Brian, tell us a bit about your background — it’s quite a journey to get here.
Brian, tell us a bit about your background — it’s quite a journey to get here.It is. I began my career as an apprentice Aircraft Technician and progressed to Technician Team Leader with the Irish Air Corps—an environment where there’s zero margin for error. Everything has to work first time, every time. That foundation in precision, discipline, and rigorous technical standards has stayed with me throughout my career.
I then moved into manufacturing with 3Com Technologies as a Manufacturing Maintenance Manager, overseeing high-speed, highly automated production lines. We were producing computer networking products —switches, routers, modems, and wireless access points—during the mid-1990s, which was an especially exciting period in the evolution of computer networking technology.
After that, I spent nearly 19 years with Mondelez in a range of engineering leadership roles, ultimately becoming a Senior Engineering Projects Manager at one of the world’s largest food companies. My work spanned engineering, capital projects, and operations at significant scale. Joining Noreside felt like a natural progression—a company with clear ambition and the technical capability to deliver on it.
What drew you to Noreside specifically?
“Honestly, it was the quality of what the team has already built. When you look at the projects they’ve delivered — bespoke conveyor systems, automation integration, hygienic fabrication for pharma and food clients — there’s a real standard of engineering here. But what excited me most was the opportunity ahead. Noreside is at a point where the foundations are strong and the next phase of growth is there to be taken. I wanted to be part of shaping that.”
With your Mondelez and 3Com background, you’ve been on the customer side of the table. Does that change how you approach things?
“Completely — and I think that’s one of the most valuable things I bring. I know what a plant manager is dealing with at 2am when a line goes down. I know what a procurement team needs to see in a proposal to have confidence in a supplier. I know the pressure of managing capital projects inside a large regulated facility. That perspective means we can have much more honest, productive conversations with our customers about what they actually need — not just what they’re asking for.”
Where do you see Noreside’s biggest opportunity right now?
“For me, it comes down to one thing: long-term customer partnerships. Too many engineering companies deliver a project, commission the equipment, and move on. The customer is left to figure it out themselves. That’s not the Noreside way, and it’s not the kind of company I wanted to join.
What I saw at both 3com & Mondelez — time and again — was that the suppliers who truly added value were the ones who stayed. The ones who came back six months after installation to see how things were running. The ones who knew your line, knew your team, and were genuinely invested in your success. Those relationships lasted years, sometimes decades. That’s what we’re building here.
We want to go on the journey with our customers — from the initial project brief right through to ongoing maintenance, spare parts support, and continuous improvement. If we’ve installed a system for you, we want to be the team that’s still by your side five or ten years later, helping you get the most out of it. That kind of partnership creates real value on both sides, and frankly it’s what the best manufacturers in Ireland deserve from their engineering partners.
Alongside that, our OEM offering is growing fast. The FlexLink partnership is a great example — giving Irish manufacturers access to world-class conveyor technology, backed by Noreside’s local expertise and support. That’s not a one-off transaction; it’s the start of a relationship.”
You’re building out the team as part of this growth. What kind of people are you looking for?
“People who can bridge the technical and commercial worlds. Engineering experience matters, but so does the ability to understand a customer’s operation, build genuine relationships, and be the kind of person a plant manager actually wants to pick up the phone to. We’re growing our maintenance SLA offering, our spare parts function, and our OEM lines — and we need people who are comfortable working across all three. If you’ve got a background in engineering or technical services and you’re looking for a role with real ownership and real variety, I’d genuinely love to hear from you.”
Finally — what’s your impression of the team you’ve joined?
“Talented, committed, and proud of what they do. There’s a real culture of getting things right here, which matters enormously to me. We’re going to do great things.”
If you’re interested in joining the Noreside team, we’re currently hiring across a number of roles in Kilkenny.
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