O’REILLY HALL | 7 FEBRUARY 2019
O’REILLY HALL, 7 FEBRUARY 2019
Welcome Ladies and Gentlemen, on behalf of the Women in Leadership Organising Committee I am delighted to welcome you all here today to the fourth Women in Leadership Conference at University College Dublin (UCD). The concept for the Women in Leadership conference came from a group of students and alumni, in an effort to promote female empowerment on campus and encourage confidence and courage in both women’s personal and professional lives. Today’s conference is designed to inspire our delegates but also to address the obstacles that women face in their careers. Many employers “talk the talk” on gender equality, yet women are far less likely to advance to management positions. Social and cultural stereotypes are still in play. We hope the topics covered such as resilience in challenging circumstances and finding a balance between work and personal life provide takeaways for you. The Women in Leadership Conference brings individuals of all genders, ages and backgrounds together to share stories, advice, and experiences. We strive to provide each attendee with an inspirational experience through an esteemed set of keynote speakers, panel discussions and closing with a networking session. You are the legacy of the future and the moves you make in the present will shape those in the future. With that idea in mind, we hope that this conference will provide a supportive platform for you to become a pioneer of your own and achieve your goals and beyond. I would like to take this opportunity to thank Richard Butler of UCD Societies Council, UCD Alumni Relations in particular Nicole Black and her team, UCD Student Services, UCD Estate Services, UCD President’s Office, Michael Foley my deputy event organiser for today, the event committee and all our volunteers as well as my friends and family. I would also like to thank our sponsors today Abbott, Aldi, ESB, Skoda, and especially our title sponsor Arthur Cox. Finally, I would like to thank my employers Abbott for supporting me in organising this conference. I hope that you enjoy the day and leave the conference inspired to push your boundaries forward. I would like to extend my appreciation to you for joining us and hope that you enjoy the Arthur Cox UCD Women in Leadership Conference.
Eimear O’Flynn
Event Organiser UCD Women in Leadership
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O’REILLY HALL, 7 FEBRUARY 2019
Timetable 07:30
Registration and Breakfast
Resilience: Overcoming Adversity 14:15
Panel 3
15:15
End Address
15:35
Networking
Dr Maeve Houlihan 08:30
Opening Address
Derville Rowland 09:00
Keynote Address Balancing it All Work/Life Balance
09:45
Panel 1
10:45
Break
Conflict Resolution 11:10
Panel 2
12:10
Lunch
Dr Justina Mutale 13:30
Keynote Address
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Opening Address Dr Maeve Moulihan
Director - UCD Lochlann Quinn School of Business I am an Associate Professor of management and organisational behaviour with UCD College of Business and director of the UCD Lochlann Quinn School of Business. Hailing from County Clare, my curiosity about the human side of organising reflects formation in HR&IR (University of Limerick) Management and Organisation Studies (UCD Smurfit), ethnographic study of working lives in call centres (Lancaster University PhD) and ongoing clinical training in group analytic psychotherapy. I work with students at all levels from first year to executive development, focusing on contemporary management practices, groups and collaboration and managing beneath the surface. I am really interested in thinking about how we can work better together, and in quality of work and working lives. I have been published in research journals including Work, Employment and Society, Human Resource Management Journal, Work and Occupations, and the Journal of Business Ethics, and co-published two edited collections: Searching for the Human in HRM and Work Matters: Critical Reflections on Contemporary Work. Current projects include school development, and working with a number of inspiring PhDs, researchers and colleagues on projects as diverse as family business, business and Africa, management in the arts, creative spaces and managing the sustainable development goals. All told, I am proud and fortunate to work across a diverse, exciting portfolio, with some very inspiring people, and to love what I do.
O’REILLY HALL, 7 FEBRUARY 2019
Keynote Speaker Dr Justina Mutale
President, Justina Mutale Foundation Her Excellency Dr. Justina Mutale has been globally acclaimed as one of the most influential and inspirational women of African origin. In 2012, she awarded the prestigious title of ‘African Woman of the Year’ sharing a platform with various African Presidents and Heads of State. Winner of the Mandela 100 Prize presented in recognition of her humanitarian work, which mirrors that of Nelson Mandela, Dr Mutale was recently named as Africa’s Best Female Philanthropist. She is named in the 100 Most Reputable Africans in the World; and listed in the Powerlist of the Most Influential Black People in the United Kingdom; in addition to being featured in the Black 100+ Hall of Fame, an Exhibition and Legacy of the top 100 Black Achievers in modern Britain. Dr Mutale is a Distinguished Member of the Global Order of Dignitaries and the Royal Biographical Institute. Dr. Mutale sits on the Board of the World Leaders Forum and serves as Gender Equality Global Envoy & Spokesperson at the International Women’s Think Tank. She is the Founder & President of the Justina Mutale Foundation and its International University Scholarship Programme for young women and girls from disadvantaged families in Africa. In addition, Dr Mutale is the Founder of POSITIVE RUNWAY: The Global Catwalk to Stop the Spread of HIV/AIDS; and the International Institute for Etiquette & Protocols. Dr Mutale is an International Keynote Speaker and co-author of “Women on Corporate Boards: An International Perspective”. Prior to founding her own organisation, Dr Mutale worked in the Commonwealth Secretariat’s Gender Section, which addresses gender equality, gender mainstreaming and the empowerment of women and girls across the Commonwealth. She is a Civil Society delegate and Speaker at the United Nations Commission on the Status of Women held in New York; as well as the African Union’s High-Level Panel on Gender Equality held in the wings of the African Union Heads of State Summit in Addis Ababa; and the Commonwealth Women’s Forum held in the wings of the Commonwealth Heads of State Summit in London. Through her own Foundation, Dr Mutale advocates for gender equality and women’s empowerment, including women’s pollical participation and the economic empowerment of women through trade, business and enterprise by providing leadership training and mentorship. She also advocates for the retention and completion of tertiary education for young women from rural and disadvantage families in Africa by providing them with university scholarships to access higher education around the world. Dr Mutale is listed on numerous other Halls of Fame, WHO’s WHO Lists, Influential Lists and Power Lists around the world. She has been honoured for her outstanding and phenomenal leadership qualities as a Stateswoman; Global Woman Leader of the Year, and Iconic Woman Leader of the Decade. She has also been honoured as a Global Official of Dignity; Africa Goodwill Ambassador; Ambassador for Peace; and Missionary of Peace. Dr Mutale serves as President, Patron, Ambassador, Trustee, Advisor, Board Director, Consultant and Mentor to several organisations in the UK and across the globe. www.justinamutale.com
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UCD WOMEN IN LEADERSHIP
Keynote Speaker Derville Rowland
Director General (Financial Conduct) Central Bank of Ireland Derville Rowland was appointed Director General (Financial Conduct) in the Central Bank of Ireland on 1 September 2017 and is responsible for consumer protection, securities and markets supervision, enforcement and policy and risk. Derville is a member of the European Securities and Market Authority (ESMA). Prior to this appointment, Derville was the Director of Enforcement in the Central Bank, where she established and developed the Enforcement Directorate. Previous to this, Derville gained extensive litigation and regulatory experience while practising law at the bar and working as in-house regulatory counsel. Derville is a qualified barrister having being called to the bar in 1996 (Inns of Court School of Law; Inner Temple) and subsequently in 2003 (Kings Inns Dublin).
To the women in leadership. Keep smashing stereotypes.
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UCD WOMEN IN LEADERSHIP
Resilience : Overcoming Adversity Martina Fitzgerald
Author & Former Political Correspondent, RTÉ In 2018, Martina published her first book ‘Madam Politician; The women at the table of Irish political power’. Only 10% of those who have sat at the cabinet table in Ireland in almost 100 years have been women, totalling just 19 female politicians. Along with the two former female Presidents of Ireland, all the living members of this exclusive club are interviewed in ‘Madam Politician’ for the first time, collectively bringing together their voices to reveal the challenges and triumphs of getting to the top table of Irish political life. A former Political Correspondent with RTE, Martina was on the front line of Irish Politics; observing, understanding and communicating sometimes complex political issues to the Irish public. During her time with RTE, Martina broke many high profile political stories, covered major events in Irish history (Marriage Equality Referendum, General Election 2011 and 2016, Repeal the 8th Referendum) and international history (death of Pope John Paul II, London Bombings, Brexit). She has played a significant role in these events; becoming an objective, balanced voice in communicating her story to the Irish public. Martina was the first female to take up the role as Political Correspondent in the past decade, and she brought a high level of integrity, diversity and accuracy to her reporting. During her time in UCD, Martina served as Auditor of the Political Society and is a very supportive advocate of the society today; speaking at their events and offering guidance and support to their members. She also played an integral role in the development of the first UCD Oireachtas Affinity Group, sat on the Editorial Board of UCD Connections 2018, participated in Women in Leadership 2018, the UCD Festival 2017 and acts as an Alumni Mentor to a current UCD student.
Gillian Fitzpatrick
Chief Operating Officer, Maximum Media Gillian Fitzpatrick is Chief Operating Officer at Maximum Media - the UK and Ireland’s fastest-growing media company and the home of JOE and Her. As COO, Gillian oversees the day-to-day running of the company and, as a former editor of Her, remains heavily involved in Maximum’s editorial output. With a strong background in journalism, she is a former features editor of the Irish Daily Mail and has contributed to the likes of RTÉ, the BBC, and the Irish Independent. She speaks regularly at tech, media, and publishing-focused conferences and seminars - including the Dublin Tech Summit 2018. Otherwise, Gillian sits on the national steering group for the 20X20 movement, advising on the development and promotion of the venture: backed by the Federation of Irish Sport, 20X20 aims to increase the visibility of female athletes with a two-year long, nationwide initiative. From 2002-2006, Gillian attained her BA in English and Greek & Roman Civilisation – a degree which included an Erasmus year spent studying at a university in Rome.
O’REILLY HALL, 7 FEBRUARY 2019
Mary O’Rourke
Former Minister for Education Mary O’Rourke worked as a secondary school teacher before she began her political career, which began in local politics. Having served on Athlone Urban District Council, Westmeath County Council and in Seannad Éireann, she was first elected to the Dáil in 1982 as Fianna Fáil TD for Longford Westmeath. Since then, Mary has served as former deputy leader of Fianna Fáil, she has also held a number of senior Cabinet positions, including Minister for Education, Labour, Health and Public Enterprise. She has also been Leader of Seanad Eireann and is a frequent guest on radio and television. In 2012, Mary’s memoir “Just Mary: My Memoir” was published. The number 1 best-seller won the Listeners Choice Award at the 2012 BGE Irish Book Awards. In her memoir, Mary describes life as a woman in the male world of politics, the sexism she sometimes had to deal with, and the difficulties of balancing her busy career with raising a family. Mary followed this book with another best seller in 2014 entitled “Letters of my Life”. This book contains 20 letters to people who have influenced her, from childhood to university, her teaching and political career to widowhood and personal tragedy.
Nora Owen
Former Minister for Justice Nora Owen was a politician in Ireland for more than 20 years, starting with her election to the Dublin County Council in 1979. She was elected to the Dail in 1981-2002 where she chaired the Parliamentary Overseas Aid Committee and vice-chaired the Foreign Affairs Committee. She also served as Spokesperson for the Opposition in a number of portfolios - Health, Overseas Aid, Foreign Affairs, Enterprise and Employment. Ms Owen was appointed Deputy Leader of the Fine Gael Party in 1993-2001 and was Minister of Justice from 1994 to 1997. In 1996, she was the President of the Council of Justice Ministers during Ireland’s presidency of the European Union, and was a Member of the National Forum on Europe established after the Nice Treaty. Ms. Owen has extensive experience in parliamentary training in Africa and Eastern Europe, and was named Vice-President of AWEPA, an organisation of European parliamentarians for Africa. After volunteering for CONCERN in Rwanda in 1994 where she was responsible for the welfare of returning refugees, she is now a member of Concern Board in Ireland. Ms. Owen has also served as a member of the Democracy Commission, an organization established to study the reasons for electorate apathy towards politics. She is currently the Chairperson of the Justice Group of the Irish Institute of International & European Affairs and has been a member of the Commission for the Support of Victims of Crime for 5 years. She chaired the Expert Advisory Group on Development Aid appointed for 3 years by the Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade and is currently Chair of the Oversight Group on Women Peace and Security. Ms. Owen holds Bachelor of Science in Chemistry and Biochemistry from University College Dublin and a Certificate in Business Corporate Law with distinction from the National College of Ireland. She has presented Midweek on TV3 and contributes regularly to TV and Radio programs.
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UCD WOMEN IN LEADERSHIP
Arthur Cox Focusing on Gender Inclusion and Diversity We are proud to act as the platinum sponsor for the UCD Women in Leadership Conference 2019. This is our third year supporting the conference and during this time we have seen it go from strength to strength, with both growth in the number of delegates annually and thoughtprovoking discussions from many excellent speakers. At Arthur Cox, we have a long-standing tradition of promoting gender inclusion and diversity. Our formal Women in the Firm initiative celebrates its tenth anniversary this year. It is an initiative that has been extremely well received within the firm and its success is attributable to a planned and strategically developed suite of initiatives, including mentoring and bespoke training, events for women clients, maternity coaching, the appointment of Diversity Partners at the firm and active collaborations with external partners such as the 30% Club Ireland. The Women in the Firm initiative has the full support of the firm and in particular of our Managing Partner, as we recognise that for many gender efforts to be successful, it must be driven by those at the top. Today, 33% of our partners are women. The promotion ratio in recent rounds has reflected the emphasis we have put on developing women talent in the firm. Since 2016, ten of our 17 partner appointments were women. In April 2018, Arthur Cox received four awards at the Euromoney LMG Europe Women in Business Law Awards and was recognised as the leading firm in Ireland and Europe for the advancement of female talent and the promotion of gender diversity in the workplace. In September 2018, Rachel Hussey, Partner and Head of Business Development and Marketing at Arthur Cox, was recognised in the FT and HERoes Champions of Women in Business 2018. Rachel was featured in the Top 100 Female Executives 2018 category, which honours 100 international senior female role models who are helping to increase gender diversity in the workplace. Also, our formal and informal initiatives, including mentoring for women lawyers has improved retention and morale amongst women in the firm and has helped to create a culture of support in Arthur Cox. While progress has been made in gender inclusion and diversity, we understand and acknowledge that we still have a long way to go. As the firm’s two Diversity Partners, we have recently established a working group, involving a number of the firm’s partners, to ensure that we continue to build on the foundations of the Women in the Firm initiative and to drive gender equality and diversity and inclusion policies, both in Arthur Cox and the legal profession.
For further information on inclusion and diversity in Arthur Cox, please contact:
Grainne Hennessy Partner, Property and Diversity Partner (grainne.hennessy@arthurcox.com)
Simon Hannigan Partner, Partner, Property and Diversity Partner (simon.hannigan@arthurcox.com)
DUBLIN • BELFAST • LONDON • NEW YORK • SILICON VALLEY
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At Arthur Cox, inclusion, equal opportunity and diversity are key components of the values that you can expect from us. We believe that excellence is never achieved by just one perspective. Our teams are drawn from different backgrounds, all working together to deliver the highest quality legal advice. The diversity of our experience strengthens our ability to serve our clients, understand their needs and deliver innovative solutions for their future business goals. To learn more, contact: BRIAN O’GORMAN, MANAGING PARTNER +353 1 920 1000
www.arthurcox.com
BEST FIRM IN IRELAND, 2017 AND 2018 Europe Women in Business Law Awards BEST NATIONAL FIRM FOR WOMEN IN BUSINESS LAW, 2017 AND 2018 Europe Women in Business Law Awards BEST NATIONAL FIRM MENTORING PROGRAMME, 2017 & 2018
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O’REILLY HALL, 7 FEBRUARY 2019
Balancing it All Bevin Cody
Corporate Reputation Manager, ESB Bevin Cody joined ESB in 2008 as marketing manager of ESB International and was appointed corporate reputation manager for the Group in 2014. She started her career as a PR consultant with Murray Consultants and has since held a number of strategic communications roles in Ireland and the UK, including Head of Communications for ELEXON in London and Head of Communications and Public Affairs with the Combat Poverty Agency. In her current role, she is responsible for developing a structured to approach to reputation management across ESB and for devising and executing purpose-led strategies to build stronger relationships with ESB’s stakeholders. She is passionate about education and has been instrumental in embedding support for STEAM education and learning across ESB’s corporate sponsorship portfolio. She holds primary and master’s degrees from Trinity College Dublin and was awarded the IMI Guinness Sir Charles Harvey Award on completion of her MBA. She is a Governor of The Kings Hospital School, a mother of twins and an occasional sailor and runner.
Aoife Habenicht
Buying Director, Aldi Stores Ireland Prior to joining Aldi, Aoife worked in Irish theatre for four years after finishing her Masters in European Drama in University College Dublin. Aoife chose to move to Aldi as they recruit people from all walks of life and provide the opportunity to learn an entire new skill set. As Aoife had studied European Literature in college, she compares the first two years with Aldi to starting a business degree from scratch. After joining Aldi in 2008, as part of the Area Manager Graduate Programme, Aoife was promoted to Buying Director in 2014. With over ten years of retail experience, Aoife is now the driving force behind Aldi Ireland’s Wine and Chilled Meat ranges as well as the Horticulture products, all of which are available in all 137 Irish stores. Aoife has always been passionate about food and is always searching for the next big thing; ‘I don’t have to be in work to be thinking about my job…for example, if I’m in a restaurant, I am analysing the wine menu to see if there’s anything new that I should start investigating to have in our stores’. Aoife sees the biggest challenge for all employees currently as how to juggle everything. Learning how to prioritize and decide what gets your attention each day is a skillset and it takes time to optimize your work/life balance. On top of being one of Aldi’s Irish Directors, Aoife is also a competitive rower. This is about endurance and training can be anything up to 25 hours per week which is as demanding as a part-time job. Aoife thinks self-motivation, a level-head and a supportive family help her to manage her demanding hobby on top of her busy work schedule.
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UCD WOMEN IN LEADERSHIP
Simon Hannigan
Commercial Property Partner and Diversity Partner, Arthur Cox Simon is a Commercial Property Partner in Arthur Cox. He is also one of the firm’s Diversity Partners. Simon has a broad practice encompassing all aspects of commercial property including acquisitions, disposals and financing of asset and loan portfolios, negotiation of commercial leases and agreements for lease for both landlords and tenants, property aspects of infrastructure projects and advising on the acquisition, development and disposal of data centres, multi-family developments and office and retail schemes. Simon is a former Chairperson of the Society of Young Solicitors in Ireland and has been with Arthur Cox for 15 years and a partner for 6 years. He holds an LLB from Trinity and a Diploma in Applied Finance Law from the Law Society of Ireland and a Diploma in Commercial Conveyancing from the Law Society of Ireland. Simon lives in Dublin with his wife and 3 children.
Lorraine Hennessy
Global Manufacturing Controller, Abbott Diagnostics Division Lorraine Hennessy is the Global Manufacturing Controller for Abbott Diagnostics Division. Abbott is a leading Global healthcare provider helping people lead their best lives through better health. Lorraine has over 20 years finance experience in manufacturing encompassing medical device and diagnostics. In her role as Controller in Abbott Diagnostics Division Sligo she had budgetary responsibility for two significant plant expansions. In addition, she was the Global Project Controller for operations for the Alinity platform launch in 2017. Lorraine is passionate about people development and has established the Finance Talent Management Review and Finance Development Forum within Abbott Ireland. This forum looks at initiatives for improved collaboration and development opportunities across Abbotts’ eight locations in Ireland. Lorraine is the lead for the Women in Leadership in Abbott (WLA) Ireland. The WLA’s purpose is to enable and empower the development and advancement of women at all levels helping drive Abbott Ireland forward. This initiative was launched in February 2018 and currently has active WLA subgroups in each of the eight Abbott Ireland locations. This chapter is part of a Worldwide WLA group within Abbott. Lorraine is a qualified Chartered Accountant having trained in practice and has previously worked in Novum (Overseas) Ltd and Boston Scientific Galway and has completed two assignments in the US in Minnesota with Boston Scientific and in Chicago with Abbott. Lorraine holds a Bachelors of Commerce (1st Class hons) degree from NUIG and a Professional Diploma in Applied Project Management from UCC.
O’REILLY HALL, 7 FEBRUARY 2019
Mari Kennedy
Organisational Development Consultant, Women’s Leadership Coach, Mindfulness and Yoga Teacher An organisational development consultant, leadership coach, Integral Facilitator, mindfulness trainer, Celtic wisdom holder, yoga teacher and entrepreneur, Mari works with individuals, teams and organisations who want to transform and develop in a changing world. She is a proud UCD alumni. Mari uniquely weaves leading-edge facilitation, developmental psychology, contemporary leadership practices with ancient wisdom practices into her work. She specialises in coaching women on their leadership journey with clients across Europe and North & South America. In 2018 she successfully launched a year-long online course The Celtic Wheel: Ancient Wisdom For Contemporary Women gathering women from across the world to work with Celtic wisdom, mindfulness and self-compassion. She draws on 20 years of experience as a leader and strategist in the private and public sector including the Office of the President of Ireland, the National Concert Hall and Arthur Cox. The hallmark of her work was leading change management and business development projects. She designs and delivers practical programmes, trainings, wellbeing initiatives for organisations, teams and leaders. Her corporate clients include Microsoft Ireland, Catalyst Inc, Overstock Ireland, Charter Accountants Ireland, Pepsico, THEATREclub, Not Another Agency, Nine Crows. She qualified as a coach in 2006 with the Irish Life Coach Institute and an Executive coach in 2007 with Xenergie. In June 2016, she became a certified Integral Facilitator (US) completing a ninemonth training with Diane Musho Hamilton in the US. In 2017 she completed a Developmental Coach Mastery training (US) with Rob McNamara. Her fourteen-year meditation practice is the foundation of her wellbeing and sanity! www.marikennedy.com
Susan Spence
Co-founder & President, SoftCo Susan Spence is Co-founder and President of SoftCo, one of Ireland’s most successful software companies. With offices in Ireland, US, UK and Finland, and a million users worldwide, SoftCo is a leading global provider of finance automation solutions that increase productivity, reduce costs and ensure that organisations meet their compliance obligations. SoftCo is a Microsoft Gold Partner, an AWS Advanced Technology Partner, and its customers include Primark, Irish Life, Lloyd’s Bank, Finnish Government and Alexander Wang. Susan is the Irish Tatler Entrepreneur of the Year 2018 and is a former recipient of the Veuve Clicquot Business Woman of the Year and Irish Exporter of the Year awards. SoftCo sponsored the Irish women’s hockey team that won silver in the World Cup in the summer of 2018. Before co-founding SoftCo, Susan held senior management positions with Hewlett Packard, McDonnell Douglas, and Phillips BV. She is a former non-Executive Director of CIE and member of the Government Enterprise Advisory Group. Susan is a member of the Institute of Directors in Ireland and is a Lead Entrepreneur for Going for Growth that advises female owned business.
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UCD WOMEN IN LEADERSHIP
Conflict Resolution Cían Beecher
Employment Law Partner, Arthur Cox Cían is one of four partners in the firm’s Employment Law practice group, which comprises 19 dedicated employment lawyers. Prior to joining Arthur Cox, Cían served as in-house counsel to Vodafone Ireland. He has over 15 years’ experience, advising clients from all sectors on all aspects of employment and industrial relations law, including major commercial transactions, contentious employment/IR disputes and crisis management. Cian is a CEDR qualified mediator.
David Cagney
Chief Human Resources Officer, Civil Service David was appointed Chief Human Resource Officer for the Civil Service in September 2015. His remit includes the development and implementation of HR policies in the civil service including workforce planning and policies on recruitment; promotion; mobility; secondment, redeployment and performance management. It also includes the Senior Public Service. Prior to joining the Civil Service he held the position of Director of Human Resources at the Dublin Institute of Technology. David has previously worked with An Post, IBEC and with the Local Government Staff Negotiations Board in a variety of HR roles. He also served as a Vice Chairman of the Employment Appeals Tribunal from 2007 to 2010. A graduate of University College Dublin, he was called to the bar in 1993
Shauna Clarke
Head of Employee Relations and Change Management, Vodafone Shauna is the Head of Employee Relations at Vodafone Ireland. She is responsible for all aspects of Employee Relations policy and design to support the achievement of business strategy and goals. Prior to joining Vodafone Ireland, Shauna worked with Royal Bank of Scotland and Allied Irish Bank. Shauna has 15 years in-depth experience in conflict resolution, performance management and organisational change management.
O’REILLY HALL, 7 FEBRUARY 2019
Breege Conroy
Global VP – CVG Core Quality Services, Medtronic Breege Conroy currently holds the position of Vice President Core Quality Services within Medtronic’s Global Cardiac and Vascular Group. Breege started her career with CR Bard in their Galway, Ireland facility and then worked for a short period of time with AVE before it was acquired by Medtronic in 1998. Over the years, Breege has advanced her career and has held multiple leadership roles of increased responsibility in Operational, Sourcing & Quality Management. Today she leads the global core quality services team supporting the three businesses and 29 sites that reside within the Cardiac and Vascular Group structure. Her team (+450 people) provides core quality services that entails providing oversight and management of the groups Quality Management System, Regulatory Compliance, QS Training, Quality Data management and Customer Experience Management. In addition to her Global Quality services role, Breege is a member of the Global Medtronic VP Women forum and is active in creating networks and support group communities for female leaders across Medtronic. Breege was recently assigned the Medtronic representative at the Global Medical Device Executive Council – a medical device industry-based group working with FDA on its “Case of Quality” strategy. Breege has also worked extensively with AdvaMed, an America medical device trade association on topics of interest to Industry and regulators. Breege studied in GMIT & Sheffield Hallam University, UK and holds multiple qualifications including a master’s in science (MSc) Total Quality Management and Business Excellence and a Post Grad in Leadership.
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UCD WOMEN IN LEADERSHIP
Organising Committee Eimear O’Flynn Event Organiser
Eimear developed the idea of the Women in Leadership Conference while involved with events in UCD as she recognized a severe gap in activities to promote female empowerment within the University. Eimear is a Contract Manufacturing Manager with Abbott Nutrition, looking after outsourced third party manufacturing. She previously completed Abbott’s Professional Development Programme, as part of this Eimear spent six months in a pharmaceutical plant in Northern India. Eimear graduated from UCD in 2014 with a BSc in Physiology. During her time in University she was Auditor of the UCD Musical Society and a member of the UCD Societies Council Finance Committee.
Michael Foley
Deputy Event Organiser Michael Foley is currently a member of the Deals Advisory, Transaction Services team in KPMG. Transactions Services is a specialist advisory team assisting clients in completing major market transactions. Michael graduated from UCD with a degree in Business and Law and following this gained a Masters in Accounting from the UCD Smurfit Business School. Michael is in the final year of his training contract having completed his Chartered Accounting FAEs last August. A past treasurer of the L&H, Michael was involved in a wide range of activities on campus as a student. He is delighted to be involved with the Women in Leadership Conference as it strives to impact real change.
Suzanne Connell Committee Member
Suzanne is a final year Law student at UCD. She has a keen interest in gender studies and last year, while on exchange at the University of California, Davis she studied Feminist Legal Theory. Suzanne also has an interest in ballet and has been dancing from a young age. This is Suzanne’s first year volunteering at the Women in Leadership conference and she looks forward to contributing to such an exciting and informative event.
Rachel Slattery Committee Member
Rachael Slattery is in her final year of Law in UCD. She spent her penultimate year completing a postgraduate exchange programme in the University of Connecticut School of Law. While there, she was an active member of the Women Law Student’s Association and acted as the Exchange Representative of the International Student Society where she assisted in coordinating campus events. Rachael also has a keen interest in sport and has previously played for the Dublin Basketball Team. This is Rachael’s second year volunteering at the Women in Leadership conference and is excited for the opportunity to once again be a part of such an empowering event.
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UCD WOMEN IN LEADERSHIP
Notes
It’s been my biggest challenge.
And my greatest achievement. Graduate Area Manager Programme • €61,000 starting salary (rising to €99,600 after four years) • Pension • Healthcare • Audi A4 The Area Manager role gives graduates real responsibility and opportunities to progress. You’ll need to combine intelligence and fresh ideas with a determined ‘roll your sleeves up’ attitude. But from day one I had a plan for the whole year. I was given world-class training from a global retailer and a dedicated mentor who helped me throughout. By the end of the year I knew I was making a real contribution to the success of one of Ireland’s fastest-growing supermarkets. Amazing when you think about it.
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