Flahavan's man is Ireland's top marketer
24 November 09

John Noonan, sales and marketing director at Flahavans and the man behind the re-emergence of one of Ireland's most iconic brands, has been named Marketer of the Year 2009. He was presented with the award by Michael Cullen, editor, Marketing.ie, in association with sponsor Alternatives, Ireland's leading marketing talent house.

Operating in a 'David and Goliath' market where Flahavans competes successfully against international food giants Kelloggs, Nestlé and Weetabix, Noonan was responsible for crafting a finely tuned re-positioning of Flahavans which has resulted in market share growing to 65.3pc in the year to August 2009. The brand's profits increased by over 15pc, with a fourfold increase in turnover. "The award is a reflection of the hard work done by the team working with me and I'm grateful for the confidence that Flahavans have placed in me to build and grow the business," said Mr Noonan.

The judges said they were particularly impressed by Mr Noonan's strong focus on research and insight to identify customer trends and frame a very successful product development strategy to grow the business. Under significant price pressure from competitors and also from the multiples, he convinced his board to maintain a strong focus on both share and profitability.