KBS Future Thinking

In this episode, Finbarr and Erin talk with Andrew Nolan, Senior Continuous Improvement Manufacturing Quality Engineer at Analog Devices. Andrew has an experienced process and high-volume manufacturing quality engineering background. Currently upskilling with a Doctorate of Engineering with the University of Limerick focusing on understanding organizational culture change and how to assess/develop and improve a "quality mindset" within a manufacturing environment (2021 to 2025). Having previously summited Kilimanjaro (5895m), Elbrus (5642m), and Aconcagua (6961m), Andrew recently embarked on the fourth of the seven summits, Denali, successfully summiting in May. At 20,310 feet (6,194 meters), Denali is the highest peak in North America and is, quite simply, a beast of a mountain. Andrew's team had a running joke that the mountain was trying to kill them, as it has no regard for climbers; it throws the kitchen sink at you and does not want you to summit. ​ In total, Andrew spent 23 days and 22 nights on the glacier, and he was fortunate enough to use the climb to raise more than $12,000 for the LaraLynn Children's Hospice, a fantastic charity that does incredible work. This was number four of the seven summits Andrew plans to complete. The final three are Vinson in Antarctica, Kosciuszko in Australia, and Everest in Asia. Having funded the first four himself, Andrew will need to look for sponsorship partnerships for Antarctica and Asia due to the much higher expedition costs!​ If anyone is interested in supporting Andrew, please reach out to him on LinkedIn. https://www.linkedin.com/in/andrewpnolan/ https://www.analog.com/en/index.html https://www.lauralynn.ie/ This episode is produced by the KBS Digital Hub-Grzegorz Rogala

In this episode, Finbarr and Erin chat with one of our current third-year students, Ella O'Neill Branagan. She is currently studying on our BBS programme with French. Ella is dialing in from France while studying on our Dual Degree Programme with a KBS partner university, Kedge Business School. Hailing from Kilkenny, Ella talks about her student journey so far, everything from finding accommodation in Limerick, what 'digs' are, module selection, choosing her major, and of course, social life in UL. Ella is studying International Business as a shared learning agreement with the Kemmy Business School, at the end of her 4 years, she will graduate with two degrees! She shares some great insights and experiences as a student in the Kemmy Business School and how she decided to take the leap and head to France. Ella describes her experience in France as a student, from the support available from the KBS, landing at the airport, to differences in teaching and modules in France, and of course, hints and tips to find accommodation abroad. Ella is one of our KBS Ambassadors and worked on several projects and promotional events across the school. She is a champion for the KBS and her enthusiasm is infectious! All hours volunteered as a KBS Ambassador will go towards the President’s Volunteer Award. https://student.kedge.edu/ https://www.ul.ie/courses/bachelor-business-studies https://www.ul.ie/presidents-office/presidents-awards/presidents-volunteer-awards This episode is produced by the KBS Digital Hub-Grzegorz Rogala

In this episode, Finbarr and Erin chat with associate professor and author, Sheila Killian. Her passion for sustainability and social good is evident throughout her writing and teaching. Professor Killian discusses her new book: Doing Good Business How to Build Sustainable Value, published by Chartered Accountants Ireland (2023). If you are in Limerick on Thursday, October 19th, 2023 please drop into O'Mahony's O'Connell Street at 6 pm to celebrate her Book Launch. https://www.omahonys.ie/doing-good-business-how-to-build-sustainable-value-p-10567115.html https://www.charteredaccountants.ie/productcatalog/product.aspx?ID=49891 Sheila is a writer based outside Limerick City. She was born in Roscommon, in the dead centre of Ireland, and now teaches at the University of Limerick. Her fiction, poetry and travel writing have won awards in Ireland and the UK, and her work has been broadcast on RTE Radio. She is a member of ⁠Writepace⁠, and spends as much time as she can by the sea. ​ Her first novel, Something Bigger, was published in July, 2021 by Caritas Press https://www.ul.ie/research/assoc-prof-sheila-killian https://www.sheilakillian.com/ Professor Killian is section co-editor of the Journal of Business Ethics, and associate editor of Accounting Forum. She serves on the editorial boards of Accounting, Auditing & Accountability Journal; Accounting, Finance & Governance Review; and Critical Perspectives on Accounting. Her research is mainly qualitative, and addresses issues of social sustainability, accountability and the common good, with a focus on professional expertise, social justice, tax policy and business school education. http://www.ul.ie/business/arc Sheila teaches corporate finance and corporate social responsibility, mainly at the postgraduate level. She has also taught these subjects at Aalto University in Finland and at the University of the Witwatersrand and Rhodes University in South Africa. She is currently the Director, of Principles for Responsible Management Education at the Kemmy Business School. Her past roles include Assistant Dean, Research; Head of Department; Course Director; and Head of AACSB Accreditation. Prior to joining the University of Limerick, She worked as a tax advisor with Arthur Andersen, KPMG and Ernst & Young, and in air finance and educational software development. Her primary degree is in Maths, from NUI Galway. She holds a masters in Business Studies from UCC, and a PhD in Taxation from UCD. Sheila also has qualifications in international teaching from IMD, and in CSR from the ILO and Boston College. Professionally, she qualified as a Chartered Accountant and as an associate of the Institute of Taxation of Ireland. She has published numerous peer-reviewed research papers and book chapters and is the author of Corporate Social Responsibility: a Guide with Irish Experiences. This episode is produced by the KBS Digital Hub-Grzegorz Rogala

In this Bonus episode, Finbarr and Erin are joined by Tax Expert, Prof Elaine Doyle to help explain some of the main changes in taxation, cost of living supports, supports for energy costs, social welfare, health, housing, education, employment and other areas. Some of the changes announced in the Budget come into effect immediately or before the end of 2023. Others take effect from the beginning of January 2024 or later in 2024. Many others have to be finalised before coming into effect. Some elements of these measures may change when the legislation required to bring them into effect is enacted. Prof. Elaine Doyle is an Associate Professor in taxation in the Kemmy Business School, University of Limerick in Ireland. She served as interim Head of the Department of Accounting and Finance from February 2021 until June 2022. She designed and was the course director for the Master of Taxation programme from 2011 until 2014. Prof Doyle won the UL Excellence Award for large group teaching (2010 & 2015), the National Jennifer Burke Award for innovation in teaching (2013), a National Teaching Experts Award (2015), The Wharton/QS Stars Bronze award for Europe (2015) and The UK Academy for Information Systems award for teaching innovation in IS (2021). Her research interests include inter alia, professional ethics and risk management in tax practice, the tax aggression of tax practitioners, Tax policy making, research ethics, procedural justice, ethical reasoning and ethics education. She has published both nationally and internationally in these areas in journals such as the 'Journal of Business Ethics' and 'Computers and Education', co-edited 'Innovative Business School Teaching: Engaging the Millennial Generation' published by Routledge in 2013 and Innovative Business Education Design for 21st Century Learning, published by Springer in 2016. She has secured national and international funding to support her research activities. Prof Elaine Doyle holds a PhD in Ethics in Tax Practice from the University of Sheffield, a Masters in Accounting from the University College Dublin and a BA in Law and Accounting from the University of Limerick. https://www.citizensinformation.ie/en/money-and-tax/budgets/budget-2024/ https://www.ul.ie/research/dr-elaine-doyle This episode is produced by the KBS Digital Hub-Grzegorz Rogala

In this episode, Finbarr and Erin chat with Prof Kevin Ryan, Chair of Chemical Nanotechnology at the University of Limerick, about very little things; nano things! Professor Kevin M. Ryan holds a Personal Chair in Chemical Nanotechnology at the Department of Chemical Sciences in the School of Natural Sciences at the University of Limerick. He is the coordinator of the H2020 EU projects Si-Drive and NEILLSBAT in the area of Li-ion and Lithium-Sulfur batteries respectively. He is a Co-Principal Investigator on SFI Centres MaREI and AMBER and a funded Investigator on SSPC and Confirm. He is the team leader for the Molecular/Nano cluster at the Bernal Institute and holds SFI IVP and IRC Laureate awards. Kevin is a native of Limerick and graduated with a BSc in 1999 and a PhD in 2003 in Chemistry from University College Cork. Prof Ryan subsequently held Marie Curie Fellowship positions at Merck Chemicals Southampton, UK, and at the University of California, Berkeley, USA, prior to joining the University of Limerick in 2006 as a Stokes Lecturer. He has published over 140 academic papers with a h-index of 43 (Google Scholar) and holds several patents with research interests in semiconductor nanocrystals and nanowires for applications in electronic devices and batteries. His research group currently has 5 postdoctoral researchers and 16 PhD students all based in the Bernal Institute, University of Limerick. "Moore's Law states that the number of transistors on a microchip doubles every two years. The law claims that we can expect the speed and capability of our computers to increase every two years because of this, yet we will pay less for them. Another tenet of Moore's Law asserts that this growth is exponential." https://www.ul.ie/research/prof-kevin-m-ryan This episode is produced by the KBS Digital Hub-Grzegorz Rogala

In this episode, Finbarr and Erin chat with Dr Susan Daly, Manager, Business & IT - Cooperative Education. Dr Daly has an impressive background as a physicist and brings a wealth of project management experience to an integral part of the University of Limerick- Student Cooperative Education. To date, Susan's research and management experience has spanned a large array of disciplines and subject areas - vascular science, non-invasive medical diagnostics, laser physics and adaptive optics, molecular science, neurological research (Alzheimer’s disease), and medical device design and development.Susan has enjoyed an evolving career nurtured by various leadership roles in both the academic and industry domains, with responsibility for multimillion euro R&D portfolios. She has a proven track record of operational excellence and achievement through program delivery and the creation of sustainable research, innovation and talent pipelines. Susan holds a BSc. Applied Physics (1st Hons), a Ph.D. in Biomedical Optics and Optical Coherence Tomography, and is a certified Scrum Master.Specialisms:Medical Physics; Photonics; Tissue Optics; Biophotonics; Optical Coherence Tomography; Biomedical Device Design; Laser Physics; Microscopy; Data and Statistical Analysis; Program Management; Research Strategy PhD Thesis title: “The design, development and application of a dual-beam Spectral–domain Optical Coherence Tomography system for the non-invasive assessment of vascular dynamics by statistical means” This episode is produced by the KBS Digital Hub-Grzegorz Rogala

In this exciting episode, Finbarr chats with critically acclaimed author, Fíona Scarlett. Fíona Scarlett is from Dublin but now living in Co. Kildare with her husband and two children. She holds an MLitt in Creative Writing from the University of Glasgow. as well as a Masters in Early Childhood Education. Fíona Scarlett has been appointed Lecturer in Creative Writing at the University of Limerick She was awarded the Denis O'Driscoll Literally Bursary through the Kildare County Council in 2019 and a Literature Bursary through the National Arts Council Ireland in 2020. 'Boys Don't Cry' is her debut novel. https://www.omahonys.ie/boys-dont-cry-p-10519274.html Fíona’s debut novel Boys Don’t Cry was published by Faber & Faber in 2021 and was an instant Irish Times Bestseller. It was shortlisted for ‘Newcomer of the Year’ in the Irish Book Awards, and the Kate O’Brien first novel award. The novel was also selected as NetGalley UK Literary Fiction book of the year. This episode is produced by the KBS Digital Hub-Grzegorz Rogala

In this episode, Finbarr and Erin talk with Brian Barry, CEO of Sensative AB, which provides the most advanced IoT solutions for industry having several hundred use cases in energy managment, building occupancy, water leakage detection and so many other applications! Brian is a dynamic executive with over 25 years of global experience in leadership, product commercialization, large project integration and change management. Served as a corporate director in Canada, US and Europe. Managed multinational, medium and start-up companies. Brian also is the Chair of the Kemmy Business School's International Advisory Board (IAB). Brian had a variety of roles at Ericsson; Chief Executive Officer of Ericsson Canada; Managing Director in the UK; Head of several international product units. Brian was the first Chief Executive Officer and a director at Hyperchip, which developed Internet routing equipment and Chief Executive Officer of Destinator, a global navigation consumer applications developer that provides solutions to customers such as LG, Acer and Motorola (acquired by Intrinsic in 2008). He served on the boards of Cilys, a wireless software company (acquired by Openware Systems Inc.) and Mobile Diagnostics Inc., a producer of automated solutions to mobile devices (acquired by BitFone. Brian has assisted companies in areas such as Consumer Products, Pharmacy, Analytics, Big Data, Advertising, Mobile and Internet applications, M2M, large Project management programs and financing/M&A. A native of Ireland, Brian holds a Bachelor of Business Studies from the University of Limerick and pursued his studies at the IMD Business School in Lausanne, Switzerland. Brian is an advisor to Enterprise Ireland in Canada, University of Limerick, Ireland and has recently been appointed as an advisor to the Irish Government.   This episode is produced by the KBS Digital Hub-Grzegorz Rogala

In this episode, Finbarr and Erin chat with one of their KBS colleagues, Dr Christina O'Connor. Hailing from Northern Ireland, Dr O'Connor is a recent recipient of a Teaching Excellence Award and her enthusiasm for teaching and research is evident! Christine shares great insights into data analytics, consumer behaviour, and the future of marketing. Dr. Christina O'Connor is a Lecturer Above the Bar in Marketing within Kemmy Business School at the University of Limerick. Prior to academia, Christina worked in Communications, Advertising & PR within the Charity Sector before undertaking her PhD at Kent Business School, Canterbury, England. Her PhD focused on the area of marketing intelligence dissemination and utilisation by small agri-food businesses. Christina is skilled in data analysis and her work has been largely carried out in conjunction with retail, government, and industry bodies. In addition to this primary research area, Christina's passion for teaching has also seen her research in the areas of global virtual teams, experiential learning, and authentic assessment practices with colleagues from across the globe. Christina's research to date has been published via mainstream media such as Harvard Business Review blogs, RTE Brainstorm as well as the International Small Business Journal, International Journal of Management Reviews, Journal of Management Education, Journal of Knowledge Management, Marketing Intelligence and Planning, Journal of Small Business and Enterprise Development and others. Prior to joining UL, Christina lectured in Ulster University, and Maynooth University where she was involved in the foundation of the BBS Marketing degree. She is a council member of the Irish Academy of Management (IAM) and a member of the Academy of Marketing Science. https://www.ul.ie/research/dr-christina-oconnor https://www.linkedin.com/in/dr-christina-o-connor-a1293019/ This episode is produced by the KBS Digital Hub-Grzegorz Rogala

Eddie O'Connor, co-founder and chairman of Mainstream Renewable Power, dives into the pressing energy crisis and the essential role of a supergrid to facilitate the transition to a zero-carbon world. He discusses the innovative potential of electric vehicles as energy storage solutions and their impact on grid support. O'Connor also highlights Ireland's cultural and political hurdles in adopting renewable energy and emphasizes the need for cohesive government efforts in offshore wind development. His insights spark a conversation about collaborative approaches to a sustainable energy future.