Each term, the Full Time MBA Class elects two members to serve as the liaison between the students, faculty, and administration. Kumuta Palan was selected as one of the two FTMBA Class Reps for Spring Trimester 2024.

What inspired you to volunteer to serve as Class Rep?

Being a class rep is not just about leading people but more about channeling the collective voice of our cohort. I’ve always felt a strong desire to build equity and fairness, ensuring everyone has the opportunity to be heard. What better way to do this than by serving as a class rep? 

If there’s one thing people will tell you about me, it’s that I genuinely care about people. I’ve always enjoyed taking on responsibilities, and being a highly organised person, stepping into the role of class rep wasn’t outside my comfort zone. It felt like a natural progression as even before being voted in to be a class rep, I was organising cultural events to celebrate our MBA cohort’s rich diversity. From Diwali and Chinese New Year to Eid, a Women in MBA Christmas lunch and New Year’s Afternoon Tea, these events were my way of bringing people together and fostering a sense of community.

As an international student representative, a Malaysian who relocated to Ireland during the pandemic in support of my husband’s career, I can relate to many of my peers who are international students navigating a new country. My extensive reading and travelling from a young age taught me the importance of cultural adaptation. It opened my mind, and inspired me to see the world differently in that I’ve learnt that every message must be tailored because they don’t land the same way in every culture. 

Creating an inclusive environment where people feel included and safe to express themselves was my main drive in being class rep. I always thought of it as bringing people to the party and encouraging them to dance. To me leadership is situational: rank doesn’t matter, but stepping up does, and I hope I stepped up enough on behalf of the cohort, where our voice was heard collectively. 

What do you know now that you wish you’d known when you started your MBA?

One of the most valuable lessons I’ve learned is to rewrite your networking narrative. Networking is like dating: you’ll hear that comparison so often, you might start to think you’re at a matchmaking event instead of a networking one. Networking often feels transactional and unnatural for most of us. It’s awkward, nerve-wracking, but potentially rewarding. Maybe your mind goes blank when you’re trying to make a good impression, or you feel the need to overcompensate your nerves with false enthusiasm. Whatever your thoughts on networking, the reality is much more forgiving. However, with the wrong mentality and approach, it can be quite dreadful–much like dating.

Don’t expect to find your dream job right away. Attend events to meet new people and expand your circle of friends. It’s more likely that you’ll meet someone you like enough to want to be friends with, and that’s great! You have just made a friend. Well done! You don’t attend events to find a job, though that can happen. It’s nice to know that the worst you can do when you attend and engage in events is to make a friend. That’s the whole point!

Your friends can introduce you to valuable opportunities. Meeting new people at events will help you grow your personal network. By maintaining these connections, you can further expand your network through the connections you already have. It’s through one of those connections that someone may learn about an opportunity with you in mind.

Don’t force it; be authentic. Engage in conversation, find someone you connect with, and keep the conversation going. Remember, the other person is also human, so navigate the realm of professional networking with a smile on your face and laughter in your heart. Now go forth: attend networking events, be yourself, and don’t force a laugh at someone’s lame joke. 

What skills have you learned in the programme so far that you’re most excited to take to work?

One important lesson is the value of cultivating a learning culture within oneself. This involves being curious and maintaining a mindset of continuous learning. The ability to learn lifelong is going to be the single biggest differentiating factor that sets successful professionals apart. The world is pivoting so fast that if you’re not willing to learn, unlearn, relearn, and reinvent yourself all the time, then you’re history. 

Another crucial skill I’ve developed is situational leadership. It’s about showing up, stepping up, and putting your hand up for the less glamorous assignments. These are the tasks that teach you the fundamentals of a business and give you the experience and grit that others can’t match. You have much more power and influence than you can imagine when you focus on what you can contribute rather than your job title. Even in the 21st century, there’s still the challenge of impostor syndrome, with women feeling like they don’t deserve to be at the table. If you ever think, “I’m only this or that, what can I do?”, remember that you have much more power and influence than you can imagine. Speak up, stand up, and demonstrate the situational leadership that you’re capable of.

My journey as an MBA student and class rep has been incredibly fulfilling. A piece of advice for those looking to embark on an MBA journey, my advice is to lean into discomfort, it’s your growth lab. Build resilience, and adaptability, and cultivate a mindset of continuous learning. Embrace the journey with courage and an open heart, and don’t forget to stay connected to yourself amidst the hustle.

—Kumuta Palan, FTMBA Class of 2024

Even as a child – much to my mother’s dismay – I was always searching ways for “us” to make a difference. I would volunteer us for Tidy Towns litter clean-ups, rescue strays and bring them home, and offer homemade baked goods to the local school’s charity bake sales. My intentions were pure, though my mother was less than impressed with me incessantly offering her services. 

Nevertheless, these principles persisted throughout my life, and led to volunteer stints teaching underprivileged children, assisting disadvantaged communities, organising gigs for charity and numerous other fundraising events since. 

Coined by Benjamin Franklin, yet more relevant now than ever, “Do well by doing good” encapsulates the essence of today’s MBA teachings, from sustainability practices to social impact.

During my first trimester as a student in the UCD Smurfit MBA, I gathered a group of remarkable women with a combined skill set that I knew could achieve anything, to join my committee for the Community Outreach Society. With each member leading a project, I knew that we could magnify our individual impact exponentially. The sky’s the limit in my eyes.

During the whirlwind that was the first term, engrossed by the humbling workload, with strong teamwork and dedication, we pulled off our first event.

I led the Christmas Shoebox Appeal, hosted by Team Hope. Working together, we assembled 21 shoeboxes filled with all sorts of magical toys, clothes, and art supplies. We sent the boxes to children all over Africa and Eastern Europe who otherwise wouldn’t have received anything for Christmas.

Committee Member Emily Merlino spearheaded our next initiative. A pub quiz in aid of Children’s Books Ireland, the national charity and arts organisation that champions every child’s right to develop a love of reading, raised a fantastic €277 to send books to children all over Ireland. Emily’s comments on planning the event:

“I feel very passionate about the importance of reading and literature. I was lucky to have parents and librarians that supported my love of reading early on, but not every child does. The work that Children’s Books Ireland does is so important because they encourage and facilitate this love of reading early on. 

I love a good quiz night, so planning one was good fun – though, the added pressure was a bit of adrenaline, I will say! I always want an event or project to go well, but when planning an event to raise money for a cause, I want it to go above-and-beyond.”

For our next big event, Flossie and the Beach Cleaners helped us plan a day by the sea, cleaning our shores and keeping our wildlife safe. The level of plastics and litter around our shoreline astonished us, raising an acute awareness within the class about the importance of effective waste management. 

I was stunned to find a full, undamaged shoe amongst the rocks. To see the enormity of plastic containers, nets, bottles and cans was a shock, especially in Dun Laoghaire, an area I would have previously considered unspoiled. In the end, we collected a colossal 65KG of waste from the shore line.  

We held our biggest event so far less than a week later. Club committee member Caitrín O’Leary and I had a lot of fun planning a Charity Cycle Challenge with a twist – lecturers and students competing head-to-head, driving donations for their teams to gain an advantage and ferociously cycling on the night to outshine the other teams’ kilometre numbers, all in aid of The Irish Hospice Foundation.

Whilst it took the womanpower of two to plan, along with a plethora of students and lecturers to jump on board our bikes for the cause, it was all worth it to see us raise a whopping €3,430. 

Caitrín O’Leary had these words to say about the event:

“I chose the Irish Hospice Foundation because of the difference they make to families and loved ones coping with end-of-life care. By ensuring that patients are comfortable and cared for they enable people to spend precious time with their loved ones as friends and family, rather than as carers.  It’s hard to overstate the importance of the work they do.

This was my first experience of organising an event like this, and it wasn’t without challenges -not least when two of the bikes broke down 10 minutes in! But I was blown away by the support for the event; from students, faculty and lecturers who gave their time and stamina to take part, to everyone who donated generously to the cause. The support was incredible and that’s what made the event a success.”

It’s certainly been an eventful year, and we’re not done yet! We have much more to come from our esteemed committee members. Next, our sights are set on planting a vegetable garden for a special needs school in Dublin, which currently lacks the necessary resources to do so.  

Whilst it’s true that studying an MBA demands considerable fractions of time, let’s not forget our power to “Do well by doing good”. The end goal is not simply to graduate with academic triumphs, but to relish in the experiences along the way. Remember how fortunate you are to be standing where you are at this very moment. 

As Pablo Picasso once said: 

“The meaning of life is to find your gift. The purpose of life is to give it away.”

—Emer Walshe, FTMBA Class of 2024

Ireland’s Ambassador to Singapore, Sarah McGrath, shared this question which she hears every day: “can or not?”.  This incisive question sums up the Singapore our MBA class saw on the recent “Doing Business in International Markets” module, which brought us into contact with businesses across the country. It’s also a question that we’ve all asked ourselves–not least when considering taking the plunge back into full time education at UCD.  For some of us, “can or not?” has meant, “can I leave my home and immerse myself in a completely new culture?” For others it has meant, “can I abandon a career I’ve worked hard to build, and take a chance on something new?” 

For Singapore, a milestone “can or not?” moment came in 1965 when it found itself an unexpectedly independent nation, following the dissolution of its union with Malaysia. Suddenly on its own, without sufficient space or resources to be self-sufficient, Singapore had to learn how to self-govern and grow. They did this with the efficiency of a well-run company. Throughout the trip we saw proof of Singapore’s unrivalled ability to “plan and deliver”. Through this business mentality, Singapore designed an enviably liveable city. 85% of Singaporeans live in public housing. They have a world class health system, and exceptionally low levels of crime. Instead of “can or not?”, the question that comes to mind is, “if Singapore can, why can’t we?”

Every company we visited had stories of coming across a challenge and answering “can”. One example that stayed with me was 3M, a materials innovation hub.  Their business began with an adhesive gone wrong: the adhesive produced was not sticky enough to permanently glue anything, not even paper. They asked the question, “can this be used for anything else?”, and so the Post-It was born.  

There’s a metaphor in here somewhere for transferrable skills. Starting an MBA for many of us means stepping off the path we thought we were on, and discovering how to use the skills we’ve learned for a different purpose than they were intended. For me, stepping away from hospital medicine posed a similar dilemma. Like the dodgy post-it glue, I felt perhaps I wasn’t doing what I was made for. One of the greatest learnings of the MBA for me is that there’s always a way to use what you have, and add value. Medicine teaches empathy, curiosity, perseverance–all skills that can be applied to any area of life and work. 

I’ve seen the same in classmates who are coming from different professional backgrounds: some are natural people managers; others have great analytical insights. Some have a unique perspective on any topic, and others are exceptional project leaders. Some can build a connection with anyone in minutes, while others can break down any concept and teach it to the rest of us. The MBA has helped us all to recognise the skills we have, and to adapt them to different uses–just like 3M’s post-it. 

GSIC, a not-for-profit open innovation hub that connects sports bodies with tech start-ups, has a similarly can-do approach. Sports organisations contribute problem statements, often focussing on fan engagement, sustainability, smart venue development, athlete performance and wellbeing. Tech start-ups provide solutions such as virtual reality training programmes, sustainable drink dispensers, and smart equipment to give instant feedback on strength and accuracy. They answer the question of “can or not?” daily, and their answer is that somebody, somewhere, can.  

Kerry Group gave us another example of collaborating to find your “can”. The problem they needed to solve was “what flavours will be popular next year, or five years from now?”. They found a unique way to answer this, in collaboration with Microsoft. Their AI programme monitors micro-influencers across many regions, registering when and how different flavours are mentioned and drawing insights from this data. 

This is another lesson learned from the MBA programme: there’s no need to go it alone.  I’ve seen from our group projects that when a group works really well together, the end result is better than what any of us could have achieved on our own. Outside of lectures, our class has worked together on successful events, community outreach projects, and more.  This week we’re hosting a fundraiser for the Irish Hospice Foundation, which has been a huge class effort and has raised >€2,000 already. This goes to show what can be accomplished if you have the right people around you.  

Speaking of which: https://www.idonate.ie/event/smurfitcharitycyclechallenge

Another memorable visit was to MONA, a social enterprise focussed on reducing food waste in the region.  Also interested in renewable energy, MONA’s big “can or not?” is, “can we live more sustainably, and can a small group of people make a difference?” Forced to pivot from their original business plan, MONA adapted their skills to create an enterprise that provides low cost options to those in need, and reduces the burden of waste on their environment.  

This, too, relates back to our MBA experience. As well as recognising the skills we have, and learning to benefit from those of our classmates and our network, we’re also learning that everything is teachable. Whether it’s negotiating work conditions, presenting to potential investors, or, like MONA, leading a team to tackle an important issue: nobody is born with the ability to do these things, and anyone can learn to do them. 

If I take one lesson from the MBA and our Singapore experience, it should be to always ask “can or not?”. And if the answer is not, then it’s only a matter of finding the right people and training to change that. Luckily for us, many of those people can be found in our diverse, quirky, and multi-talented MBA class.

Text: Caitrín O’Leary, Full Time MBA Class of 2024
Photos: Sagar Srichand Purswani, Full Time MBA Class of 2024