JOHN ffRENCH P 2
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News and Reviews
Úna Parsons, the newly appointed CEO of the Crafts Council of Ireland
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Regional Access
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Craft and Criticism - A New Dialogue
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“On behalf of the board and staff of the Council I would like to welcome Úna to her new post. Úna is bringing an impressive skill set to the Crafts Council of Ireland in her position as CEO. In particular, her expertise in design, engineering, management, entrepreneurship and arts endeavours will guarantee the CCoI’s continued success in ensuring the long term sustainability and success of the Irish craft sector” said Gerry Wycherley, Chairman, CCoI.
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Education P8
3rd Level Awards Announced
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Community News Úna Parsons
A chartered engineer, Úna comes to Kilkenny from Dublin, where her former position was as Industry Director of Engineers Ireland, Ireland’s largest professional body of 23,000 members. There she was responsible for the development and promotion of lifelong learning amongst engineers and promotion of engineering as a career of choice to students as well as the provision of services for more than 35 societies. “Even though there are differences between the crafts and engineering industries there are many synergies. From an organisational view point our roles and objectives are very similar, and from an industry perspective the challenges are not too dissimilar either. Education, innovation and life-long learning are key” said Úna. Previous to this, Úna studied mechanical engineering at Boston’s Northeastern University and is holder of a Masters of Science in Advanced Manufacturing Systems from Brunel University. She began her career with Braun in both Carlow and Frankfurt and later moved to parent company Gillette in Boston where she designed and developed machines used in manufacturing processes. After ten years, she joined Nixdorf Computers as a production engineer. This was followed by engineering and management positions with Bausch and Lomb in their Rayban Sunglass Division where she later became Global Strategy Manager responsible for implementing change across manufacturing plants in Europe, Asia and the Americas. In 2000, Úna set up her own business, uPsolutions, offering consultancy to engineering, business and arts organisations. As director, Parsons organised exhibitions and conferences, oversaw print and design production and travelled extensively to international studios and exhibitions. In addition, Úna has served on several executive boards, including: Waterford Chamber of Commerce; Engineers Ireland;Waterford Healing Arts Trust and the Glass Society of Ireland. She is a former lecturer in Operations Management in Waterford Institute of Technology’s MBA programme. Commenting on her new post Úna said: “I am thrilled to have the opportunity to work in such an exciting enterprise sector and to be part of its future success. Over the years I have developed a passion for collecting glass and have travelled extensively to learn more about the techniques and people involved in this ancient art form. The Council’s future strategic vision requires leadership, ownership and participation from all active members of the Crafts Industry. Our aim is to create a new public awareness and understanding of craft, encourage and stimulate innovation in product development and design, and to provide key market opportunities, business training, and life-long learning. Working together, I am confident that we can forge and secure a compelling future for the crafts Industry for the years ahead. I look forward to meeting and working with you all”.
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Opportunities
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CCoI Subsidised Photoscheme
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CCoI Research Missions
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Workshops / Mentoring Clinics
CCoI 2nd Level Programme Initiative
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Upcoming Exhibitions
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Gallery News