The Bríd Awards
Women Shaping Irish Dairy
The Bríd Awards
Women Shaping Irish Dairy
What they are
A new kind of recognition
The Bríd Awards are Dairy Connect Ireland’s prestige recognition platform celebrating women whose leadership is shaping Irish dairy - cross processing, research, sustainability, commercial strategy and public trust.
This is not a product competition. It is recognition for impact.
A signal of what the sector values next.Irish dairy already celebrates product excellence and performance. The Bríd
Awards exist to recognise something different: the women who shape the system itself.
They reward influence, not visibility. Impact, not participation. Leadership, without label fatigue.
The result is a platform designed to feel national in its relevance - and credible from day one.
Why “BRÍD”
Why the name matters
Bríd (St Brigid) is one of Ireland’s most respected cultural figures, long associated with nourishment, land stewardship, protection, enterprise and renewal.
Those values align naturally with dairy: food security, trust, sustainability and long-term stewardship.
Crucially, the name Bríd is distinctive in the sector. It isn’t owned by any dairy organisation, avoids confusion with existing bodies, and carries heritage authority without nostalgia.
It also travels well. Short. memorable. internationally intelligible. Built for export narratives and global media.
Built for credibility
Designed to reduce tokenism — and increase trust
The Bríd Awards are intentionally female-centric, without leaning on “Women in Dairy” language that can feel limiting or performative.
They celebrate structural influence, category-building and leadership outcomes across every scale of dairy—from farm to boardroom, artisan to multinational.
For partners and sponsors, this creates meaningful alignment with ESG, inclusion and talent pipeline commitments—without optics-led positioning.
How it works
How nominations and awards work
Each category will feature three nominees.
Nominees will be approached through their organisations, creating a strong platform for company support, stakeholder hosting and leadership visibility.
A limited number of category sponsorships will be available for organisations seeking credible, values-led engagement.
The awards will be presented at the Bríd Awards Dinner as part of Dairy Connect Ireland.
Award categories
Recognising leadership across the full Irish dairy ecosystem.
System Shaper Award — Irish Dairy
Honours women reshaping how the Irish dairy system functions—governance, policy, inclusion, market access, sector architecture or institutional trust.
Female Disruptor in Dairy Processing
Recognises women driving non-incremental change in processing models, portfolios, scale strategy or transformation.
Micro-to-Market Pioneer
Celebrates women translating artisan or micro dairy into sustainable, commercially resilient models.
Invisible Innovator
Highlights women whose impact is essential but often unseen—technical leadership, R&D, regulatory, quality systems and compliance.
Process Optimisation & Systems Architect
Rewards women designing sustainability and productivity systems—moving the sector from ambition to measurable delivery.
Voice That Changed the Conversation
Recognises women who have shifted public, political or consumer narratives around dairy—building trust and confidence in the category.
Future Architect — Next-Generation Leader
Celebrates under-40 or early-career leaders building the future dairy system now—across farming, processing, research, tech or entrepreneurship.
National Advocate for Women in Dairy
A lifetime-impact award recognising sustained national contribution to representation and leadership progression.
Why it matters
The Bríd Awards reinforce what Dairy Connect Ireland stands for: connecting the people who build resilience into the system, not simply respond to pressure.
They create a distinctive pillar for the event, widen stakeholder relevance, and bring senior industry leaders into the room for recognition, connection and future-focused dialogue.
In a sector where many women remain under-recognised, the Bríd Awards are not symbolic. They are an operational commitment to visibility, credibility and leadership progression.