The new chief executive of the Food Safety Authority of Ireland will be Ms Ann Westby, who is currently technical and corporate affairs manager with Nestlé Ireland.
Ms Westby, who will takes up office in early October, replaces Dr Patrick Wall who was the first chief executive of the FSAI, which was established in 1997. He retired from the post at the end of June.
She has over 30 years' experience in the food industry, having held a number of technical and managerial positions in Nestlé Ireland. Ms Westby has a background in food technology, quality management, liaison with inspectorates, product development and technical assistance. More recently she was involved in project managing cross-functional business initiatives with Nestlé Ireland.
She is a member of a number of food science professional bodies, including the Institute of Food Science and Technology UK, a past president and fellow of the Institute of Food Science and Technology of Ireland, and past chairwoman and honorary fellow of the Irish Society of Food Hygiene Technology.
In addition, Ms Westby is currently involved in a range of professional activities, including her role as chairwoman of the regulatory and technical group in IBEC, and membership of the Teagasc industry group on training.
She is also a member of the working group with the Department of Agriculture and Food dealing with the Food Institutional Research Measure. This measure provides a framework for research in generic technologies supporting innovation and development in the Irish food industry.