KBS Future Thinking

Eddie O'Connor, co-founder and chairman of Mainstream Renewable Power, shares his expertise in renewable energy. He discusses Ireland's innovative energy planning and the critical need for a supergrid to stabilize power supply. The conversation highlights the economic benefits of renewables, including cost savings and energy stability. O'Connor also addresses the challenges of floating wind turbines and the vital infrastructure required on Ireland's coast for future energy solutions. His insights pave the way for a sustainable, decarbonized energy future.

In this episode, Finbarr and Erin chat with Dick Meaney, former Senior Vice President of Industrial, Healthcare, and Consumer Business Group of Analog Devices Inc (ADI). Mr Meaney discusses his time at UL in the early days and his journey through Analog Devices when he joined in 1979. ADI is a global leader in high-performance semiconductor products and solutions that can interpret the world around us by intelligently bridging the physical and digital domains with unmatched technologies that sense, measure and connect. Dick joined Analog Devices Limerick in 1979 as a design engineer and throughout his 37-year career has held leadership positions in engineering and business, culminating with his most recent position managing a multi-billion dollar business group. Prior to that, Dick led a worldwide R&D organization of over 2000 engineers, that brought over 200 industry-leading new products to market every year. From Limerick and educated at CBS Sexton Street, Dick graduated from the University of Limerick in 1979 with BEng in Electronic Systems and has lived in Boston and Limerick with his family throughout his career. This episode is produced by the KBS Digital Hub-Grzegorz Rogala

In this episode, Finbarr and guest host Dr Jean McCarthy chat with Annmarie Nagle, founder of Marlene & Co. Marlene & Co is an online womenswear retailer that operates out of Limerick, Ireland. The concept behind Marlene & Co is to curate beautiful pieces of clothing and accessories that have been sustainably made. All of the brands are independent labels, engage in ethical production processes, and share a vision of creating unique pieces that will last.  Annmarie grew up on a farm in the southeast of Ireland and credits her mother for teaching her about the importance of caring for our planet.  Annmarie is a graduate of UCD where she studied Bcomm International in Italian, followed by an MSc in International Management/CEMS MIM at the UCD Smurfit School. As part of her studies, she spent eighteen months studying at the Bocconi University in Milan, Italy where she immersed herself in fashion subjects.  Annmarie has a background in fashion and retail, having previously worked in Dunnes Stores' buying office before becoming Country Manager for Concha Y Toro. She wanted to find a way of fusing her love of fashion and caring for our planet, and so Marlene & Co was born, named after her three daughters –Martha, Robin, and Leni. https://marleneandco.ie/about/ https://www.linkedin.com/in/annmarienagle/ This episode is produced by the KBS Digital Hub-Grzegorz Rogala

In this episode, Finbarr and Erin discuss New Ways of Working with PhD candidate, Nada Musleh. She is an incredible woman. Nada shares a glimpse of what life was like in Gaza, her journey and struggles, and her research in neurodiversity to make a better workplace for neurodivergent thinkers/conditions. She is studying in Ireland on a visa and on her own with her three children as they are still waiting on a visa for her husband so that their family can be reunited. Nada's daughter, Jude is autistic and inspires her research. Nada's passion and strength with everything she is juggling shines through in this episode. She is truly an inspiration. Nada believes that advocating for the rights of persons with disabilities, especially children, is her role and purpose in life. This passion has led her to do a PhD in people with disabilities and the implementation of New Ways of Working (NWW). Nada works in the field of Programme Management at UNICEF with a special focus on programme and project formulation, management, monitoring, and reporting. She has 19 years of experience in the field of administration, HRM, and financial management working in the United Nations in emergency duty stations. https://www.ul.ie/business/nada-musleh https://www.unicef.org/documents/reimagine-justice-children This episode is produced by the KBS Digital Hub-Grzegorz Rogala

In this episode, Finbarr and Erin chat with Vineta Bajaj, a former student and now Chief Financial Officer at Rohlik, an online grocery business, where she is responsible for financial management, corporate governance, and leading strategic business decisions for the Group. Vineta has years of experience working up the ranks in her career. She shares advice for students and her experiences to date. About Vineta Group Chief Financial Officer & Executive, with significant strategic and commercial experience in Retail, Tech and Warehouse Automation Environments within large public companies. Angel Investor and Advisor to a number of Pre-Seed Start-up companies in my personal portfolio. Award Winning Tax and International Trade Advisor (awarded by ICAEW), and multiple external financial awards for work conducted in PLC. Mentor to a number of entrepreneurs and senior finance leaders. Speaker at a number of Finance, Big 4, and Banking events.Open to discussions to future executive and non-executive challenges. Keen to help, share knowledge and network! https://www.vinetabajaj.com/ This episode is produced by the KBS Digital Hub-Grzegorz Rogala

In this episode, Prof Finbarr Murphy chats with Prof Donal Dineen, Emeritus Dean and Professor, Kemmy Business School. Prof Dineen was Dean of the Business School and responsible for the strategic leadership and development of the School in line with the mission statement at the time, to be: "Ireland's Leading Business School and well respected internationally". As one of the first Irish-appointed faculty, Prof Dineen was at the University of Limerick from the very beginning when it was the National Institute for Higher Education, Limerick. In Limerick, it opened its doors in 1972 following Ireland's emerging economic growth of the 1960s. In 1972, there were a total of 120 students, 30 of whom were in the College of Business. Historically, there has always been a strong link between the Business School and Industry. Consulting with Industry has always influenced the requirements and design of programmes. This is a very interesting conversation between the Dean Emeritus and the current Dean of the business school. It really highlights how far the Business School has come, maintaining the ethos of the Kemmy name and becoming a world-class Business School achieving triple accreditation, innovative programmes, and commitment to internationalisation. https://www.linkedin.com/in/donal-dineen-6446b312/ This episode is produced by the KBS Digital Hub-Grzegorz Rogala

In this episode, Finbarr and Erin chat with Dr Marie Connolly. Dr Connolly was appointed as the inaugural Director for Human Rights, Equality, Diversity and Inclusion at the University of Limerick in March 2021. A proud Clare woman and former graduate of UL Dr. Connolly has over 30 years’ experience in leading, driving and implementing key change initiatives within the Higher Education and Semi-State sectors in Ireland. Marie holds a Master’s Degree in Education (M.Ed) from the University of Sheffield and a Doctorate Degree in Business Administration (DBA) in Higher Education Management from the University of Bath. Since joining UL in 2006 Dr. Connolly has held several key roles including leading the University’s bid in achieving the prestigious Athena SWAN (AS) Bronze Institution Award in 2015, one of the first universities in Ireland to achieve the award and most recently leading the institution in achieving the first Silver Athena Swan Institution Award in the Irish HEI Sector in 2023 the first institution outside of the UK to achieve such an accolade. She represents the university on external bodies providing an authoritative voice in the development of the national agenda in the area of equality and diversity. She is the current chair of the Irish Universities Association (IUA) Vice Presidents Equality, Diversity & Inclusion forum and previously held the position of chair of the National Athena Swan Steering Committee. Marie is passionate about advancing the careers of women in Higher Education and achieving gender equality for all across all disciplines. In her role as Director of Human Rights, Equality, Diversity, and Inclusion she is committed to driving transformative, meaningful, and sustainable change. Thanks to Marie's leadership and dedication, the University of Limerick is the first institution in Ireland and globally outside of the UK to receive a prestigious Athena Swan Silver Award. The Kemmy Business School (KBS) is also to receive a Silver Faculty Athena Swan Award, the first business school in Ireland to do so, marking ongoing efforts in achieving equality, diversity, and inclusion (EDI). A big shout-out to our colleague, Dr Caroline Murphy who lead the KBS team. https://www.ul.ie/equality-diversity-inclusion https://www.ul.ie/news/silver-success-as-university-of-limerick-is-first-irish-institution-to-receive-prestigious https://www.advance-he.ac.uk/equality-charters/international-charters/athena-swan-ireland https://www.ul.ie/provost/pdp-portfolio/dr-marie-connolly This episode is produced by the KBS Digital Hub-Grzegorz Rogala

In this episode, Finbarr and Erin chat with a former KBS student, Jack O'Connor. Jack is currently responsible for driving student sustainability activity at the University of Limerick as Student Sustainability Coordinator. He founded Moyo Nua, a Forbes-featured project that improves the crop planting process for small-scale farmers in emerging economies. Most recently, Moyo Nua completed a pilot programme with GOAL Global in Malawi, working with 100 farmers through the support of Citibank Europe, and the UL Foundation. Jack has participated in the Washington Ireland Program in 2021 and 2022, working with Adrian Jones MD of Goldman Sachs, and Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick, R-PA 1st District.He served as Ireland’s Youth Delegate to the United Nations in 2019/2020 when Ireland was successfully elected to the UN Security Council.Along his journey, Jack achieved support & recognition from fantastic organisations!- Limerick Person of the Month, June 2021;- Top 6 of over 1200 applicants at EO GSEA, 2021;- Top Twenty Outstanding Young Persons of the World 2020 - JCI;- Top 120 of over 75,000 applicants at Hult Prize, 2020; and- Winner of the inaugural WTCA Peace Through Trade world cup, 2019. We look forward to seeing what the future holds for Jack! He has all of the skills to make a difference. https://www.linkedin.com/in/itsjackoconnor/ This episode is produced by the KBS Digital Hub-Grzegorz Rogala

This week Prof Finbarr Murphy chats with Orla O'Connor Director of National Women’s Council (NWC), the leading national women’s membership organisation in Ireland, with over 190 member groups. She was Co-Director of Together For Yes, the national Civil Society Campaign to remove the 8th Amendment in the referendum. For her role in Together for Yes, Orla was recognised as one of the 100 Most Influential People by TIME magazine in 2019.  Orla is passionate about ensuring access to women’s reproductive rights; ensuring more women are in leadership positions; ending violence against women; and increasing women’s economic equality. The NWC's current plan is 'No Woman Left Behind'. This plan includes economic equality, women's health, violence against women, and leadership. The issue of care, following the pandemic, has been at the forefront of the NWC's strategy. Covid-19 highlighted that though women's work has changed and evolved over time, women still tend to hold the primary responsibility for care which does have an enormous impact on their participation in the workforce and society. The ambition of the National Women’s Council is an Ireland where every woman enjoys true equality and no woman is left behind. This ambition shapes and informs their work and their living values. https://www.nwci.ie/discover/about_us/our_team https://www.nwci.ie/images/uploads/FINAL_No_Woman_Left_Behind_NWC_Strategic_Plan.pdf This episode is produced by the KBS Digital Hub-Grzegorz Rogala

Let the Women Do the Work! This week we are joined by Caroline Bradley, CEO of FIFTHDELTA, a Hedge Fund which manages almost £2 billion in assets. Caroline is connected to the Kemmy Business School as an advisor on our International Advisory Board (IAB). Caroline does have Irish roots, studying International Business (with German) at University College Dublin (UCD). Her professional career started when she scooped a graduate role at Goldman Sachs, where she stayed for 11 years before moving on to Citi. With her expertise, she and a colleague started a hedge fund and now manage almost 2 billion in assets. Her background in equity analysis and then focusing on hedge funds and complex trading strategies gives Caroline the perfect recipe to be a successful hedge fund manager! She is currently based in London where there is a growing trend in women managers in the world of finance. Caroline also gives some great tips on how to get into the financial sector. It's all about technology and coding. Love the movies 'The Big Short' or 'Wall Street' or just have a love of finance, economics, and investments?...if yes, this one is for you! https://www.fifthdelta.com/ https://www.linkedin.com/company/fifthdelta/about/ https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-07-01/hedge-fund-says-no-new-clients-after-launching-with-1-3-billion#xj4y7vzkg This episode is produced by the KBS Digital Hub-Grzegorz Rogala