NI Chamber in Conversation With

Nourishing the World

RICHARD KENNEDY

Richard Kennedy is chief executive of agri-tech company Devenish. Headquartered in Northern Ireland, with sites across Ireland, the UK, USA, Mexico, Turkey and Uganda, the Devenish Group is made up of companies working together to develop sustainable food solutions.

In episode two of NI Chamber’s In Conversation podcast, delivered in association with Narratology, Richard speaks to host Mark Devenport about his early life, which led him to a career in nutrition, his take on leadership and hopes for the future of the group and the people who work there.

Growing up in Aclare, Co Sligo, working at the family livestock market sparked an interest in agriculture early in Richard’s life. He tells listeners: “It kindled a passion in me around the business of agriculture. There was no passing trade, so I saw that you had to attract people in. You had to get the raw material by enticing farmers to bring their animals to the market. And then when you had them in the same place, you got them to do a deal. I continue to be inspired by that concept to this day.

“My mother was a domestic science teacher and she inspired me to understand biology and biochemistry. She got me to do a science course one summer and I realised then that you could combine agriculture and science in an agricultural science degree, which I managed to just scrape myself into. I wasn’t very good at sitting down and studying. I was never top of the class but I absolutely adored it.”

Devenish was acquired by its current management team in 1997, when the company name changed from Devenish Feeds to Devenish Nutrition.

“When we started, we were very much animal nutritionists. But then we realised the impact we could have as nutritionists was actually very signifi cant. And as the need for the world to become more sustainable opened up, it was very aligned with how we approached the market. We added the tag line to our business ‘Beyond Nutrition’ because we know the impact that animal production can have on the

NI CHAMBER IN CONVERSATION WITH

IN ASSOCIATION WITH NARRATOLOGY

About Narratology

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environment. We all need to be fed, so we have got to fi nd a way to do that sustainably.

“We develop and deploy solutions through research and development, which ensures the most e ective utilization of nutrients in the production of food. We term that ‘One Health: from soil to society’. Proactive nutrition ensures the health of the bio-system and that’s where we had to be a disruptor in the marketplace. Our competitors wanted to sell more products. We wanted to sell the right products in the right manner, so that they would comply commercially for our customers and our customer’s customers. That opened up doors across the word. While we’re not a global business, we are an international one and we export to over 30 countries.”

While the company has enjoyed much success, it hasn’t been immune to challenges. In November 2019, a massive fi re at the Belfast plant caused considerable and long-lasting damage.

“I got a call to say there was a fi re and the fi rst question I asked was, ‘Is anyone hurt or injured, or worse?’ because we can deal with anything else. After that, everything else can be replaced and we set about doing that. Now, it did damage our business – it went on for four days. It continues to have an impact on us to this day but the resilience the team showed, the willingness to put the shoulder to the wheel certainly inspired me.”

And like most companies in Northern Ireland, Brexit and the pandemic brought with them a plethora of challenges to be overcome.

“The challenge Brexit gave to us was uncertainty. It did hurt us. It actually stopped us growing for a couple of years. But now that it’s here, let’s get on with it. There is a certainty which is all we ever wanted. Even if some of those certainties cause problems, we’ll get through them.

“On COVID, the team have been incredible in all of our locations. We’ve managed to keep the business going and, as we are an essential business, we’ve ensured our customers are fulfi lled. However, there is still the impact on social interaction – we have young people working with us, spending long times working at home not interacting with people. When I was 25, that social interaction was huge and I made incredible friends with customers and colleagues, so that’s something that’s going to have an impact. People talk about costs, but there are social and personal costs that I would be concerned about for my colleagues, as well as the business cost.”

That focus on people is evident throughout the interview with the businessman, who also volunteers as a sports coach.

“I would of course say I’m not competitive, but I don’t think anyone else would agree! What I love about it is the team work. I’m a social individual and I love to engage with people. My real passion is getting people to express their ability. Sport and business allow me to do that.”

And when asked about winning EY Entrepreneur of the Year in 2019, he once again credits those working around him.

“It was a refl ection of the business and the people. People have to trust me as a leader and allow me to be the best that I can be.

“The culture in Devenish is so important and it is my responsibility. Everybody looks to me for leadership. I have to show that every action I take refl ects the ethos, culture and expectation in Devenish. My aim is to treat people better than I would like to be treated myself.”

At the conclusion of the 30 minute episode, Mark asks Richard about his plans for the future of Devenish.

“I want to maximize its potential. We have a number of technologies which have the potential to have global impact – we can have a positive impact on human health. We’ve seen through the pandemic how stretched our health systems are. We’re going to have to have a very proactive approach to human health and we are very well set for that.

“In terms of sustainability, we have a technology which we know can apply to every farm on the globe, which has the ability to lower or remove the carbon that has been generated. We have massive potential.”

Episode Two of the In Conversation podcast featuring Richard Kennedy is available now on the NI Chamber website. It is also available to listen to on Spotify, iTunes and Google Podcasts.