Right now, I’m working in the international arena as part of the liaison and protection section of An Garda Síochána. But when I discovered the Executive MBA at UL, I was a supervisor in a specialised armed response unit. I loved the work I was doing, which involved a lot of leadership and decision-making on a daily basis. Still, it was a very responsible job with career-lasting scrutiny – I felt my career to that point had been leading me towards senior management. I called the UL MBA course director to discuss my potential in the programme.

It was a great call, and I’m glad I decided to talk through my submission with her – the course director had such a positive response to my questions and gave me ideas to think about and people in my organisation to chat with, which made all the difference and convinced me to take the leap. My organisation was very supportive in my taking this initiative and agreed to sponsor my education, for which I was very grateful. Sponsorship of an MBA programme is no small thing, as you need to consider the financial aspect, the time commitment, and how they’ll impact on your daily work. Thankfully, the UL MBA’s 3-day block structure meant there wasn’t much of a clash with my regular workload, and I could make up any extra time as needed. But being sponsored by your organisation also creates its own obligations, so you’re performing for yourself and your organisation, and you want to make sure you’re doing your best for them, which I believe I did during my time on the course.

I’ll always remember the day I started my MBA at UL – it was the day before the birth of my youngest child, my daughter. So, I had the induction day, and we were in the maternity unit the next day. But the day after, technically day 2 of the MBA, I walked into the room to applause. They were thrilled about our news and determined to help me as much as possible.

And that’s how it continued – the team aspect of the class was terrific. There was such a diversity in backgrounds and qualifications – a good smattering of public sector, private sector, Enterprise, young and old, and all with something unique to contribute. And when you have a pool of people with that kind of talent, it’s great to be stuck among them and learn what they can teach you – whether in a classroom or alternative settings.

There was so much to take in. From the get-go, the winter modules and international visit (San Francisco) taught us so much about the intricacies of global and international business, and group projects and study teams continued that learning.

My initial conversation with the UL MBA director sealed the deal for me – I knew UL was where I wanted to study my MBA. Her initial open-door policy extended to every aspect of the course, which honestly can’t be praised highly enough; it made us all feel that we were on a level with the lecturers, expanding our knowledge and abilities together with like-minded people.

That said, a lot of the more exciting aspects of the course were also quite challenging in their own right – data analytics and deeper finance issues wouldn’t necessarily be at play for me in my day-to-day capacity as a senior leader, so it was great to get more insight and knowledge in those areas. However, the decision-making and communication skills aspects of the course resonated with me – they're definitely needed in today’s dynamic environments, where you need to stand over your decisions and communicate them effectively to bring people along with you. Being a public-facing organisation, it’s particularly important to our senior management, and in my area of work at the moment – relationship building on an international front – I need to make sure my connections with network contacts keep improving and that I’m being respectful of the various cultures I interact with.

I completed my MBA in 2017 and have moved around within my organisation since then. Straight after the MBA, I took over as Unit Inspector in Pearse St., Dublin, and with the onset of Covid restrictions, took up a full-time position as national public order unit inspector. That was a significant challenge for society, our organisation, myself, my colleagues, and our families – everyone was challenged with something we’d never seen before. And I feel we dealt with it very, very well.

Going into the unknown like that, ensuring our community understood the regulations and reasoning behind them was crucial and meant our decision-making and communication skills were vital. In fairness, there was a balanced approach taken by An Garda Síochána, with the ‘four E’s’ - Engage, Explain, Encourage, and Enforce. I think with the approach we took, the country got through reasonably unscathed, which was a great result given the challenge at the time.

In July 2020, I was appointed Superintendent in charge of Baltinglass Garda district, and later transferred to the Leitrim Garda district. I really enjoyed these roles but wanted a change, so in February 2023, I took up my current Detective Superintendent position in Liaison and Protection.

The three-day block release structure suited my home and work commitments. Still, I remember being on the road to class and rehearsing elevator pitches and presentations that would be delivered to our peers – they'd scrutinise your delivery for the right reasons, all in a positive format designed to give you constructive feedback so you were constantly improving and extending the limits of what ‘your best’ was. It was intense, but seeing everyone give it their all really pushed me to do the same, which has definitely been worth it in the end.

My family and my organisation were terrific in helping me take on the MBA – you need the support structure, as it is a huge commitment. But having completed the course, I can say there are great rewards and a serious amount of satisfaction at the end of it, and the network of peers, lecturers, and external speakers we’ve gained as a result is a brilliant resource that has helped us continue learning and expanding our knowledge base since the course finished. And you’ll never know when you’ll meet a fellow alum somewhere – I bumped into an old classmate in the airport one day; he was going to one end of the world and I to the other, but we were able to shoot the breeze over life since the course and catch up on where the other had landed – the camaraderie gained on the course is long-lasting and a brilliant reason to consider the MBA programme at UL.