13th February 2026
The Minister for Enterprise, Tourism and Employment, Peter Burke TD, has announced the appointment of Jim Woulfe as Chair of Enterprise Ireland. Mr Woulfe has served as Interim Chair since June 2025.
Welcoming the appointment, Minister Burke highlighted the extensive enterprise leadership and governance experience Mr Woulfe brings to the role, particularly his deep understanding of the challenges and opportunities facing Irish businesses.
Minister Burke said:
“I am pleased to appoint Jim Woulfe as Chairperson of Enterprise Ireland. Jim brings a proven track record in corporate governance, strategic leadership and enterprise development, skills that are essential in strengthening Ireland’s enterprise base, creating employment and supporting companies to compete internationally.
“Jim has already demonstrated strong leadership as Interim Chair. I look forward to working with him as Enterprise Ireland drives the growth of a vibrant, resilient, regionally balanced enterprise sector and supports companies to scale, export and embrace innovation.
“I would also like to thank Jim for his commitment and dedication during his time as Interim Chair and for his valuable contribution to the Board of Enterprise Ireland.”
Jim Woulfe served as Chief Executive of Dairygold Co‑Operative Society until his retirement in December 2021, following 42 years with the organisation. Dairygold is a leading Irish farmer owned Co Operative, with dairy, nutritional’s and agri businesses. It employs 1,300 people across Ireland, the UK, Germany and Spain, with a turnover of €1.50 billion and processes 1.45 billion litres of milk annually from 2,400 suppliers.
A graduate of University College Cork in Dairy Science, Mr Woulfe began his career in 1979 with Ballyclough Co‑operative, which later merged into Dairygold. Over four decades, he held senior leadership positions including Head of HR and Head of Agri Business, before being appointed Chief Executive in 2009.
ENDS
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