Seibhe Hannon brought FMCG expertise and creative thinking to judging panel at Irish Sponsorship Awards 2025

Looking back on last year's awards, Seibhe Hannon, Brand Manager at Ballymaloe Foods, brought diverse FMCG marketing experience to the judging panel at the Irish Sponsorship Awards 2025, strengthening the evaluation process with comprehensive expertise across brand management, activation strategy, and creative problem-solving.

Seibhe's career trajectory reflects a distinctive approach to marketing development, having grown within Ballymaloe Foods through summer holidays and college before progressing naturally into her role as Marketing Graduate. This deep institutional knowledge provided her with understanding of how family-owned food brands build legacy positioning whilst adapting to contemporary consumer expectations and market dynamics.

In 2017, she moved to Dublin to become a Jameson Brand Ambassador, where she gained invaluable insight into one of Ireland's biggest and most active alcohol brands. This experience equipped her with sophisticated understanding of how premium brands orchestrate ambassador networks, manage brand activation at scale, and navigate the complex alcohol industry landscape.

Following marketing roles within one of Ireland's top 6 law firms, Seibhe recognised that FMCG represented her true professional calling and transitioned to BR Marketing, working on the distributor side with major international brands including Blue Dragon, Franks RedHot, and Patak's. This distributor perspective provided her with unique insight into how sponsorship effectiveness translates through retail channels and influences consumer purchase behaviour.

In 2024, Seibhe returned to Ballymaloe Foods as Brand Manager, working alongside her cousins and owners Maxine and Rosaleen Hyde. She divides her time between Ballymaloe Foods and their smaller brand, Mama Bear Foods, which launched a range of ketchups across Irish and Northern Irish markets, demonstrating her capability to manage brand portfolios at different scale and market maturity stages.

As a proud dyslexic, Seibhe has consistently approached challenges by thinking outside conventional frameworks, demonstrating preference for blue sky thinking and brainstorming over traditional analytical constraints. This creative orientation informed her evaluation of sponsorship entries, positioning her to recognise innovative approaches and unconventional partnership models that challenge category norms.

With judges bound by strict confidentiality and guided by rigorous evaluation standards, the integrity and credibility of the process remained paramount.

For past winners, category details, and updates, visit the official Irish Sponsorship Awards website and subscribe to the newsletter for exclusive insights and coverage from Ireland's sponsorship sector.