TOMRA Food appoints nut expert to tighten customer relationships globally

The global leader in sensor-based food sorting solutions has appointed Brendan O’Donnell, who joins TOMRA Food as Global Category Director Nuts. Brendan, born and raised in California, has a bachelor’s degree in Agricultural Systems and Environment from the University of California, Davis, and has more than 15 years’ experience in the food and beverage industry in various sectors and positions. Most recently he held the position of Vice President of Sales and Marketing at Monte Vista Farming Company, responsible for global sales of California Almonds, grower relations and procurement. Commenting on his appointment, Brendan said: “The role as Global Category Director Nuts is an absolute dream for me. I have always had a passion for the food industry, with previous experience in dairy, rice and almonds. I love to build relationships with customers and figure out what is keeping them from their goals, what their customers or even their customers’ customers demand, and determining how we can solve these problems together.  We all want to make an impact on the world; to do something that will improve the lives of others and provide meaningful, lasting change.  TOMRA is not simply a sorting company, but a tool that you can use to make those dreams of changing the world a reality.” The new TOMRA Food Category Director will be responsible for establishing trusted and productive relationships with executives at food organizations around the world. Brendan will develop a joint go-to-market strategy with each of the organizations he engages with, leveraging the power of TOMRA’s solutions and enhancing their brand image as well as assuring high quality food. Customers will also find in Brendan a digital touch point, leveraging big data, analytics, AI and machine learning to optimize every aspect of their operation. Within the organization he will build and lead global, cross-functional teams that support customers with the best service and support in the industry. Welcoming Brendan, Head of Global Sales Food, Thomas Molnar, commented: “By building long-lasting and direct relationships with stakeholders across the world, TOMRA Food will be the undisputed Thought Leader, at the heart of keeping up with global food trends, consumer trends and customer challenges. There are many challenges ahead, but by maintaining a close bond with food industry leaders we will ensure that we are the first name people think of, not just for our sorting solutions, but also as a company that works hard to truly make a difference and improve global social responsibility". For more information about Brendan O’ Donnell, please visit Brendan’s LinkedIn page or tomra.com/food. About TOMRA FoodTOMRA Food designs and manufactures sensor-based sorting machines and integrated post-harvest solutions for the food industry, using the world’s most advanced grading, sorting, peeling and analytical technology. Over 8,000 units are installed at food growers, packers and processors around the world for fruits, nuts, vegetables, potato products, grains and seeds, dried fruit, meat and seafood. The company’s mission is to enable its customers to improve returns, gain operational efficiencies, and ensure a safe food supply via smart, useable technologies. To achieve this, TOMRA Food operates centers of excellence, regional offices and manufacturing locations within the United States, Europe, South America, Asia, Africa and Australasia. TOMRA Food is member of the TOMRA Group that was founded on innovation in 1972 that began with design, manufacture and sale of reverse vending machines (RVMs) for automated collection of used beverage containers. Today TOMRA provides technology-led solutions that enable the circular economy with advanced collection and sorting systems that optimize resource recovery and minimize waste in the food, recycling and mining industries. TOMRA has ~100,000 installations in over 80 markets worldwide and had total revenues of ~8.6 billion NOK in 2018. The Group employs ~4,000 globally and is publicly listed on the Oslo Stock Exchange (OSE: TOM). For further information about TOMRA, please see www.tomra.com