specifically and independently interacting with clients while also having the support and the opportunity of interfacing closely with cross-functional teams within our organization."
Born in the Netherlands, Martine de Boer (MA Psychology, MSc Food Studies) specialises in Consumer Behaviour in the area of food and beverages. Martine has over 9 years experience with qualitative and quantitative consumer research techniques and has managed large national and international consumer research projects during her career. At Eolas, Martine manages qualitative and quantitative consumer research projects and she also works closely together with the sensory research department in Eolas focusing on integrating consumer and sensory data. Before joining Eolas International as Consumer Research Manager in 2005, Martine worked as a Consumer Scientist with Unilever Research (the Netherlands) and with the Food Business Department at University College Cork (Ireland). She has also lectured for the Marketing Institute of Ireland in consumer research methodologies and has publications in a number of leading journals in the area of Food Marketing and Consumer Behaviour.
Martine says "At Eolas International there is a real 'can do' mentality, the team is enthusiastic, experienced and creative. We have a wide range of clients and the commitment to quality research and to using cutting edge research techniques makes it exciting and rewarding to work here."
Veronica Sheehan (BBS, H Dip Marketing Practice). Prior to joining Eolas International, Veronica gained 10 years experience in Marketing, specialising in market research, general marketing and communications. Veronica has achieved considerable understanding of quantitative and qualitative research projects across many sectors with particular focus on FMCG, Retail and Telecommunications. Veronica’s career has seen her manage large scale marketing and rebranding projects within the Financial and Outsourcing industries.
At Eolas International, Veronica has an active role in both Qualitative and Quantitative Research studies.
Eolas International employs a trained sensory expert panel (30) with 1 to 5 years experience in sensory profiling foods and beverages across product categories.
The Consumer & Sensory Research team is supported by a network of experienced and highly trained recruiters, interviewers and partners in Ireland and internationally.
Born and raised in Cork, Neil holds a BSc in Computer Science from University College Cork. Neil has over five years experience in IT project management and before joining Eolas International worked in Product Support/Development in EMC. Presently, Neil manages Eolas International's growing shopper network, which spans over 100 countries and looks after all of the company's IT needs. During his seven years with Eolas International Neil has managed product retrieval and analysis projects across the Eolas client portfolio.
Eamonn holds a BSc. in Food Science and Technology and a MSc in Food Science and Technology. He has over 6 years experience in the food industry. Before joining Eolas International, Eamonn worked as a Production Supervisor with Dairygold and a Product Development Technologist in the area of fats and oils with Kerry Foods in Charleville. Presently Eamonn heads up the International Product Retrieval team at Eolas International.
A German native, Suzanne Detzner holds a MBS in Food Marketing from University College Cork and a Degree (Hons.) in International Business from the International School of Management in Dortmund, Germany. Suzanne is working in the area of international market & consumer research as well as sensory analysis projects. She manages cross functional projects (consumer research / quality audits & sensory analysis) and synthesizes the results. Prior to joining Eolas International, Suzanne worked within Marketing in SWS Marketing Services, University College Cork and BBDO Dusseldorf.
Suzanne says: "I always wanted to work for a truly international and multifaceted company - and Eolas is exactly that. We are all driven by giving our clients the best but at the same time we all have different areas of expertise and the combination makes us different. It is an exciting place to work."
Eolas International Research, Cork, Ireland
E: info@eolasinternational.com | T: +353 (0)21 4355567
