Gillian Kelleher, President and CEO of Kelleher Consultants LLC, will serve as Chairperson for the Educational Advisory Board (EAB) for the 2023 Food Safety Summit, produced by Food Safety Magazine and BNP Media. Kelleher will take over as Chair for Gary Ades, Ph.D., President of G&L Consulting Group, who has stepped down after leading the Summit EAB for the past 15 years, including the recently held 2022 Summit.
Kelleher brings to the 2023 Food Safety Summit her vast, global leadership experience in the food industry and in food safety and quality, having lived and worked in Ireland, the UK, France, and the U.S. She has worked in diverse sectors including manufacturing, foodservice, retail, and distribution.
Kelleher was formerly Vice President of Food Safety and Quality Assurance for Wegmans Food Markets, a major U.S. regional supermarket chain and one of Fortune's "100 Best Companies to Work For." Her scope of responsibility included all aspects of food safety and quality for stores, self-manufacturing, distribution, and Wegmans' private-label program. Prior to her tenure at Wegmans, Kelleher also worked at Häagen Dazs, Burger King, Express Foods, and Pillsbury. In addition, she has led the development of food safety and quality programs for many large and small private-label suppliers and distributors.
Kelleher earned her B.S. degree in Dairy and Food Science from University College Cork in Ireland. She is also a member of several professional organizations, including the Institute of Food Technologists (IFT), the International Association for Food Protection (IAFP), and the American Society for Quality (ASQ). She is a past co-Vice Chair of the Global Food Safety Initiative (GFSI) Board of Directors, a member of the Board of Directors of the American National Standards Institute (ANSI), a member of the Board of Directors of Stop Foodborne Illness, a longstanding member of Harvard's Private and Public Scientific, Academic, and Consumer Food Policy Committee (PAPSAC), and a member of the Editorial Advisory Board of Food Safety Magazine. Kelleher is also actively involved in the Leafy Greens Safety Coalition (LGSC).
With her significant industry experience and dedication to food safety and quality, Kelleher will work with the esteemed Food Safety Summit EAB and the Summit planning team to shape the educational agenda for the 2023 Food Safety Summit, which will be held May 8–11 at the Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont, Illinois.
