Anne D'Arcy, Head of HR, EMEA Tech @ Google

"It was a phenomenal personal transformation journey. The diversity of the professional experience amongst my class in the Diploma in Business & Executive Coaching enabled a remarkable bonding experience for the entire group. The construct of the programme and how one module phases to another is really well architected. When I look back, I wish I had done it sooner. Yes, it does take time in commitment, but it's worthwhile and I really enjoyed it."

Kevin Totterdell EMCC accreditied Executive Coach and Mentor

"The tutor are fantastic- active coaches who bring real-world relevance tot the learning, making it feel authentic. This programme elevated my listening skills, a key coaching component, allowing me to draw on y extensive business and life experience to support others and facilitate focusing on what's important. The reading, coaching practice and assignments, although challenging, always felt purposeful and added to the enjoyable learning journey. The programme was engaging, fun, and motivating and provided training, EMCC accreditation and confidence I needed to start my own successful coaching business working with business leaders. I highly recommend it as a well- structured professional course that balances academic challenge with practical application.

Catherine Giblin Executive & Leadership Coach & Mentor

Experienced Pharma Executive (Ex Lilly) | IED (NFP) | Mentor Enterprise Ireland Network

“Completing this diploma has supported me in moving career as an Executive leader in Pharma and to set up my own Coaching Practice as an EMCC accredited Executive and Leadership Coach and join the Enterprise Ireland Network as a Mentor. I highly recommend this diploma to leaders who want to incorporate coaching into their leadership style and professionals who want to develop as independent coaches and mentors. was a very enjoyable and a great experience for me both professionally and personally. The diversity of experience within my class group, coupled with the learning environment we created together, supported by the excellent tutors, enriched my learning journey

David Carson, Executive Business Coach, Mentor, Non Executive Director

"The Diploma is a combination of learning and experience. It’s hugely rewarding sitting down with people you’ve never met before and helping them. You’ve got to build up a relationship of trust with people and give them the space to talk. Listening to people and giving them the space to allow them to come up with their own solutions is incredibly powerful. The course tutors are fantastic and the people in the class were all very supportive. I would certainly recommend it to others, I can’t speak highly enough about it. The amount of time and effort that the Smurfit team put into the course to facilitate participants is incredible."

Linda Allen, Senior Manager Talent and Diversity at Bus Éireann

"The quality of the diploma makes it different to any other coaching programme. It is so interactive and the practical skills elements are where the real stuff happens. There is a very strong support network and the peer learning in class is great. You spend a lot of time building relationships and get a lot of learning from the coaching projects. Part of the skill in coaching is finding the real gems, working with people to challenge the perceived obstacles that are holding them back."

Audrey O'Sullivan, General Counsel Legal Director at SIRO

"I had come from a corporate background which was very driven and focused on getting the job done. The coaching programme taught me to think about more than that. To consider what I was thinking, how I was feeling emotionally, my mood. You learn to become much more patient rather than reacting."

Peter Fox, Business Development Director, Digicom

"This Diploma has had the most impact on me, because of the self-awareness it creates and the tools it gives you around trying to encourage change. The programme was delivered virtually due to COVID and really worked. There were no barriers and it was a very supportive group."

Ian Culshaw, Global Marketing Manager @ Occlutech

"If pushed for one key takeaway it would probably be to ‘stay curious’. When the Programme Director first said these words it didn’t really hit me. As he repeated this statement several times it really resonated. Be engaged, be energetic and keep asking questions to enhance your learning."

Éamon Fennell, National Account Manager Coca-Cola Hellenic

“There was no one module that stood out, as cliché as it sounds, I really enjoyed them all! This was down to the faculty team making each module interactive and engaging but also because I had great classmates. The support you receive from your classmates and the learnings you can take from their industries is invaluable.”

Ross Spelman, Cybersecurity Leader UKI & Head of Cybersecurity Services for Ireland - IBM Consulting

"The Diploma provided me with a very practical set of skills to effectively manage business objectives, deliver high-value outcomes and lead teams. The taught programme and shared classroom experiences developed invaluable insight into core management concepts and relatable business challenges."

Maxine Enright, Global Customer Care Excellence Director at Kerry

"I found it to be a transformative and hugely valuable learning opportunity. It provided practical and transferable management practices and strategies that I have been able to call on in my role and has provided the blueprint when developing strategic plans and the ability to put key concepts into practice. The module Personal Impact and Presence especially resonated and provided fundamental insights and practices to develop not only as a leader, but as an individual. I was able to draw parallels with the discussions in class, the learnings and examples from the case studies and the actual challenges and change I face in my own role. It was a thoroughly enjoyable & worthwhile learning experience."

Mary Matthews, Financial Director, Dancor Civil Engineering Ltd

"The Diploma strengthened my knowledge and understanding of key business functions and how value is created by integrating functional capabilities. It helped to enhance my performance in my current role whilst at the same time reinforcing my skills to take on new responsibilities."

Jim Scheer, Head of Department, Data and Insights, at Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland

"The Diploma in Advanced Management Performance provided me with a very practical tool-kit to more efficiently and effectively manage my team. The teaching methods and shared classroom experiences with peers provided a lasting memory of management concepts that will not just enable competence, but excellence. The programme covered the breadth of issues a senior manager must have competence in, and the qualification will help position me to succeed in a more senior role in the future. I really enjoyed the diploma and the workload was tailored well to fit in with my fulltime job."