Gillian leads Ronan Daly Jermyn Corporate department.  She is a highly regarded deal lawyer known for her work in the healthcare and technology markets.  

Gillian is an Adjunct Professor in the College of Business and Law at University College Cork (UCC) and in 2017 received an Alumni Achievement Award from UCC for her work with I Wish. 

Gillian is a co-founder of the multi-award winning I WISH  

Gillian is passionate about empowering the next generation of female leaders and innovators and ensuring our society enables these young women to participate fully in the economy of the future. 

Gillian has held and continues to hold non-executive board and audit committee positions in the private and public sector.  

Mary Robinson served as the seventh president of Ireland from December 1990 to September 1997, becoming the first woman to hold this office. She also served as United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights from 1997 to 2002, a Senator for the University of Dublin  from 1969 to 1989 and as a local councillor o Dublin Corporation from 1979 to 1983. She first rose to prominence as an academic, barrister and campaigner. She defeated the Fianna Fail party’ s and Fine Gael party’s in the 1990 presidential election becoming the first Independent candidate nominated by the Labour Party, the Workers Party and Independent Senators.  

She is widely regarded as a transformative figure for Ireland, and for the Irish presidency, revitalising and liberalising a previously conservative, low-profile political office. She resigned the presidency two months ahead of the end of her term of office to take up her post in the United Nations. During her UN tenure she visited Tibet Tibet (1998), the first High Commissioner to do so; she criticised Ireland’s immigrant policy; and criticised the use of capital punishment in the United States. She extended her intended single four-year term as High Commissioner by a year to preside over the World Conference against Racism 2001 in Durban, South Africa; the conference proved controversial. Under continuing pressure from the United States, Robinson resigned her post in September 2002.

After leaving the United Nations in 2002, Robinson formed Realizing Rights: the Ethical Globalization Initiative,^[4] which came to a planned end at the end of 2010. Its core activities were 1) fostering equitable trade and decent work, 2) promoting the right to health and more humane migration policies, and 3) working to strengthen women’s leadership and encourage corporate social responsibility. The organisation also supported capacity building and good governance in developing countries. She returned to live in Ireland at the end of 2010, and has set up The Mary Robinson Foundation – Climate Justice,^[5] which aims to be ‘a centre for thought leadership, education and advocacy on the struggle to secure global justice for those many victims of climate change who are usually forgotten – the poor, the disempowered and the marginalised across the world.’

Robinson was the founding Chair of the Institute for Human Rights and Business^[6] from 2009-2012, a human rights think tank focused on the adverse impacts of companies on people, and continues to serve as its Patron. She served as Chancellor of the University of Dublin from 1998 until 2019. She also visits other colleges and universities where she lectures on human rights. She sits on the board of the Mo Ibrahim Foundation, an organisation which supports good governance and great leadership in Africa, and is a member of the Foundation’s Ibrahim Prize Committee. She is also a B Team Leader, alongside Richard Branson, Jochen Zeitz and a group of leaders from business and civil society as part of The B Team.^[7] She is an Extraordinary Professor in the Centre for Human Rights and the Centre for Sexualities, AIDS and Gender at the University of Pretoria.^[8] Robinson served as Oxfam’s honorary president from 2002 until she stepped down in 2012 and is honorary president of the European Inter-University Centre for Human Rights and Democratisation EIUC since 2005. She is a former Chair of the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED) and is also a founding member and chair of the Council of Women World Leaders. She was a member of the European members of the Trilateral Commission.

In 2004, she received Amnesty International‘s Ambassador of Conscience Award for her work in promoting human rights.

Caroline is the Corporate and international tax partner with Deloitte Ireland focused on the technology sector. Caroline is a member of Deloitte’s European Diversity and Inclusion Council for the Technology Sector and a member of Deloitte Irelands Diversity and Inclusion Council.

Caroline is a member of the gender balance advisory group for the Department of Education to achieve better gender balance in STEM education at post-primary level.

Caroline is a board director of ReThink Ireland, Irelands Social Innovation Fund. And Chair of the finance committee and is also the immediate past chairperson of it@cork(2017-2019)

Caroline is Co-Founder of I Wish. Caroline says she looks to the girls who attend I Wish as they really inspire her to keep going on what has been a mad but amazing journey. She feels a huge sense of responsibility to enable every girl to live their brightest lives.

Caroline embarked on the I Wish journey with fellow co-founders because she could see the opportunity in STEM, but with less than 25% of the STEM workforce in Ireland being women she realised that there was a risk that her own daughter would not participate in the jobs of tomorrow, all she wants for her is equal opportunity of choice.

In conjunction with Cork City Council, I Wish won the 2015 Chambers Ireland Award for excellence in local government in the “promoting economic development” category, and a LAMA award in Best Education category.

2015 winner of the WMB Boots Empowering Women Award for work in promoting STEM.

Awarded one of the Top 10 outstanding young people (TOYP) of Cork in 2016 by Junior Chamber International and progressed to be named as one of the Top 10 outstanding people of Ireland in the national finals in 2016.

Along with fellow I Wish co-founders, awarded Cork Persons of the Month in March 2017,

UCC Achievement Award 2017, one of the highest honours that the university can bestow on a graduate.

American Chamber Cairdeas Award 2019

IT@Cork Chairperson Community Award 2019

Mairead McGuinness is the European Commissioner for financial services, financial stability and Capital Markets Union.
The Commissioner’s vision for the portfolio is focused on ensuring the financial sector’s strength and stability, so that it can deliver for people, society and the environment.
Before joining the Commission in October 2020, Ms McGuinness was First Vice-President of the European Parliament from 2017. She served as an MEP from Ireland for 16 years, and was a Vice-President of the Parliament since 2014.
As Vice-President, she oversaw relations with national Parliaments, led the Parliament’s dialogue with religious and philosophical organisations, and had responsibility for the Parliament’s communication policy.
During her time in the Parliament, Ms McGuinness sat on a range of committees, covering agriculture, environment, public health, budgets, petitions and constitutional affairs. Her legislative work included leading for the EPP Group on the European Climate Law, the revision of medical devices legislation, and CAP reform post-2013. As an Irish MEP representing the border region, she was outspoken on Brexit and the consequences for the EU and Ireland.
In 2006-2007, Ms McGuinness chaired the Parliament’s investigation into the collapse of the Equitable Life assurance company which identified issues around weak financial regulation.
Prior to becoming an MEP, she was an award-winning journalist, broadcaster and commentator.

Mayor Breed is an American politician from California who is the 45th mayor of the City and County of San Francisco. 

Raised in the Western Addition neighbourhood of San Francisco, Mayor Breed worked in government after college. She was elected to the Board of Supervisors in 2012 (taking office in January 2013), and elected its president in 2015. As president of the Board, Breed, according to the city charter, became the acting mayor of San Francisco following the death of Mayor Ed Lee. She served in this role from December 12, 2017, to January 23, 2018.

Mayor Breed won the San Francisco mayoral special election held on June 5, 2018. Breed is the first black woman, second black person after Willie Brown, and second woman after Dianne Feinstein to be elected mayor of San Francisco. She was sworn in as mayor on July 11, 2018.

London Breed graduated with honours from Galileo High School. She earned a bachelor’s degree in political science-public service from the University of California, Davis in 1997 and a master’s degree in public administration from the University of San Francisco in 2012.

Sinead Kennedy is a TV Presenter and Reporter who most notably presents the prime time RTÉ One entertainment series Winning Streak with Marty Whelan. The show is Europe’s second longest running television game show with five contestants playing on a weekly basis to walk away with cars, holidays or cash prizes. Sinead has also recently joined Maura and Daithi on the Today Show on RTÉ One.

​Throughout her illustrious career, spanning over fifteen years thus far in RTÉ, Sinead has hosted some of the country’s most popular shows and been on the cover of Ireland’s biggest magazines and national newspapers. Sinead has also joined Joe Lindsay on Getaways on BBC Northern Ireland where they headed to the Bulgarian mountains. Most recently, Sinead Produced ‘This is Me’ which documented the late Laura Brennan’s battle with cancer and her campaign work around the HPV vaccine. 
​​
Sinead began her career after she was selected by RTÉ in a nationwide talent search to become a presenter on Sattitude– RTE’s hit Saturday Morning show. From there, she spent over a decade working with children and animals on live young people’s programmes before transitioning into entertainment

Sinead is passionate about creating documentaries and relishes in the opportunity to do so when it presents itself. Her most recent work The Crossing saw her live on board Irish Naval vessel the L.É. Samuel Beckett for three weeks of their deployment to the Central Mediterranean where they were assisting in the ongoing refugee crisis.

​In her short time embedded with the crew she witnessed the rescue of over 2,000 migrants who had fled war torn Libya on rubber boats not fit for the journey in the hope of reaching Europe. The situation has been dubbed the biggest humanitarian crisis of our time and Sinead is honoured to have been able to bring that story to an Irish audience. The Crossing earned a Special Commendation at the prestigious Prix Europa Awards in October 2017, something Sinead and the team are incredibly proud of. 

​In addition to Sinead’s impressive television career, she holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree, Honours, in Psychology and studied for a Higher Diploma in Criminal Psychology in University College Cork. She also studied for a Masters in Mental Health Science. She is fascinated by human behaviour and why we do what we do. It was this curiosity that drove her to study by night, whilst working full-time. These studies, she hopes, will have a positive impact, broadening her mind and enhancing her documentary making skills.
​
Sinead is involved with countless charities.  She has worked with the Belarusian Orphanage Project, the Sambodhi Home in Sri Lanka, Pieta House, CARI and Crumlin Children’s Hospital to name but a few. 

Alongside her broadcasting career, she is popular as a professional Master of Ceremonies and she hosts a variety of events from launches to awards ceremonies such as the Schools National Film Awards.

Orla Keane is Deputy Ambassador at the Embassy of Ireland to the USA. Prior to taking up her assignment in Washington D.C. in August 2021, Orla was Ireland’s first Consul General in Los Angeles, opening a new Irish Consulate in LA in September 2019.  As a career diplomat, she has previously served at the Permanent Representation of Ireland to the EU in Brussels and at the Permanent Mission of Ireland to the United Nations in Geneva.  From 2017-2019, Orla was part of the core team in the Department of Foreign Affairs working on negotiations and developments relating to Brexit.  Since joining the diplomatic service in 2002, Orla’s other headquarters posts included Deputy Director of the Department’s Human Rights Unit, Deputy Director for Southern Africa and several assignments working on issues relating to Northern Ireland, including political developments in the peace process.  Over the course of her career, she has also worked on health, humanitarian and development issues at the United Nations, and has covered issues relating to the Middle East and North Africa during her time in Brussels.  Orla is also engaged in the organisational work of the Department of Foreign Affairs on gender equality and diversity.

Orla completed her undergraduate degree in Trinity College Dublin, with a joint honour in sociology and political science.  She also has a MSocSc degree in Sociology from University College Dublin.

Anna Hill is the Founder and CEO of River Cycleway Europe (RCE), an award-winning design innovation company established in Dublin, Ireland pursuing the positive disruption of urban transport sectors across Europe.
RCE embraces the principles of a circular economy, promotes the growth of sustainable communities and advocates for the transition to
100% renewable energy generation. With a unique approach that challenges conventional transportation thinking, RCE specializes in
creating innovative, green-blue, water-based and flood-resilient infrastructures which utilize the overlooked and untapped potential of
major urban port cities using rivers, canals, waterfronts, and other waterways. These designs prioritize the multifaceted and
interconnected issues faced by European and global cities, specifically citizen and environmental health and well-being, pedestrian and
cycling safety, traffic congestion, air pollution, flood relief, climate mitigation and adaptation. Through customized modular and climateadaptive
water-based floating solutions, initially introduced as the “Thames Deckway” by Hill and David Nixon, RCE endeavors to
develop and scale its smart innovations to forward-thinking megacities around the world. Most recently, RCE was recognized by Fast
Company in its 2020 World Changing Ideas Awards issue within the Spaces, Places, and Cities sector.
Additionally, in association with RCE, Hill is Founder and CEO of Space Synapse Ltd. Space Synapse serves as a city-wide technology
platform that provides real-time data visualizations through Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML) for public authorities and
citizens.
With experience spanning over two decades in the international space, design-engineering, creative, and education industries, Anna has established herself as a bold thought-leader, innovator and creative strategist in sustainable and user-centered design and technology
products and services. Her commitment to a social, humanitarian and environmental vision of “bringing space to earth” has been the key
driver in propelling her companies forward. 
Anna has been recognized for being a keen advocate of promoting female entrepreneurs and encouraging diversity within technology
and innovation. 

Brenda Romero is an award-winning game designer, Fullbright scholar, entrepreneur, artist, writer, and creative director who entered the game industry in 1981. She won a BAFTA special award in April 2017. Romero is best known for her work on the Wizardry series of role-playing video games and, more recently the non-digital series The Mechanic is the message.

Brenda became the first game designer in residence at the Games and Playable Media Program of the University of California at Santa Cruz. Brenda is currently the Program Director of the MSc program in game design and development at the University of Limerick

Elisa is Engineering Manager at Stripe in Dublin, working on payment methods integration. Prior to Stripe she spent a few years in Zendesk and other tech companies (i.e. Smartbox, Accenture, etc). She studied Telecommunication Engineering and her mission is to reveal the inner potential of engineers and managers working with her. Outside of work, she spends time with her little daughter and she likes to practice sports.

Eimear works as a Site Reliability Engineer in Google Dublin. Her main area of work is on the Google Cloud Platform. 

Previous to working at Google, Eimear studied at University College Cork where she received her BSc in Computer Science in 2017 with First Class Honours. She has also worked at Teamwork.com in Cork and Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge. Eimear recently graduated from Bournemouth University with an MSc with Distinction in Computer Animation and Visual Effects. 

“ Hi everyone! My name is Carlota and I am half Spanish, half Colombian. I am currently working at Stryker Innovation Centre as an R&D Engineering Co-Op. I am studying Biomedical Engineering at Imperial College London specialising in Biomechanical Engineering. At school I was always more interested in the maths and science subjects so Maths, Physics, Chemistry and Biology.”

Nicaise works as a Software Quality Assurance engineer in Amazon, working on voice technology in the Alexa internationalisation team. She has an educational background in telecommunications engineering as well as an MBA. She has held various positions in the tech industry in France and Ireland, focusing mainly on smart-mobility and smart-home solutions.  

She has at heart to empower young girls and women to believe in themselves and be change agents in their communities. Hence her work as the Irish Chapter Lead of Women in Tech Africa, an organisation that aims to create a pipeline of female technology leaders and role-models across Africa and beyond, by encouraging more girls to choose STEM fields and empowering women to support Africa growth through technology.

She is also an advocate for Diversity, Inclusion and empowerment of all in her workplace and through different external platforms (DiverseIn Women in Tech ambassador, and contributor for APNI – African professional Network in Ireland, Women In Tech Africa & SheUps Global Women Tech Entrepreneurs resources platform).  

Name: Nicola Kiely
Age: 25 
Degree: Music, Media and Performance Technology in University of Limerick.
Role: Visual Designer in the Digital team in Vodafone. Working on our website to showcase new phone launches and promotional offers to our customers. Focusing in particular on designing for mobile users and creating effective promotional campaigns.

I’m Holly, and I work at Teamwork. I went to Kinsale Community School and then did BIS at UCC. I loved college because we got to go to America in our 3rd year to live and work there for six months! I lived in Boston and got to visit places like New York and Chicago! After college, I worked in Dublin for 1 year. When I came back home to Cork, I worked as a software developer before finding a job in Teamwork. I love working at Teamwork because of the friends I’ve made, and we get to work on lots of different projects. Since being in Teamwork, I have changed roles three times, and I love that you can move into different roles and learn new skills. Fun Fact: I love to travel, and with Teamwork, you can work while traveling. I worked in Thailand for a month in 2019 and missed work one day because a coconut fell on the electricity line! 

Imelda Hurley is the CEO at Coillte, Ireland’s state forestry company which is responsible for managing over one million acres of primarily forested lands. Coillte is the nation’s largest forester and provider of outdoor recreation space. It also enables approximately one-third of Ireland’s wind-energy, processes forestry by-products and undertakes nature rehabilitation projects of scale. Imelda’s focus is on delivering a sustainable future for all by ensuring that Coillte delivers the multiple benefits of forestry, including forests for climate, for nature, for wood and for people. She is also a Non-Executive Director at NYSE listed Dole plc, the global leader in fresh fruit and vegetables and is Deputy President at IBEC, Ireland’s largest business representative group.

Imelda has extensive executive and non-executive experience in public company, state owned, private equity and venture capital backed businesses. She acquired that experience in multiple geographies including Ireland, UK, Eastern Europe, Hong Kong, China and Australia. Her previous roles include Executive Director & Chief Financial Officer with Origin Enterprises plc, Chief Financial Officer & Head of Sustainability at PCH International, Group Finance Director at Greencore Group plc, Non-Executive Director of Valeo Foods and Board Member at Ervia. She holds a Bachelor of Business Studies from University of Limerick, is a Chartered Accountant and an alumna of Harvard Business School.

Imelda’s leadership style has been influenced by her varied career experiences across a range of sectors, her focus on ongoing professional development and the learnings gained from challenges encountered while participating in endurance adventure sport activities. To date, she has climbed two of the Seven Summits of the World and hiked over 1,000km on three self-supported challenges. Her leadership during the pandemic has focused on ‘Keeping Coillte Safe and Moving’ and she believes the learnings from her endurance adventures have played a key role in successfully delivering this objective.

Marian Moskowitz was elected to the Chester County Board of Commissioners in November 2019 and was sworn in as Chair of the Board in January 2020.

In her role as Chair, she has led the county through the COVID-19 pandemic.  During this unprecedented time she prioritized getting vaccines and testing to the county’s most vulnerable population and underserved.

In her role as a county commissioner, she has made environmental issues a priority by charging the Chester County Environmental and Energy Advisory Board with creating a Climate Action Plan.  Soon after this board began to work diligently. Chester County presented the first draft of its Climate Action Plan in March 2021, which provides for current greenhouse gas emissions inventory and sets out an action plan for reducing emissions and improving energy efficiency throughout the county, The County signed a renewable electric supply purchase agreement to offset 100% of our electric supply.  In March 2021 the County of Chester was recognized by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as a Green Power Partner.

Marian has been involved in her community for the last 30 years.  She presently serves as Chair of the Chester County Economic Development Council and South Eastern Economic Development Company of PA – Seedcopa, who funds loans through the Small Business Administration -SBA.  She is also the Secretary on the board of West Chester University.  In 2017, Governor Tom Wolf appointed her to the Board of Governors of the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education- PASSHE.  Ms. Moskowitz currently serves on the board of Colonial Theater, People’s Light Theater, Southeastern Pennsylvania Transportation Authority and the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission.  In 2015 she was named to the Board of the Delaware River Port Authority by Governor Tom Wolf and served on the board until 2017.  Marian has also served on the Board of Neumann University and the Phoenixville Community Health Foundation.

Marian has been married to her husband Dave for 36 years.  She has 2 children, 3 stepchildren and 5 grandchildren and resides in Malvern, with her beloved dog Lucca.  Marian loves to travel and has traveled extensively around the world both for business and pleasure. She loves to cook, read, walk and spend time with her children and grandchildren.

Alannah joined Arup in 2019 as a Graduate Consultant in the Strategic Advisory Services team. She has a Bachelor of Arts degree in geography and sociology and a Masters’ degree in sustainable cities. Alannah works across a range of topics such as transport strategies, sustainability in cities, gender equality and social inclusion in cities. Designing inclusive places and supporting the different needs of people is a big challenge which requires designers and planners to see the world from different people’s perspectives and lived experiences. Bringing new and creative ideas is essential to tackling some of the everyday problems people experience in cities. Alannah is looking forward to showing the students at I Wish how a career in STEM can help improve the places we live in and create a more sustainable future.

Elizabeth (Liz) Theophille is the Chief Technology Transformation Officer at Novartis. Liz joined Novartis 6 years ago to advance the practice of medicine through a future-fit technology strategy, enterprise architecture, digital technology enabling platform and advanced analytics and automation.

Under Liz’s leadership, her teams are focused on delivering new experiences and operational efficiencies with cutting-edge technology transformation to reimagine medicine at Novartis – from accelerating development, manufacturing and access of medicine to strengthening digital connections with the wider healthcare ecosystem.

Prior to Novartis, Liz’s 20 years’ experience, stems from various industries including manufacturing, transport and oil&gas with a proven track record of successfully leading complex, strategic transformation programs.

Liz advocates for Servant Leadership as well as gender balance in management and women building their careers in Tech.

Sarah joined Stripe as a college graduate in 2019 after completing a bachelor’s degree in Computer Science in Trinity College Dublin. Since joining Stripe she has worked on country expansion in EMEA, namely Stripe’s launch in the UAE, and has recently moved to the Cards team to work on Stripe’s integration with card networks in EMEA. Outside of work she likes to go bouldering, draw or hang out with her dogs.

Anisha Krishnakumar is a Senior Business Analyst with Colgate-Palmolive. 

Anisha has spent over eight years delivering SAP Enterprise solutions for Customer Sales & Marketing projects in the landscape of Asia, US, Europe & Africa. Her fast-track career at Colgate has spanned across various different team projects, supporting and delivering many best in class technology solutions to help improve efficiency and drive growth for the Colgate business across the globe, winning many awards on the way.

An Information Technology Engineer, who graduated with Distinction from India, She was one of the youngest to be nominated for the Young Leadership Management Courses in India. After having had opportunities to travel & work across Asia, South Africa and the U.S.A on various technology projects, she moved to Ireland in 2019.  

In her personal life, Anisha has been honoured with A+ grade in the Final Drawing Government examination & has excelled in Bharatnatyam, a native Indian dance form.

What option subjects did you choose to Leaving Cert ?

Chemistry, Home Economics, French, German

When did you complete your Leaving Cert ?

1996

Did you have a part-time job after school ? If so where ?

Worked in various part-time jobs in the summers; potato picking (!), waitressing, grocery store etc. Worked in Debenhams at weekends during college.

Did you play sport when you were in school ?

I would have liked to have played more sport, I liked Hockey but didn’t play it outside of school. I was a ballet nut!

Did you go to college ? What college did you attend ?

Yes, U.C.C

What college course did you study ?

Nutritional Science degree followed by a research masters in Flavour Chemistry.

Share some details about any industry roles you have had in your lifetime ?

• Microbiologist
• Sensory Analyst
• Flavour Analyst
• Global Quality Co-ordinator
• Lab Team Lead (Raw Materials / Sensory)
• Quality Engineer
• Ireland Technical Manager
• Ireland Compliance Manager
• Site Quality Manager
• Global Principal Quality Engineer
• Operations Manager

The skills you have developed over the years ?

Technical, various analytical test methods & equipment, microsoft word/excel/powerpoint/access (anyone remember access?), food safety risk assessments, lean methodology & tools…

Soft Skills; team work, self-awareness/understanding others, project management, presenting & influencing, time management, people management, problem-solving…

Your current role ?

I am currently the Operations Manager in PepsiCo Carrigaline where we make all of the Pepsi, Gatorade, Mountain Dew& Bubly flavours for the U.S. market. I am responsible for the processing, packaging and shipping all of what we make to the highest Health& Safety and Quality standards to ultimately create smiles for our customers!

Please give us a short quote as to why you would recommend a career in the industry you are currently in.

There are so many different options and opportunities to grow in a STEM career that it never gets boring!

Nisha is an actuary with several years’ experience in the finance industry working in the US, London and Dublin. She is the Founder and President of the non-profit Impact Consulting Dublin which aims to connect experienced professionals with sustainable and socially driven organisations in Ireland. She currently sits on the Board of The Shona Project, a non-profit dedicated to empowering young female students. She is a member of the Irish Finance and Business 2030 Task Force, a One Young World initiative, which aims to unite the finance and business community to achieve the UN Sustainable Development Goals. She hopes to use her skills to tackle global issues and create positive social impact. 

Hi my name is Abi Sheahan and I’m in Ty and I’m 16 , I love playing sports like hockey and gaa and I love meeting up with my friends 

I attended I wish when I was in 6th class and it was an amazing experience, I think it definitely encouraged me to study subjects in stem like science , technology engineering and maths , I would recommend attending the iwish event to anyone especially other young girls . Attending the event definitely opened up my eyes to many possibilities for example studying engineering in college . I am currently studying English , Irish , higher level maths , home Economics , Economics and Business . I am really interested in nutrition and food science so I would be interested in studying Nutritional sciences , I am also interested in studying Commerce . I have many hobbies that I enjoy doing like going to the gym and playing hockey , Gaelic football and basketball , I love to cook and bake and go for walks aswell I find it really relaxing .  

Nuria Moreno Bachs has been working with Johnson & Johnson for 5 years in a number of engineering and process excellence roles, and she is currently the Sustainability Program Leader for the Johnson & Johnson Vision Care Ireland plant in Limerick. Nuria has a MSc in Chemical Engineering from University of Granada, in Spain, and a Master Black Belt certification in Lean Six Sigma from MTU. 

Prior to joining Johnson & Johnson, Nuria worked with other multi-national companies (as Procter & Gamble and Sabic Innovative Plastics) in the areas of RnD and Production, always with the focus of trying to make existing processes leaner and more sustainable. 

Nuria’s passion for sustainability comes from her love for nature and outdoors. When not at work, Nuria enjoys hiking and any activity that connects her with the nature around her. 

Apart from sustainability, Nuria is an advocate for Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, and she brings it to work by being the site leader for the LGBTQ+ Employee Resource Group Open & Out, and in her role as a Mental Health Diplomat and First Aider. Nuria also actively supports the Johnson & Johnson WiSTEM2D programme through mentoring, helping to encourage and develop the female STEM leaders of the future.    

Aisling Hahessy is a senior structural engineer in the Buildings team at Arup. She has worked on a wide range of international projects including buildings and railway stations in Ireland, Canada, the UK, Mexico, Saudi Arabia and Peru, as well as community development projects​ in Rwanda, Uganda and Bangladesh. Aisling spent three years working in Arup’s Toronto office from 2017 to 2020 before returning to the Cork office. She is currently the lead structural engineer for the concrete works of the Mallow General Hospital extension in Cork. Aisling is passionate about promoting engineering as a career and was a panellist at the first I Wish STEM showcase in 2015. She also organised an ongoing Mentoring Programme for secondary school students between Arup and Business in the Community Ireland. In 2021, Aisling was awarded Engineer of the Year by Engineers Ireland.

My name is Aoife Earnor and I am from Headford, County Galway. I joined the Stryker team as part of the 2021 R&D Graduate Program where I am working as an Advanced Quality Engineer for my first 6 months. I have just recently graduated from GMIT with a degree in Biomedical Engineering. I always knew I wanted to have a career in Biomedical Engineering from a young age, and focused on STEM Subjects in  Secondary School such as Biology, Applied Maths, Tech Graph and Maths to help me achieve this!

What option subjects did you choose to Leaving Cert ?

Biology, Chemistry, Business studies & German

When did you complete your Leaving Cert ?

2015

Did you have a part-time job after school ? If so where ?

Waitressing in a local hotel

Did you play sport when you were in school ?

Yes, Rugby

Did you go to college ? What college did you attend ?

Yes, University College Cork

What college course did you study ?

Food Science (BSc)

Share some details about any industry roles you have had in your lifetime ?

R&D Intern, Pepsico during 3^rd year placement 2018

R&D Packaging Technician, Pepsico 2019-2021 (main duties included conducting testing on primary packaging I.e Plastic PET bottles, cans, glass to support the business with sustainability, new innovations & brand stewardship.

The skills you have developed over the years ?

Leadership skills, organisational skills, decision making & teamwork

Your current role ?

R&D Associate Scientist (packaging)

Main duties include:

Co-ordinating the test schedule for lab analysts

Reviewing lab data and reporting out results to packaging engineers

Implementing new equipment and new testing capabilities in the lab to meet business needs

Please give us a short quote as to why you would recommend a career in the industry you are currently in.

It is rewarding to be part of a team that is focused on making impactful changes in qualifying more sustainable packaging whilst insuring materials are fit for purpose & safe for consumers.

Ciara Dunne is a Quality Control Manager with responsibility for New Product Introduction at Janssen Sciences Ireland (Cork). Ciara holds an MSc in Biotechnology and a BSc in Biochemistry, both from University College Cork. 

Ciara joined Janssen Sciences Ireland in 2012 as a Manufacturing Process Specialist in Cell Culture, which saw her providing technical support on the manufacturing floor and working on continuous process improvement projects.  

In 2017, Ciara took on the role of Manufacturing Team Lead. This position saw her supporting the day-to-day activities in the Clinical and Small-Scale Commercial Business Units. Ciara joined the project team overseeing a major expansion of the Janssen Sciences Ireland site in 2018, supporting with the design and start-up of a brand-new Operations department. During this time, Ciara also supported with all other activities required in the introduction of this new manufacturing building. 

In November 2020, Ciara was appointed to the role of QC NPI Manager. The NPI team is responsible for the introductions of new products into the laboratory in Janssen. Their responsibilities extend to both Clinical and Commercial aspects of product introduction. 

Róisín is a Senior Consultant in Deloitte Digital. Currently working in a Digital Transformation Factory as a Product Owner building multiple products for a large financial company.

She followed her passion from school which was Business Studies and Languages and went to study International Business in Manchester, England (with a Erasmus programme to Milan, Italy).

When not at work, you can find her in the kitchen cooking and trying out new recipes or walking the beach collecting sea glass!

Marie Moynihan is Senior Vice President of Global Human Resources Services. She leads a team of  @800 HR professionals globally who provide full life cycle services to our team members, from on-boarding, to payroll, to employee relations, to site based engagement and inclusion activities, ensuring our team members experience Dell as a great place to work in every country in which we operate.

In addition she is responsible for our global HR approach and infrastructure to support Mergers and Acquisition, Managed Services deals, Contingent Labor and Privacy & Compliance.

Marie report’s to the CHRO and influences all key HR decisions for the company.

Marie has been with Dell for 20 years holding a range of HR roles from Business Partner, HR leader for Dell EMEA, to Talent Management and Chief Diversity officer, to Global Talent Acquisition.

Before joining Dell, Marie worked for Intel Corporation, leading HR in their European manufacturing facility for eight years. She has also spent six years consulting in Industrial Relations with the Irish Business and Employers Confederation.  She is married with one child and lives in Co Wicklow, Ireland.

Janet is a Senior Engineer with 20 years’ experience in environmental engineering and project management. She leads teams delivering circular economy (designing to minimise waste) in projects at Arup and specialises in the reuse of materials and compliance with environmental regulations. She has worked on projects in Ireland, UK, Denmark, Australia, the Netherlands and Germany. Janet previously worked in the Arup office in London, the environment and water departments of Dublin City Council and in project development at Sustainable Energy Ireland.

Janet is really looking forward to this year’s I Wish. She is inspired by how informed and active today’s students are around our environment and climate change. Janet is interested in hearing their views on the future they would like to create and how they will ‘build a better world’.

Education:

Graduate of MTU with  BSc in Applied Physics and Instrumentation

MSc in Renewable Energy and Energy Management (University of Ulster)

Career

Instrument Engineer:  Endress & Hauser, Yokogowa

Automation Engineer:  Honeywell

Grid Control Operator:  Gas Networks Ireland

Business Analyst:  Gas Networks Ireland

Grid Control Manager:  Gas Networks Ireland

Sustainability & Best Practice Engineer:  Gas Networks Ireland

In August 2021, I started working at Stryker as a Project Engineer in the Business Intelligence team as part of the Advanced Operations Global Engineering Development Program. Before this role, I had two internships with Stryker in Ireland – the first was in R&D Product Design, and the second was in Additive Manufacturing testing the capabilities of various 3D printers. I am originally from Portage, Michigan and graduated from Michigan State University in 2021 where I received a Bachelor of Science in Chemical Engineering and a Minor in Spanish.

Nina joined Stripe in Dublin mid-2021 as a new graduate from the University of Edinburgh, where she completed a bachelor’s degree in Computer Science. She joined the EMEA Cards team which focuses on local card networks in the EMEA region. Her favourite pastimes include reading, gaming and playing sports.

Rubina is a Senior Wind and Microclimate Consultant at Arup in Dublin. She has a keen interest in the influence of urban design and local climate on the human experience of outdoor spaces. Rubina has worked in Arup’s London, New York and San Francisco offices on a wide range of projects. She carries out solar and wind simulations to help designers improve people’s comfort and wellbeing, and designs structures that resist the wind. She joined Arup after completing her doctorate in modelling wind and natural ventilation in the built environment. Rubina is delighted to be speaking at I Wish and sharing the opportunities that a STEM career has unlocked for her to explore new places and contribute to shaping comfortable cities.  

Lisa Lynch joined DePuy Synthes (Cork) as a Graduate Engineer as part of the Johnson & Johnson graduate program in 2021. Lisa is spending her first rotation with the New Product Introduction (NPI) Department. Lisa graduated from Munster Technological University in May 2021 with a Masters in Biomedical Engineering and Certificate in Validation Sciences.  

As part of the DePuy Synthes Biomedical Engineering scholarship programme in Munster Technological University, Lisa completed two summer placements in DePuy Synthes. These were in Supply Chain Product Launch Management and Metrology. Further to that, Lisa completed her co-op placement in NPI Engineering, also in DePuy Synthes. Lisa’s Masters thesis, entitled ‘3D Build Plate Material Efficiency Investigation’, was carried out in collaboration with the DePuy Synthes 3D Printing Department.  

Outside of her work, Lisa enjoys travelling, plays camogie with Cloughduv and football with Valley Rovers. Lisa also has her own small business, sewing handmade totebags. 

Katherine Ronan is a student Cost Manager at Linesight. We asked Katherine some questions :

What option subjects did you choose to Leaving Cert ?

Construction Studies, Business Studies, Biology, Geography

When did you complete your Leaving Cert ?

2018

Did you have a part-time job after school ? Yes, at different times I worked part time in a Garden center and local shop

Did you play sport when you were in school ?

A little, but I was far more interested in musical theatre, so spent my free time getting involved in local productions

Did you go to college ? What college did you attend ?

Yes, Carlow Institute of Further Education and then TU Dublin

What college course did you study ?

QQI Level 5 Certificate in Construction Technology, and I’m currently completing year four in BSc (Hons) Quantity Surveying & Construction Economics

Share some details about any industry roles you have had in your lifetime ?

I completed a two month work placement with Linesight as part of my QQI Level 5 Certificate in Construction Technology. Then in year three of my BSc (Hons) Quantity Surveying & Construction Economics I applied to the Linesight undergraduate program. Here I completed a five month work placement program, before moving into the part-time position of Student Cost Manager that I’m currently working in while completing my degree.

The skills you have developed over the years ?

Communication skills, how best to interact and negotiate with others in a business capacity. I’ve learned lots from the Linesight ‘Learning Hours’, and from watching how our leaders present at our regular ‘Town Hall’ meetings.

Computer skills, specifically CostX and MS Office.

Multitasking and time management skills from working on various projects with different demanding deadlines

Your current role ? Student Cost Manager with Linesight. I’m also very excited to be staying on with the company after I graduate in the position of Assistant Cost Manager

Please give us a short quote as to why you would recommend a career in the industry you are currently in.

The construction industry is ever-changing and so never boring. It’s also an industry that historically has not had large amounts of women working in it, so it feels great to be a small part of an ever-growing group of females who are breaking the mould, and working towards changing outdated stereo types

Hi, I’m Melania, a Senior Applied Scientist at AWS (Amazon Web Services) in Dublin, Ireland.

I am a member of the Networking team and, together with my colleagues, we work at innovatively leveraging monitoring data to improve AWS Networking customers’ experience.

Prior to landing at AWS I held multiple roles in the Data Engineering and Advanced Data Analytics space, spanning several industries such as advertising, manufacturing, retail and telco.

I am passionate about combining business understanding with science and technology in order to drive and deliver customer-benefitting programs.

Outside of work, I love spending time with my family and our two dachshunds, playing tennis and reading novels.

My name is Niamh Gillen. I am 26 years old, come from Co. Fermanagh and I enjoy playing piano and Gaelic football. During school, I had a love for science and geography so I undertook a degree in Geology and Petroleum Geology at the University of Aberdeen. After graduation, I got a place on the Ervia Graduate programme. This began my career in decarbonisation technologies for the gas network, with a main focus on Carbon Capture and Storage and Biomethane. I now work for Gas Networks Ireland as Innovation Engineer and I am undertaking a Masters in Project Management, in the hope of managing large decarbonisation projects in the future.

Stephanie is a Senior Market Access Manager with Janssen Sciences Ireland. Stephanie studied Economics and Geography in National University of Ireland, Galway. As part of her degree, she studied a module in Health Economics. Through this, Stephanie developed a keen interest in the subject and leading her to undertake a Masters in Health Economics. 

Stephanie joined Janssen in May 2015 as a Health Economics student as part of her Masters in NUIG. Since 2015, Stephanie has held various roles such as HEMAR (Health Economics Market Access Reimbursement) Assistant, HEMAR Associate, Market Access Manager and more recently Senior Market Access Manager. Stephanie has worked on numerous therapy areas including medicines for Prostate Cancer, Crohn’s Disease, Psoriasis, Psoriatic Arthritis, Ulcerative Colitis and Blood Cancer. Stephanie’s role as a Market Access Manager is to work with the HSE to provide Irish patients access to innovative medicines.

Stephanie is also involved in the Women’s Leadership and Inclusion group with Johnson & Johnson, whose purpose is to foster an inclusive organizational environment that champions the advancement of women in STEM.

Catherine is a Practice Leader with MMK Executive, a global executive search and talent advisory business and part of the larger Morgan McKinley Group. She partners with clients across Technology, Pharma, Life Science, Education, and Sustainability sectors to identify senior leadership talent and supports both private and non-profit organisations with their priorities around people and talent. Catherine has a background working in leadership and management consulting, having spent 5 years in the US developing leadership and talent development programmes across a wide range of industries.

Catherine is so proud to be part of the I Wish community and is Editor of the I Wish Magalogue, the fantastic new Newsletter developed in 2021 to have a wider reach and impact on the I Wish community. 

Catherine has a Bachelor’s of Environmental Planning from Queens University Belfast and an MBA with a focus in HR and Organizational Development from Wilkes University in Pennsylvania, USA.

Nathania Lahive graduated in 1998 from Cork Institute of Technology with a BSc in Analytical Chemistry and in 2007 obtained an MSc in Analytical Sciences from University College Cork.

Nathania started her career in 1999 with Eli Lilly Kinsale as a QC Laboratory Analyst, supporting a variety of products in different roles with increasing responsibility. Nathania was promoted to Small Molecule QCL Team Leader in 2007.  In September 2011, Nathania transitioned to the Biotech organisation as Team Leader for Materials Management and in 2012 supported an OPM campaign as Process Team leader.

In June 2013, Nathania accepted the role of QA Team Leader supporting the Biotech Business, supporting several very successful agency inspections to deliver the Biotech commercialisation agenda. In 2016 Nathania was promoted to Quality Advisor in the GQS organisation leading the development of the Global Quality Academy. Nathania returned to the site during 2017 as an Advisor for Biotech operations and became Director of QA for the Kinsale site in 2018. She was promoted to Senior Director of Quality at Lilly Kinsale in December 2021.

Nathania enjoys outdoor pursuits, gardening and spending time with family and friends during the weekends.

Morwenna (she/her) has a Bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Cape Town. She moved to the UK in 2018 and now works as an Industry Process Consultant for Dassault Systèmes with a focus on change management and transformation. Morwenna is passionate about reimagining the Workforce of The Future and disrupting the status quo to create a culture which inspires and empowers young people.

As Infrastructure Growth Director,  Jo is responsible for the development and implementation of Jacobs strategic growth plan across the Ireland business markets including the Transportation, Water and Built Environment markets, in addition to the strategic pursuit of major complex infrastructure projects across Ireland. This includes carefully exploring the market and project opportunities, challenges and needs and assembling multi-disciplinary teams to most effectively respond to these requirements. It involves significant internal and external stakeholder management, leading and negotiating on resource allocation and developing commercial strategies.

Jo is a highly experienced Project Manager and Project Director with over 20 years’ experience, leading numerous complex infrastructure consenting projects across several industry sectors, including renewables and grid connection projects in Ireland and the UK. She is a qualified Town Planner, experienced in the preparation and submission of complex consenting projects and advising on planning strategy.

Lucille holds a master’s degree in Mathematics applied to Cryptography. She has worked in different companies across Europe before joining Qualcomm in Cork in 2020.

Lucille’s job is to ensure that Qualcomm products are secure and to prevent the hardware from being hacked. The day to day work involves algebra, statistics, electronics, physics and programming.

Lucille believes any domain can only benefit from having a different point of view, and achieving this is much easier when people have different backgrounds. For this reason, she enjoys taking opportunities to promote STEM to communities that may not have always been represented in STEM jobs and to encourage people to follow any interest they may have.

Alan O’Connell, Marketing Grad from CIT and joined Dell in June 2021 as a Candidate Experience Specialist. My main role is helping candidates throughout their interview process, acting as a point of contact & ensuring their experience is as comfortable & as seamless as possible. I am also heavily involved in many different programs with Dell including University Relations, where we showcase all of Dell Graduate roles available to interns and graduates. Dell as a company gives you so much from Day 1, from the trust of management & your team, always encouraging you to innovate & speak your mind.

I’m really excited to be talking here today, because I actually attended I Wish myself, way back in 2016. That day led me to reconsidering doing Applied Maths for the Leaving Cert, which in turn led me to my current course, Maths and Computing in UL (final year!). I Wish also led me to this mentorship programme with Deloitte, where I’m lucky enough to be partnered with Julieanne, who, as a Senior Technology Manager, is perfectly positioned to advise me on future career options and/or academics – a big choice I’ve to make very soon! As for my hobbies and relaxation, I love musical theatre, swimming, baking and foreign travel. 

Julieanne decided back in 2008 that a career in politics wasn’t for her so declined her CAO offer. Instead, Julieanne decided at the time to take up a vacant place on a new undergraduate course in DCU, BSc. Enterprise Computing. Julieanne dived head first into the world of technology and hasn’t looked back since! In 2012, she joined Deloitte Ireland on their consulting graduate programme as a Technology Analyst.  Today, she leads a multi-disciplinary team of 20+ technology consultants on a large scale digital transformation programme. Her team consists of Business Analysts, Testers and Developers who work together to design, develop and deliver digital solutions in an agile environment.

Julieanne’s day-to-day consists of team check-ins, project planning, requirements gathering, and communicating with project stakeholders. The best part of her job is mentoring team members in their roles and unlocking potential! Outside of work, Julieanne loves to travel and hike.

My name is Aurora and I am a Software Development Engineer at Amazon. I chose IT as my career 9 years ago, influenced by my father (an electrical engineer who loved to build computers and play video games with me) and my mother (who gave me the wise advice of seeking a career that aligned with my multidisciplinary interests and that could intersect well with other areas).

I am originally from Brazil, where I got a Bachelor degree in Computer Engineering (University of Brasilia), from 2013 to 2018. During this time, I also lived for one year in Melbourne (Australia), doing an exchange program degree in Computer Engineer & Networking (RMIT University, 2015).

While in Brazil, I acquired experience working both in an IT consulting company (specialised in cloud and IaC) and in a start-up (focused on smart devices). In 2019, I relocated to Dublin and joined Amazon’s People experience and Technology (PXT), for which I have been working ever since.

Leisha Daly is Head of Government Affairs & Policy for Johnson & Johnson Supply Chain in EMEA and for Johnson & Johnson Campus Ireland, a role she assumed in September 2018.  For the previous 10 years, Leisha was Country Director of Janssen, the pharmaceutical company of Johnson & Johnson.

Leisha started her 20-year career at Johnson & Johnson as Head of Medical Affairs at Janssen, and led in several senior positions in medical, sales and marketing management. In her role as Country Director, Leisha successfully led Janssen through the economic downturn to become the fastest growing pharmaceutical company and the 5^th largest pharmaceutical company in Ireland.

Leisha served as President of the Irish Pharmaceutical Healthcare Association (IPHA) from 2014-2016. In this role, she led industry talks with the State, securing a pivotal four-year Framework Supply Agreement that offers stability in the supply of medicines to Irish patients and their treating clinicians. She is a member of the board of the American Chamber of Commerce Ireland and chairs their Sustainability Taskforce. She is also a member of the board of the Irish Management Institute, Business in The Community Ireland and a member of the Institute of Directors. Leisha is a member of Ibec’s National Council & chairs Ibec’s Energy & Climate Committee.

Leisha is Chairman of the Johnson & Johnson Campus Ireland group, an entity which seeks to combine the strengths and expertise of the Johnson & Johnson family of companies.  A strong advocate for the empowerment and advancement of women in the workforce, Leisha is the Johnson & Johnson WiSTEM2D Ireland Programme Sponsor. This is a significant collaborative education programme that supports and encourages women to pursue educational opportunities in STEM subjects, in partnership with Irish universities.  Leisha is also a member of the Advisory Council of Balance for Better Business.

She was recognised as one of the Top 25 most powerful businesswomen in Ireland by the Women’s Executive Network in 2016 and in 2018 was recognised by the IMI with a Life Fellowship Award for her contribution to Irish Management.

Tara is a Manager in Systems Engineering who joined Deloitte as a graduate in 2015 after studying Computer Science and Information Technology in NUIG. She is currently engaged as a functional lead for a large public sector client where she works with business and technical stakeholders to lead the analysis, design, test and integration of digital services for their customer facing website alongside a wider team of business analysts, software testers and developers.

Outside of work Tara likes to spend time baking, especially making novelty cakes for friends and family. She is a film lover and considers ‘awards season’ her favourite time of year

Eimear Lynch has over 20 years’ experience in a range of corporates from Eir to Deloitte to her current role in Arup.

Since joining Arup, Eimear’s responsibility is for the operation and delivery of the Business Development function within the company, specifically:
• nurturing a customer focused culture across all our businesses built around on good relationships.
• supporting and implement the Business Development process,
• supporting the alignment of the BD process with our strategy,
• helping to coordinating and align the promotional requirements of the business.
• supporting and managing our client account management process.
• managing customer events and promotional activity, representing the company at external events.

My name is Kate Hanratty, I’m 21 years old from Dublin. I’m a student studying Biomedical and Molecular Diagnostics in TU Dublin. All throughout school I loved science and knew I’d like to end up doing it in college. While my course wasn’t my first choice, I’m now really glad that I got it as it’s a really new course in a relatively new field within biomedical science and I’ll hopefully get to go into a job which is on the cutting edge of diagnostic research.
Sport plays a huge part in my life as I’m a really active person. I’m a huge gaelic football fan, I’ve played with my club St. Pats for the last 11 years and go to every Dublin game I can (pre-covid anyways!). I’ve also played golf for most of my life and while I’m not as good as Leona McGuire, I still really enjoy it and it’s given me a lot of great opportunities.

Clodagh started in Amazon Web Services as a graduate in the Premium Support team in 2015 after completing a degree in Computer Engineering, terrified of what was ahead of her. Within 5 years, she managed to specialise in DevOps, worked her way up the ladder, and become a manager within AWS Premium Support. While working with her own team she also ran the Graduate program within Premium Support in Dublin, offering assistance to other Graduate Programs globally. She works with some really cool people on a daily basis, and is excited to see what she learns next!

What option subjects did you choose to Leaving Cert ?

Irish, English, Maths, German, Biology, Physics and Business

When did you complete your Leaving Cert ?

2010

Did you have a part-time job after school ? If so where ?

I worked in an Equestrian Centre from Transition Year and worked in a restaurant and did reception cover in various companies throughout college.

Did you play sport when you were in school ?

Horse Riding

Did you go to college? What college did you attend ?

I went to University College Cork from 2010 – 2014 and 2016 – 2017.

What college course did you study ?

I studied Commerce majoring in Management and minoring in Information Systems. My plan was to go into HR, so I worked for awhile and realised it wasn’t for me. I then went back to do a Masters in Information Systems for Business Performance.

Share some details about any industry roles you have had in your lifetime ?

I started out covering reception throughout college.

When I finished college, I worked in HR Administration for about 9 months

Then I moved into facilities management, where I was responsible for Soft Services provided to companies e.g. cleaning, reception, post delivery, event management, meeting set up,

Moved into a project role, where a new office was being fitted out, so had to manage all the soft furnishings and orders for that.

Worked in Soft Services for another few months in Pivotal, saw the value that IT Solutions were being provided.

Fiona is a Senior Manager in VMware Technical Support, having joined the company in 2016. Previous to this she had spent 12 years working in France, in IT start-ups in various customer support, technical support, and leadership roles. Fiona came to the Tech world by something of an indirect path, graduating from in UCC in 2004 with a BA Hons in French & Italian.

Day to day, Fiona’s team own relationships with VMware’s Premium Support  customers, helping them navigate through their most critical issues, guiding them to the right experts to resolve their issues, and ensuring that the human side of our interactions with our customers is as strong as the technical. Having built a dynamic gender-diverse team, Fiona believes strongly in developing talent from all types of backgrounds to be successful in Tech.

Emma is a graduate of Trinity College Dublin,  where she specialised in Environmental Science. She has been working with Irish Water since she graduated in 2017 and started her career on the Irish Water Graduate Programme. She currently works as a Project Communications Advisor with Irish Water. This involves closely with Capital Delivery teams to ensure that communications is delivered effectively on some of Ireland’s largest water and wastewater infrastructure projects.

Hi there, my name is Eimear Mc Evey. I’m currently working as a Supply Chain manager in the Customer Services team within PepsiCo’s concentrate business. The core objectives of our team are to execute bottler orders so we can ensure Pepsi products continue to appear on shelves worldwide -sounds easy right? It turns out it’s quite the opposite and each day can have many twists and turns!

Speaking of twists and turns, my career path has not been a straight line, I started out as a teacher, then worked as a trainer in the rail industry before switching to change management and now working in the Supply Chain team in PepsiCo.

I have always inspired by passionate leaders who taught me that the sky is the limit – irrespective of your background or where you have come from.

Working in PepsiCo means I get to contribute in a meaningful way to an organisation with a strong moral compass when it comes to worldwide issues of the moment such as equality and sustainability to name but a few.

What I value the most about working in this industry, and indeed for PepsiCo, are the endless opportunities for multiple career pathways. With over 250,000 PepsiCo employees worldwide, in every corner of the globe, the world is literally your oyster – All you need is the motivation, curiosity and desire to keep learning.

My name is Lisa O’ Grady, and I am a Senior Consultant who works in the Robotics & Intelligent Automation team within Deloitte. Since starting at Deloitte, I have worked across disciplines in sectors such as public sector, banking and pharmaceutical. My current role consists of leading out a team in facilitating workshops with Senior Stakeholders to assess and develop processes that are deemed suitable for robotic automation. I graduated with a Master of Science in Information Systems for Business Performance at University College Cork in 2016 which I pursued after completing a Bachelor’s degree in Business Studies at Cork Institute of Technology. When I am not working, I like to spend my time watching rugby, hiking, travelling, and enjoying a new restaurant.

My name is Niamh McGrath and I am a final year student studying Financial Mathematics and Actuarial Science in University College Cork. 

In 2016, I was fortunate enough to attend I Wish. The speakers demonstrated that women and girls have an inherent ability to affect real change in the world by pursuing STEM careers.

It is an honor to be a part of this mentorship which will provide me with essential support and guidance throughout my final year. 

Being a part of the WiSTEM Society in UCC, has provided me with the platform to promote Women in STEM2D fields on a daily basis. This is something I will continue to do in my future career. 

Jenny is from Cork. She has a BSc in Applied Biosciences and Biotechnology from CIT, started work on the Merck Cork site in 2015 and also worked at Audit Diagnostics (Cork).

Jenny currently works as an Quality Engineer in the Merck Centrifugal and Moulding Departments and has previous experience as a Micro Analyst and Phage Analyst in the Merck Microbiology and Phage labs supporting the quality control of Merck products.

Primrose Rutendo Nyagwaya. From a very young age I have always loved technology and I graduated with an Honors Degree in Digital Forensics and Cyber Security. I joined Dell in 2019 as a Talent Acquisition Specialist and in 2021 I joined the Cyber Security department where I currently  work as a Cyber Security Analyst.

My name is Imelda Fitzgerald, I work as a Business Intelligence Analyst for Stryker. I am from Laois, but I have been living in Cork for over 5 years now. I am a qualified beauty sales consultant and have worked for brands La Mer and NARS as sales advisors while studying at college. From there I developed an interest in sales, marketing, and management. I studied a level 6 course in marketing and event management in Cork College of Commerce, which led to me gaining advanced entry and getting my degree in marketing at Munster Technological University. I gained valuable experience throughout my degree and free lanced as a marketing consultant for some local businesses in Cork.

During my time at MTU I took electives in project management. I thoroughly enjoyed these modules and decided project management was an avenue I would like to explore. I love working for Stryker as a BI Analyst, I get to work with people all over the world and work on projects that create real value for our business. My role has lots of variety, from creating pieces of content to leading projects and connecting with people globally.

Sarah Jane Larkin is an experienced Director and Board Member with 15 years International experience in General Management and Healthcare. Proven track record in Business Unit Management, Marketing, Business Development. Strategy Formation and Execution.

The Irish Venture Capital Association (IVCA) is the representative organisation for venture capital and private equity firms in Ireland. Our full members are venture capital and private equity firms that provide equity funding to growing unquoted companies. Associate members of the IVCA include firms that provide advisory services including corporate finance houses, commercial and intellectual property law firms, accountants and other advisers experienced in the venture capital field.

Rebecca is a Product Designer at Dell working on our customer’s online user experience. She studied a Fine Art degree at undergraduate and pivoted to design when studying a Masters of Science in Design Innovation. Having joined Dell on the IT Development (Grad) Program in February 2020, she has spent her first two years at Dell gaining hands-on experience through user research and user interface design. Rebecca had always wanted a career in Fine Art, so when she found herself choosing to move into a career in STEM no one was as surprised as her!

Catherine is a Software Engineer in Stripe’s Dublin office, working on card network integrations in EMEA. Prior to working at Stripe, Catherine completed a BSc in Computer Science at University College Cork which she graduated from in 2019. During university, she has also interned at Poppulo in Cork, Google Dublin and the Insight Centre for Data Analytics in Cork.

Ciara Olsthoorn joined Janssen Pharmaceutical Sciences (Cork) as a Reliability Engineer in June 2021 as part of Johnson & Johnson’s Global Operations Leadership Development (GOLD) Programme. Prior to this, Ciara worked in Janssen Sciences Ireland (Cork) as a Commissioning and Qualification Engineer, and in the Technical Operations department at Janssen B.V. (Netherlands).

As part of the GOLD Programme, Ciara will work in three different roles in Johnson & Johnson’s sites across Europe. Following completion of her current role in Janssen Pharmaceutical Sciences in March, Ciara will move to France to take up a Quality Excellence role within Johnson & Johnson’s Consumer Health division.

Ciara is a Chemical and Biochemical Engineering graduate from the University of Limerick. Outside of work, Ciara is a very sociable person who enjoys spending time with her friends, and she also loves swimming and surfing in her spare time.

Orla is from Cork. She has a BSc (Hons) in Chemistry from UCC, started work on the Merck Cork site in 2015 and also worked at Alkermes Pharma Ireland (Athlone) & Complete Laboratory Solutions (Galway).

Orla currently works as an Process Engineer in the Merck Aircast Process and Technology Team and has previous experience as a Process Chemist in the Merck Media Process and Technology Team and Analytical Chemist in the Merck Cork QA Analytical Laboratory supporting the manufacture of chromatography media and lateral flow membrane used in bio-monitoring.

Manasa is a Technical Support Engineer at Dell Technologies. She studied a Bachelors in Computer Science Engineering and relocated to Ireland in 2018 to pursue a Masters in Management Marketing. Her work experience includes Technical support engineering and Product management, which helped to enhance her customer service and technical skills in different industries and business settings.

Niamh O’Hare is from the North of Ireland and attended Queens University in Belfast, where she earned both her Bachelor’s and Master’s Degrees in Aerospace Engineering Degrees. Niamh attended IT Tralee Part Time in 2021 to obtain a Masters in Cloud Computing and Infrastructure.  Since completing her studies in 2017, Niamh has been working at Accenture in the Technology Pillar, where she’s worked within the company’s consulting services team for clients in the public service sector in Dublin.  She’s currently a specialist in the Security Practice and is transitioning into a new position with Accenture where her focus will be in cybersecurity services.

Niamh was drawn to engineering as a student because of her affinity with mechanics, and her keen interest in learning how machines and instruments work in the realm of science and mechanics in particular engines. She also found she excelled in computer modules in her studies, and the combination of her interests and skillsets led her to choose a career in STEM.  Niamh finds her work intellectually stimulating, and particularly enjoys troubleshooting network routing and operating systems issues.

Hi everyone my name is Abbey Cummins I’m a first year Instrument Engineering student in MTU cork. I went to Regina Mundi College and I took part in I Wish 2019 in MTU for a week. I had an amazing experience which then opened my eyes to a career in STEM. 

Aela O’Toole is a final year student undertaking a Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) in Chemical and Biopharmaceutical Engineering at Munster Technological University.

As part of her studies, Aela completed a 7 month industry placement at Janssen Sciences Ireland. Throughout the placement, Aela worked as a Manufacturing Process Specialist in Clinical and Small-Scale Commercial Operations to ensure successful technical transfers of new products.

Prior to coming to MTU, Aela attended secondary school at Gaelcholaiste Choilm. In Transition year, she participated in the IWISH event at City Hall and was awarded Highly Commended at BT Young Scientist.

Outside of work, Aela is Chairperson of MTU’s first ISPE Student Chapter. She enjoys music and has received grade 8 in flute and piano. She is a member of the WISTEM and Chemical Engineering Societies at MTU. She has volunteered for IWISH, Youth Engineering Solutions and Irish Water Safety over the past few years.

My name is Julia Sheehan, I’m 22 and I’m a final year Financial Mathematics student in UCC! I attended Regina Mundi College in Douglas for secondary school and have been involved with I WISH since I was 16, both as an attendee and as a speaker! I’ve been on the WiSTEM UCC Society committee since my first year in college and I acted as the WiSTEM Society chairperson for the academic year 2020/21, with the society being awarded UCC Best Society and UCC Best Society event during my tenure. I’ve interned at Vodafone Ireland twice over my college experience, I’m a Johnson&Johnson WiSTEM2D bursary awardee and I was awarded a Bene Merenti award from UCC for my role as WiSTEM Chairperson. After college, I’ll be starting a role in Accenture!

My name is Sara Ann Biju. I am 20 years old and am currently doing my Third Year in BSc. Chemistry in University College Cork. I attended Mount mercy College during my secondary school years. I Wish was a huge factor in me deciding to pursue a career in STEM. I had the honour of presenting one of my projects in Transition Year during the event and am thrilled to be a speaker now.

Caoilinn is First Year student in Common Engineering, University Limerick. Caoilinn attended I Wish back in transition year when she went to St Bridgids Secondary School, Killiarney.

My name is Olivia. I am a 20 year old biomedical and molecular diagnostic student studying in the new Grangegorman campus of TUDublin. Throughout school science always piqued  my interest more than other subjects and led me to pick 2 sciences subjects for my leaving cert and go into a science course. Although it wasn’t my first choice it is a similar course to what I wanted to do and it opened my eyes to other branches of science I previously had little knowledge of. Molecular diagnostic is a quickly developing industry with emphasis on genetics ,bioinformatics and product development. Even though my course is demanding I still have time to play football, go to the gym and travel which are my passions along-side science .