Glanbia managing director Siobhán Talbot was the recipient of the Ireland-US Council's 2015 award for outstanding achievement at the council's annual dinner in New York.

The Ireland-US Council presented the award to Ms Talbot “in recognition of her leadership of Glanbia’s significant contribution to enhancing the economic relationship between the US and Ireland”.

Glanbia, which has 5,800 employees worldwide, operates three cheese plants in Idaho in the US and also has a joint venture in New Mexico.

The Ireland-US Council, founded in 1962, is a transatlantic business organisation that encourages and promotes business between Ireland and the US.

Ms Talbot has also been named the most admired female leader in a survey of 400 senior Irish business people by research firm Amrop. The survey was conducted with the UCD Smurfit Business School.

Her male equivalent was named as Ryanair chief executive Michael O'Leary.