FoodCloud have announced the appointment of Cathriona Hallahan and Paula Doherty to their board.  Founded by Irish Social Entrepreneurs Iseult Ward and Aoibheann O’Brien in 2013, FoodCloud’s technology connects food businesses and retailers to community groups across Ireland, the UK, Slovakia and the Czech Republic.

Cathriona, who retired as Managing Director of Microsoft Ireland in September 2021, is a member of a number of boards including Keelings, Dalata Hotel Group,  Beats medical, UCD’s advisory board, and Trinity Business School. In 2018, she was awarded the inaugural Women of Concern award, an award set up to recognise leaders who promote gender equality. Cathriona brings a wealth of experience notably in strategic policy development and delivery, corporate affairs and communications.

Paula, a chartered accountant and financial consultant, acts on the Advisory Groups for the Irelandia Group and the One Foundation charity, where she previously held many senior roles including Chief Financial Officer and Director. She has held numerous board positions across a broad spectrum of industries including Investments, Property, Hotel & Restaurants, Aviation and Charities. She is also a board member of TreoEile, a not-for-profit organisation promoting retraining and re-homing of ex-racehorses. 

Quote from Cathriona: “Climate change is a threat to all of us and to our way of life. Creating a more sustainable food system and reducing food waste have been put forward as key priority actions at a national and international level to address climate change. FoodCloud have been a thought leader in creating solutions to some of these challenges.  By advancing their Technology platform for redistribution of food, they have been able to drive a saving of 188,000 tonnes of CO2 equivalent. I am excited to join the board as FoodCloud develop their future strategy to drive even further global impact.”

Quote from Paula: “We waste 1 million tonnes of food each year in Ireland, 88 million in Europe, 913 million globally. We have committed to reduce our waste by 50% by 2030. We need to change our ways and fast. I believe that the impressive team in FoodCloud will be at the forefront of this change as they execute their exciting new strategy. I am delighted to be joining their board and helping them to achieve this."

FoodCloud CEO, Iseult Ward, said: “We are delighted to welcome two industry leaders to our board. Cathriona and Paula bring a wealth of cross-industry knowledge that will support FoodCloud as we embark on the first of two ambitious strategic planning cycles, working towards our 2030 goal of a more equitable, inclusive and circular food system."