Mr Niall Browne

Known as a straight talker with a “can do” business attitude and a structured common-sense approach, Niall Browne is CEO of Dawn Meats, an Irish company with extensive operations across the globe. 

Following his graduation from the University of Limerick in 1995 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Studies (Marketing and Agribusiness), Niall joined the Dawn Meats Graduate Management Programme, progressing through the organisation as he worked in five  different sites between Ireland and the UK, gaining experience in production, livestock procurement and marketing. 

At the age of just 34, Niall was appointed by the Board to the position of Chief Executive in 2007.  In this role, he currently oversees 23 production facilities in Ireland and the UK, 10 sales offices in Europe and Asia, with over 7,000 staff and revenues over €2bn. 

Over the past decade, Niall and his team have spearheaded the development of the Group through mergers and acquisitions in key strategic markets. In 2015, Dawn invested in Elivia, France’s 2nd largest beef processor (with Niall appointed to the board of Elivia).  Elivia has an additional €1bn in revenues and 3,000 employees.  In October 2017, Dawn Meats merged its UK business with Dungannon-based Dunbia, and acquired their facilities in Ireland.  Niall assumed the role of Executive Chairman of Dunbia which is Britain’s largest beef and lamb company. Across its three businesses in Ireland and the UK and France, the combined organisation processes 1.5m cattle and 3m lambs per year. 

Dawn is very proud of both its Irish and international customer base, with the company supplying many well-known retailers, manufacturers and restaurants in over 50 countries. Niall is particularly passionate about innovation and Dawn Meats regularly wins awards for new product development initiatives by its in-house chefs.  In 2018, Dawn received three separate Three Star Great Taste Awards in Ireland and the UK. 

Niall also champions environmental sustainability and efficient processing, which has resulted in Dawn being internationally recognised by its customers worldwide. In April this year, Dawn Meats was the only European food company to receive a “Scale for Good” award from McDonalds and has also been nationally recognised by the Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland. Dawn Meats is the only company to have won the Sustainability award from Bord Bia on two occasions since it established the Bi-annual Food and Drink awards. Dawn’s goal is to become Europe’s most sustainable meat company and it has set itself targets for 2025 of reducing water & energy intensity by 40%, and CO2 emission intensity by 50%. 

Throughout his career, Niall has focused on the culture of the company and developing the skills and capability of the Senior Management Team to facilitate the successful expansion of Dawn Meats.  Dawn expanded its Graduate Recruitment Programme under Niall’s leadership and developed an industry-leading Graduate Programme, recruiting 45 young managers each year, as well as running an award-winning butchery academy to upskill colleagues. 

Dawn has also pioneered many initiatives to support its farmer suppliers, which includes 20,000 farmers in Ireland and 10,000 farmers in the UK. These initiatives include the Better Farm Programme, where - alongside Teagasc and the Irish Farmers Journal - Dawn helps farmers with a road map for profitable beef production through improving technical efficiency to reduce production costs and improve animal performance. 

Niall is a supporter of the hurlers from his native county Cork and an avid rugby enthusiast. He is also a keen reader who loves to travel and experience the latest food trends. Married to Angela Crotty, also a UL Business Studies graduate (alumna BBS’96), the couple live in Kilkenny with their three children.