“Women bring different skills and perspectives to a workplace and the right mix of men and women at the top table can be very impactful for an organisation. I think men and women are hugely effective when they work together in an equitable working environment – one of mutual respect and equal opportunity. In my view, equity is top-down – see it at the top and you will feel it throughout an organisation. Women make up 50.44 per cent of the population in Ireland, for example, so it makes sense to have an equivalent female representation at the decision‑making table.” What has been your career highlight so far – and why? “The highlight of my career was relocating with my family to the US in 2012. I had just returned from maternity leave for my first child (of three) and was ready for a new opportunity. The experience subsequently broadened my frame of reference, introducing me to a new culture and a life away from home. We were welcomed with open arms and that has always been my experience of the US whenever I’ve travelled there for work or on holiday. There is such a natural affinity between Ireland and the US and that’s no surprise given Ireland’s long legacy of immigration. Indeed, in the most recent US census, 31.5 million Americans identified as Irish-American, which I think is remarkable given the size of our small country. It was an incredible time for me, both professionally and personally.” In your current role, you have presided over a company commitment to becoming carbon neutral by 2045. What challenges did you experience in making this a strategic priority for your organisation and how did you overcome them? “I have not experienced a single instance of dissent in the pursuit of our carbon-neutral goal. It is overwhelmingly supported by our people and board. We did, of course, have to get ‘goal-ready’ and this required maturing our measuring, monitoring and reporting
“Education is one of life’s greatest levellers and my parents set the expectation early for both myself and my three siblings that university was an inevitable next step after secondary school. I am also academic by nature; I loved school and viewed university as an extension of that learning environment, but with much greater freedom. In addition, Deloitte very kindly sponsored my master’s as part of my training contract, which was a great help at the time.” What was your single favourite part of the programme? “I particularly enjoyed the ethics elective. I have always felt that I have a strong sense of right and wrong and I am a very intuitive person. This course brought the importance of ethical behaviour in business to life before I even worked in business. It was also very sobering to learn about companies and individuals who had breached the high moral standard expected of good businesses and the inevitable consequences of unethical behaviour. “The programme emphasised the need for companies to have a strong code of ethics, for its leaders to espouse these standards and for these standards to be transparent and easily understood. These are principles that have stayed with me throughout my career and are foundational to my leadership approach now. I think an individual’s or company’s reputation is priceless and it is certainly something I would never knowingly put at risk.” How has what you learnt at business school helped you in your subsequent career? “My experience at business school gave me the theoretical foundation on which to build a career in business. I was able to lean into this theory and put it to practice when I first started in my profession. I also matured my ability to build new relationships and work effectively within a team. The business school setting was a more serious, professional environment than I had experienced at undergraduate level, so it was a good stepping stone into the workplace.” You are a qualified chartered accountant. Do you think leadership opportunities for women in finance have improved since you graduated from business school and are there areas where the sector can improve? “Yes, I do and I think the opportunities for women in finance continue to improve, but we need better conversion from entry- level finance roles to the c-suite. Companies need to understand what’s driving their conversion ratios and the constraints that are preventing, or discouraging, women from advancing through the ranks in their organisations. They then need to actively address these constraints with clear and meaningful actions. “In areas where gender balance is low, companies also need to create a pipeline of female employees so that there are layers beneath ready to step up and take on roles currently held by men. They need to look harder to find female candidates in roles traditionally held by men and not simply default to the most accessible talent pool.
44 | Ambition | MAY 2024
Made with FlippingBook - Share PDF online