Leadership

A total of 219 students from 17 institutes in Ireland have received combined funding of €16.8m over four years under the latest round of the Irish Research Council’s postgraduate scholarship scheme awards. Household energy demand, the impact of obesity on motor development, the construction of Irish identity and potential therapies for autoimmune disease are some of the research topics covered. For example, one of this year’s postgraduate scholarship scheme awardees, Bianca Ní Ghrógáin, a student of Dublin City University, has focused her research on science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education. Her research project is entitled ‘Computers, Creativity and the Flipped Classroom: Using Computer Construction Kits in Primary Schools to…

Ireland’s first degree in audiology, offered by Athlone Institute of Technology (AIT), is on a par with the standards of similar UK and other international programmes, according to a report. The report was prepared by Prof Gerald Armstrong-Bednall, following a High Court agreement between AIT, the Higher Education Authority and the Health Service Executive (HSE) to allow students to complete their audiology studies in Athlone. He said: “The audiology degree offered by AIT unifies the academic knowledge and clinical practice to produce audiology practitioners who are fit for purpose, practice and award, comparable to other international university programmes.” There is a dedicated audiology laboratory at AIT, which is equipped with…

Michael Dowling has today been appointed chairman designate at Kerry Group to succeed Denis Buckley, who is retiring from the board at the end of the year. Buckley has been chairman of the group for the last 11 years and a director since 1986. Dowling was appointed to the board in 1998 and chaired its audit committee from January 2000 until February 2013. He is a former secretary general of the Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine. A director of a number of private companies, he is chairman of the board of management of UCC/Teagasc Food Innovation Alliance and a visiting professor, dealing with agri-food policy, in the department of…

A multidisciplinary research conference is being held at the Economic and Social Research Institute (ESRI) today, 16 September 2014, highlighting a range of current disability policy issues in Ireland. The ‘Disability Through the Lifecourse’ event brings together ESRI research, which deals with a range of topics that are hugely relevant to the development of disability policy, including children with disabilities, disability, work and adulthood, mental health and costs of disability. The research highlights the barriers to inclusion for children and adults with disabilities in Ireland within education, the labor market, and adult life. Professor of Inclusion and Diversity at the University of Edinburgh Sheila Riddell will give the keynote address…

Hollywood actor and Ballymena native Liam Neeson told Ian Dempsey in an interview this morning on Today FM that former Democratic Unionist Party leader Dr Ian Paisley was an inspiration to him. Paisley passed away later today. Chatting to Dempsey about his new film A Walk Among The Tombstones, Neeson confirmed that Ian Paisley had inspired him to act. “I managed to hear the Reverend Ian two or three times. I snuck into the back of the gospel hall and heard him doing his thing. Very, very powerful orator.” A book of condolence for Paisley will be opened at City Hall in Belfast on Monday at 9am. Karina Corbett

Looming talent crisis: research shows companies unprepared for future of work Businesses are facing the most diverse work environment that the world has ever seen with five different generations working together, across geographies — each with different skills, experiences, and work habits, according to a new study by Oxford Economics and SAP. More of these workers will be freelancers and long-term contractors. All of this represents a major opportunity for productivity, talent development, and employee engagement , but the Workforce 2020 report found that most companies are unprepared to capitalize on it. It also found that most companies recognize the importance of managing an increasingly international, diverse and mobile workforce. However, the…

Anne O’Dwyer, managing director of Duff & Phelps Ireland, shares her thoughts on leadership, gender quotas and a changed business environment. Could you tell us a bit about your career path and what your role involves now? Having studied accounting and finance in DCU, I joined a mid-tier accountancy firm, OSK, where I trained to become a chartered accountant. I stayed with OSK for a number of years after I qualified and progressed to management level before moving to join the audit team at RSM Farrell Grant Sparks as a senior manager in 2007. At the end of 2008 I was promoted to director within the audit team. However, shortly…

Around eight years ago a division within Irish Life in Dublin decided to embrace Six Sigma and this has turned out to be a key driver of innovation. Developed by Motorola in 1986, Six Sigma is a set of techniques and tools for process improvement with the aim of creating people in the organisation who are experts in its methods to various levels from ‘yellow belt’ up to ‘black belt’. Director of innovation in the corporate business division at Irish Life Paul O’Neill explained that 40 of the 300 people in the division are focused on information technology and transforming the business – in other words innovation. “We look for…

After two years as a non-executive director in a regulated entity, and a 25-year career in financial services, Tony McPoland offers a user’s guide. Reputation is key. Your reputation is critical and you should not join any board where you do not think the proper controls, processes and procedures are in place. Do your due diligence before you join a board to make sure you share the same culture. Use networks to keep informed. The major accounting, consulting and law firms (as well as the IoD) all have non-executive director networks and hold regular seminars on current regulatory, reporting and legal topics of concern to non-executive directors. These represent an…

AdRoll has announced the opening of its London office and the appointment of Michael Bertaut as managing director of EMEA strategic sales. Bertaut, Google’s former country manager for Italy and ex-head of new business sales in Latin America, will be responsible for building out a London-based strategic sales organisation, focusing on bringing AdRoll’s cross-device, cross-platform, transparent digital advertising solutions to sophisticated larger brands and agencies across EMEA
 . AdRoll’s launch in London comes as the latest IAB Europe AdEx Benchmark reveals that online advertising grew 11.9pc to a market value of €27.3bn in 2013. London is AdRoll’s second office opening in Europe following its launch in Dublin last year. Over…