Leadership Discoveries

Welcome back to our special Gen Z mini-series of Leadership Discoveries! In this episode, you’ll hear Ailbhe Mc Namara, 1st Year Human Resources Management (HRM) Student at Technological University Dublin. Hear how leaders can provide more guidance & mentorship, what we can learn from bad leadership, why Gen Z has the reputation of being more outspoken, why a strong purpose makes a strong culture, and a surprising Quick-Fire round. Connect with Shirley at ShirleyKavanagh.com and on LinkedIn, and Ailbhe at TUDublin.ie and on LinkedIn

Welcome back to our special Gen Z mini-series of Leadership Discoveries! In this episode, you’ll hear Barry Kavanagh, Customer Success Manager at Diligent. Hear how Gen Zers and Zillennials think about their career path, why Steven Bartlett is so inspiring, what goes into a holistic company culture, the importance of emotional intelligence (EQ) in a leader, and a Quick-Fire round filled with AI. Connect with Shirley at ShirleyKavanagh.com and on LinkedIn, and Barry at Diligent.com and on LinkedIn

Welcome to our special Gen Z mini-series of Leadership Discoveries! In this episode, you’ll hear Clara Bolger, Payroll Manager for Transoft Solutions in the Netherlands. Hear what leadership means to her, the leaders who inspire her, the company culture Gen Z looks for, her advice to older generations when interacting with Gen Z, and a riveting Quick-Fire round. Connect with Shirley at ShirleyKavanagh.com and on LinkedIn, and Clara at TransoftSolutions.com and on LinkedIn

Jill Ellul has over 30 years of experience in the pharmaceutical industry and is the Founder & Managing Director of Mojoco, a business consultancy that offers innovation-led solutions to the Pharma, MedTech, and Biopharma sectors. Hear how to boost innovation & creativity in your organisation, how to dissolve groupthink, whether generative AI helps or hurts innovation, how to keep innovation the priority in your organisation, and whether all industries have room to be innovative. Connect with Shirley at ShirleyKavanagh.com and on LinkedIn, and Jill at MeetMojoco.com and on LinkedIn

Richard Cotter is the Head of Organisation Development and Research at Allianz Ireland and is a published academic researcher who holds a PhD in Management Learning. He shares what happens at the intersection of culture & strategy, why he recruited a business anthropologist, the power of ethnography over surveys, how they turned the research into culture change, and how your organisation can have better meetings. Connect with Shirley at ShirleyKavanagh.com and on LinkedIn, and Richard on LinkedIn

Dr. Emmet Oliver is an academic, journalist and broadcaster. Drawing from his recent book Irish Nation Building: Government, Business and Power (1922–1958), Emmet reflects on the lessons modern corporate leaders can learn from history — from flexibility in decision-making to naming the uncomfortable truths others avoid. Emmet uncovers lessons in courage, adaptability and the art of learning from failure every corporate leader can apply today. Connect with Shirley at ShirleyKavanagh.com and on LinkedIn, and Emmet on LinkedIn

Returning guest Dean McAlister, EVP, Inizio Biotech, has spent over 35 years in Fortune 500 pharma leadership, including nearly 3 decades at AstraZeneca. Hear how to focus on your people while scaling for growth, how to balance performance and cost control, why leadership needs to happen at all levels, how to approach feedback in today’s world, and whether empathy is still relevant. Connect with Shirley at ShirleyKavanagh.com and LinkedIn, and Dean on LinkedIn

Cameron Bray is a business consultant specializing in building high-performing teams & in leadership development. He’s been the Chief People Officer in a number of organizations, and spent a formative part of his career working for The Body Shop in the UK. Hear how to build an organization around virtual teams, how to lead in a virtual world, how to optimize productivity in hybrid work environments, the biggest challenges facing virtual leaders today, and Cameron’s career backpacking the world. Connect with Shirley at ShirleyKavanagh.com and on LinkedIn, and Cameron on LinkedIn

Eimear Nolan is Associate Professor of International Business and Director of the Flexible Executive MBA at Trinity Business School. Her research interests are in expatriate adjustment, cultural agility, recruitment & retention strategies, AI (Artificial Intelligence) in education, and the healthcare sector. She also offers private cultural consultancy to organisations who wish to bridge cultural gaps & enhance global collaborations. Hear the insights from creating the Flexible Executive MBA program, how we can reduce culture shock for leaders and employees transitioning to a new country or city, why the best way to learn is by mistake, and what we should be cautious about with generative AI. Connect with Shirley at ShirleyKavanagh.com and on LinkedIn, and Eimear on LinkedIn

Carol O’Kelly is regarded as one of the leading proponents of Personal Branding, Communications, and Positioning Strategy for high-level C-suite and Owner/Managers, having worked with key teams in companies such as EY, KPMG, Horizon Therapeutics, BoI Corporate Banking, and The Executive Institute. She’s the Founder & CEO of Redstorm Communications Ltd, which she established as a Strategic Marketing & Communications Agency in 2003 and still works with many of the same clients she had when she opened the doors - a fact she’s immensely proud of. Hear why your personal brand matters, how to get started developing your personal brand, why confidence can be learned & nerves are a good thing, how to speak authentically on LinkedIn & other social media platforms, and how to celebrate what makes you remarkable. Connect with Shirley at ShirleyKavanagh.com and on LinkedIn, and Carol at Redstorm.ie and on LinkedIn