Clodagh Kealy is Director of Sales and Supply Chain at Coillte and a member of the PEFC UK Board. She brings over 20 years of experience across forestry, finance and operations, with a strong focus on supply chain strategy and commercial delivery.
Known for her strategic approach and collaborative leadership style, Clodagh has built her career progressing through a wide range of roles across the forestry value chain. She combines financial expertise with hands-on operational experience, giving her a well-rounded perspective on the challenges and opportunities facing the sector.
Career in Forestry and Supply Chain
Clodagh has spent the majority of her career with Coillte, Ireland’s state forestry company, where she has held a number of senior leadership roles.
As Director of Sales and Supply Chain for Coillte Forest, she leads the timber sales and logistics functions, overseeing the delivery of over one million cubic metres of roundwood annually. She is responsible for developing and implementing long-term sales and supply chain strategies, strengthening customer partnerships and supporting the growth of the wider industry.
Her role also includes promoting Irish timber products in both existing and emerging markets, ensuring demand continues to grow for sustainable, low-carbon materials.
Leadership and Operational Experience
Throughout her career, Clodagh has led teams across finance, operations and commercial functions, with a strong track record of delivering change and improving business performance.
Her previous roles at Coillte include:
- Finance and Services Director, Coillte Land Solutions
- Head of Coillte Nurseries
- Management Accountant, Coillte Forest
- Harvesting Operations Team Leader
In these roles, she has led business transformation programmes, developed commercial strategies and delivered operational improvements across complex, multi-disciplinary teams.
She has also managed large-scale supply chain operations, procurement and contractor networks, alongside overseeing financial planning, governance and stakeholder engagement.
Sector Experience and Expertise
Her experience spans the full forestry life-cycle, from nurseries and tree establishment through to harvesting, logistics and market delivery.
She has direct experience of Chain of Custody audit processes, giving her a strong understanding of how certification supports transparency, accountability and trust across the supply chain.
Her expertise includes:
- Supply chain strategy and optimisation
- Timber sales and market development
- Operational leadership and transformation
- Financial planning and governance
- Stakeholder engagement and partnership development
- International Experience
Earlier in her career, Clodagh held senior finance roles with Allergan, including EMEA Financial Controller. In this role, she led international finance teams and managed reporting, governance and audit processes across multiple markets.
This experience brings a strong global and governance perspective to her work in forestry and supply chains.
Clodagh joined the PEFC UK Board to support the organisation’s work in promoting sustainable forest management and responsible sourcing.
She brings valuable insight into how certification works in practice across supply chains, and how it can support businesses in delivering transparency and building trust in forest products.
Clodagh is particularly focused on strengthening the link between forest management and end markets, helping to ensure that certified materials continue to meet the needs of a growing and evolving industry.
