Donard Gaynor

Career History

• Group Chairman, Glanbia plc (October 2020–December 2025)
• Non-Executive Director, Glanbia plc (March 2013–present)
• Senior Vice President of Strategy and Corporate Development, Beam Inc. (2003–December 2012)
• Senior Executive Leadership roles, The Seagram Spirits & Wine Group, New York
• Audit Client Services Partner, PricewaterhouseCoopers, New York

Donard Gaynor was appointed as Group Chairman of Glanbia plc in October 2020, becoming the first independent chairman of the company. He joined Glanbia's board as an independent non-executive director in March 2013, where he served as chair of the Remuneration Committee and a member of both the Audit Committee and Nomination and Governance Committee.

Gaynor retired in December 2012 as Senior Vice President of Strategy and Corporate Development of Beam Inc., a premium spirits company previously listed on the New York Stock Exchange based in Chicago. He joined Beam in 2003 as Senior Vice President and Managing Director of International operations. Prior to Beam, he served in senior executive leadership roles with The Seagram Spirits & Wine Group in New York and was an Audit Client Services Partner with PricewaterhouseCoopers' New York office. In November 2016, Gaynor was appointed chairman of Hazelwood Demesne Limited, 'The Lough Gill Distillery' Company.

Gaynor earned professional qualifications as a chartered accountant from the Sligo Institute of Technology and the Institute of Chartered Accountants in Ireland, where he is a fellow. He attended advanced management programs at INSEAD and the University of Western Ontario. He is a fellow of Chartered Accountants Ireland and the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants.

What Donard Gaynor could bring to retirement: Based on his documented career spanning finance, strategy, corporate development, and global spirits operations, Gaynor has demonstrated expertise in international business expansion, financial stewardship, change management, and governance. His tenure as Glanbia's first independent chairman—overseeing the company through significant evolution and board refreshment—reflects strong leadership in strategy execution and stakeholder engagement across a $5.4 billion global nutrition group with operations in 32 countries.