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2011 Scholarship Winner

Conor O’Donovan - Irish Times Scholarship Winner 2011

Conor ODonovan Irish Times winner 2011

Your background

I graduated with a 1st class honours bachelor of commerce degree from UCD in 2002 and was recruited onto Enterprise Ireland’s International Internship Programme which provided excellent training. I worked on the Software & Internationally Traded Services team in London and advised start-up technology and internet companies on export marketing strategies to the UK.

Having gained experience in an advisory role, I was keen to develop more ‘hands-on’ experience of developing a business and returned to Ireland and joined the family property management business, which I enjoyed tremendously. We developed and implemented a new strategy and grew the business into a number of new areas before selling it in 2007.

I subsequently joined the Irish Auctioneers and Valuers Institute (IAVI) to manage communications and more recently developed and implemented a new branding, internal/external communications and technology strategy for the merger of the IAVI and the Society of Chartered Surveyors (SCS).

Following the merger of both organisations earlier this year to form the Society of Chartered Surveyors Ireland, I was appointed as Director of Communications and Marketing.

What was your motivation for undertaking the MBA?

I was keen to take my professional career to the next level and to develop a more strategic skill set. I also wanted to build on my undergraduate degree and varied work experiences to date and felt that the MBA would be an ideal way of doing that.

I also wanted to develop my leadership skills and to enhance my knowledge in areas that I wouldn’t necessarily be directly involved in on a day-to-day basis such as supply chain management, operations and financial markets.

I had also heard that the Smurfit MBA places a significant emphasis on the area of personal professional development and was keen to enhance my skills and competence in this area.

Where do you see your MBA taking you?

The MBA has already begun to make a difference to my professional career. Working on class projects with my MBA group comprising of an engineer, IT specialist and online strategist has given me a broader and more strategic perspective on business issues as we tackle the case studies as a team.

I see the MBA as a unique opportunity to enhance my professional skills, to gain an insight into the core issues that affect businesses today, to develop a network of like minded professionals and to attain a world class internationally recognised management qualification.

Why did you choose UCD Smurfit School?

Having attended UCD as an undergraduate, I was aware of the School’s reputation as Ireland’s leading business school. I also remembered that the quality of the lecturers was second to none and it was important to me to learn from the best.

When considering an MBA, rankings are one of the key indicators of quality and the fact that the UCD Smurfit MBA is ranked in the top 20 in Europe by the FT was important.

I wanted to undertake an MBA which would be recognised not only in Ireland but also internationally and given its international triple accreditation, UCD Smurfit Business School seemed like the obvious choice.