Conversations with LEADING NUI GALWAY BUSINESS ALUMNI 1915 100 YEARS 2015 of Business Education 100 YEARS OF BUSINESS EDUCATION AT NUI GALWAY ALUMNI PROFILES Nicola Barrett 6 Cathal Kilcline 85 Rory Bluett 8 Jennifer Kilroy 88 Carmel Brennan 12 Marguerite Larkin 92 Eamonn Brennan 15 Olive Loughnane 95 Mark Campbell 18 Johannes Luik 98 Jim Clarken 22 Daniel McCarthy 102 Rory Coll 25 Felicity McCarthy 106 Nicola Commins 28 Danny McCoy 108 Kieran Conboy 31 Tom McDermott 112 Andrew Conlan-Trant 34 Val Mc Nicholas 115 David Connern 38 Teresa Morahan 118 Ruth Curran 41 Richard O’ Brien 120 Oliver Daniels 44 Pádraig Ó Céidigh 124 David Donoghue 47 Enda O’ Coineen 128 Gavin Duffy 50 Catriona O’ Farrell 130 Irial Finan 52 Paul O’ Hara 134 Donal Flynn 55 Ciarán Ó hÓgartaigh 138 Kieran Foley 58 Pádraic Ó Máille 142 Erika Fox 61 Ronan O’ Sullivan 145 Karen Golden 63 Gerard Rabbette 148 Joe Greaney 68 Nakul Sharma 151 Dave Hickey 72 Dómhnal Slattery 154 Brian Joyce 75 Margaret Sweeney 157 Maeve Joyce 78 Michael Walsh 160 Rónán Kennedy 82 Sean Webb 164 2 J.E. Cairnes School of Business and Economics 1915 2015 J.E. Cairnes School of Business and Economics Leading, Innovating, Inspiring National University of Ireland, Galway 3 100 YEARS OF BUSINESS EDUCATION AT NUI GALWAY 1915 100 YEARS 2015 of Business Education Conversations with Leading NUI Galway Business Alumni Introduction Celebrating 100 years of the Bachelor of Commerce degree at NUI Galway, the J.E. Cairnes School of Business and Economics (formerly the Faculty of Commerce, also celebrating its centenary, since its establishment in 1915) felt it was an opportune time to acknowledge the wonderful graduates of this programme. Today they work in all areas of business and contribute to our communities, be they local, regional, national or international. In their daily working lives, they lead, innovate, create, manage, execute, generate, facilitate, and inspire new and existing businesses, ideas, ventures and projects. In doing so they deliver on the mission of NUI Galway and the J.E. Cairnes School of Business and Economics, namely, to foster a vibrant community of students and staff, where distinguished learning, impactful research, and creative thinking are shared with the world. In compiling a list we put together a mix of Bachelor of Commerce/Bachelor of Commerce International graduates from diverse backgrounds and working in different environments (private/public, SMEs/large corporations, Irish/multinational, traditional/new, etc.), from different industry sectors (agri-food and drink, aviation, education, financial services, pharmaceutical, etc.) and with different experiences (young/retired, home/abroad, employed/self-employed, manager/worker, etc.). In the end we have a list of fifty graduates with domestic and international business experience, representing some of the biggest companies and brand names in the world (for example, adidas, Coca-Cola, Deloitte, J.P. Morgan, Medtronic, Pernod Ricard and others), as well as many of Ireland’s success stories, including, among others, Avolon, Collins McNicholas, Connacht Rugby, Connacht Tribune, Davy, Dubarry, ESB Group, MERC Partners and Uniphar. The book includes graduates who are CEOs, founders of business start-ups, social entrepreneurs, managing partners, marketing/finance directors and economists, not to mention a World Athletics Champion! Reflecting the global dimension to business education today and NUI Galway’s commitment to internationalisation, the graduates in this book work and live in cities around the world, including Dublin, London, Brussels, Prague, New Delhi, Atlanta, New York, and of course, Galway. After compiling the list we asked our graduates a set of predetermined questions that we felt would help capture their individual and collective stories. To set the scene we began each conversation with an opening question on each graduate’s early days and family background. This was followed by the one thing that all contributors to this book have in common, namely their ‘student experience’ of undertaking a Bachelor of Commerce degree at NUI Galway. We 4 J.E. Cairnes School of Business and Economics 1915 2015 then turned to exploring the careers, to date, of these graduates. Given the extraordinary careers of many of our contributors, we asked our alumni to keep the description to a maximum of 250 words, for the sake of consistency and brevity. Contributors were then asked a series of questions relating to business and education. More specifically, the graduates were asked to comment on three of four topics, namely, business education, the Irish economy, NUI Galway and Galway City, and finally, enterprise and entrepreneurship. With the selection and interpretation left to the graduate, the only direction given was the word limit, partly in the knowledge that at least one subset of our business graduates, namely the entrepreneurs, don’t take instructions well! The final question, namely personal reflections on work, business and success, gave the contributors an opportunity (undoubtedly not their first, or their last!) to reflect on their business education, and to mull over their career with a view to providing some advice (our word, not theirs) on matters relating to work, business and success. As with other questions, the wording was left rather general and deliberately vague, so as to allow the contributors as much freedom as possible in writing their stories. In the research and editing of this book, we wish to thank a number of people. Our thanks to colleagues in the J.E. Cairnes School of Business and Economics and particularly those who nominated graduates; to Padraic de Burca, Ann Walsh and Leanne Dunne for help at various stages throughout the book; to Tom Acton, Kieran Conboy, Willie Golden and John McHale for their support. We wish to thank Snap printers (most especially Clíodhna Ní Churraidhín) for doing such a fine and professional job in bringing the book to market, as we would say in the business school! Finally, and most importantly we wish to thank all the contributors who ‘volunteered’ their profile so that we could publish this book commemorating 100 years of the Bachelor of Commerce degree at NUI Galway. Although this book is about them and their stories, it is also about the thousands of third level business and economics students who have graduated from NUI Galway over the past century. As for this selection of graduates, without exception all fifty of them were eager, helpful and delighted to contribute, with many describing it as an honour to be included in the publication. Despite their very busy lives, all were gracious in delivering their written profiles in the template that we provided. Not only did they submit and on time, many also offered to contribute and ‘give back’ to the business school and their alma mater (still UCG, for many) in other ways. This is a testament to the energy, dedication and character of these graduates. On behalf of the Bachelor of Commerce programme board and the J.E. Cairnes School of Business and Economics we wish to thank one and all for giving us the opportunity to tell their story, as part of the 100 year celebrations of the Bachelor of Commerce degree at NUI Galway. We look forward to continuing to deliver a high quality business education in a high-impact scholarly environment over the next 100 years, and in doing so, turn out future business graduates of the calibre and standard profiled in this commemorative book. Dr. Gerard Turley, editor Director, Bachelor of Commerce J.E. Cairnes School of Business and Economics NUI Galway National University of Ireland, Galway 5 PERSONAL BACKGROUND As a proud Galwegian, born and raised in a small village outside of Galway City, there was always only one option for me when selecting my university of choice. I come from a large farming family and from a very early age, it was my heart’s desire to go and complete my studies at NUI Galway. I spent over five years at the university – and still to this day, cite them as the best years of my life so far. The friendships I made in those days, along the Concourse or in the Halls of Saint Anthony’s, still remain as strong to this day. We regularly meet up and look back in fondness at our days at NUI Galway. Currently living and working in Dublin, I return to Galway regularly to top up on all the magic the City of the Tribes has to offer. B. COMM AND NUI GALWAY/UCG Nicola Barrett EXPERIENCE I started my B. Comm adventure in 1999 B. Comm Graduation Year: and graduated with first class honours in 2002 2002. It was an amazing three years, full of both educational and personal discoveries Current job and title: and experiences. Like many other students, INTERNATIONAL I started the B. Comm not knowing exactly what route the degree would take me, but I MARKETING MANAGER, quickly found myself enthralled by the team JAMESON IRISH WHISKEY of Marketing lecturers and their passion INNOVATION, IRISH for consumers and first class marketing DISTILLERS PERNOD principles. In my final year, I specialised in as many Marketing subjects as possible, as RICARD well as completing a voluntary diploma in the Irish language in Áras na Gaeilge. I was delighted to be awarded the Thermo King Scholarship post my degree, which facilitated me extending my studies to undertake the MBS in Marketing at NUI Galway. This was yet another wonderful year where I deepened my understanding of the discipline and its strategic impact and importance to the 6 J.E. Cairnes School of Business and Economics 1915 2015 business world. On completing my Masters 2011 held in New Zealand and produced a in NUI Galway, the team of lecturers in the suite of Above the Line and Below the Line Marketing Department put me forward to assets for Heineken Cup activations here in compete for a highly coveted graduate role Ireland.