THE head of the north's biggest food and drink trade body is among a number of business recipients recognised in the New Year Honours list.
Michael Bell, who is executive director of the Northern Ireland Food and Drink Association (NIFDA), has been awarded an OBE for services to the food and drink industry and to the region's economy.
From Holywood, he has been at the helm of the organisation since its formation in 1996, and in that time food and drink has grown to Northern Ireland’s largest manufacturing sector, contributing £4.9 billion in value added to the region and supporting 113,000 jobs.
Prior to joining NIFDA - which styles itself as the body promoting ‘one voice' for the north's food and drink industry - he worked in the bakery trade in the north, serving on the senior management board of Ormeau Bakery.
He holds a food science degree from Queen’s University and he is also a chartered scientist and a Fellow of the Institute of Food Science and Technology. He holds a diploma in Company Director from the Institute of Directors.
Michael has been instrumental in the development of NIFDA since its foundation. For 10 years he was involved in developing Northern Ireland Food Chain Certification and in 2004 he assisted the merging of Taste of Ulster into NIFDA.
Also awarded an OBE is Gordon Milligan from Newtownards for services to business and human resource management.
As well as being the deputy chief executive of Translink, he is in his second three-year spell as chairman of the Institute of Directors Northern Ireland (IoD NI).
Before joiningTranslink in 2009 his previous experience included executive roles within large global organisations including Bombardier Aerospace, Nortel Networks and Dunbia.
He was appointed chair of IoD NI in April 2018 and chair of the Labour Relations Agency in May 2021, and he has served on boards within both the private and public sector.
He has an MBA, is a Fellow of IoD, Chartered Fellow of CIPD and is a Visiting Professor at the Ulster University Business School.
Other business recipients in the latest list include an OBE for Brian Baird, a former Invest NI board member, for services to economic development in Northern Ireland.
Among those receiving MBEs are Dr Godfrey Gaston from Ballymena, lately director at the Centre for Secure Information Technologies, for services to cyber security innovation; Ursula Lavery for services to the agri-food industry and the economy; and Peter McBride for services to the economy and the community in Co Tyrone.
