International Alumni Stories
Our Alumni are the ultimate ambassadors of the Smurfit learning experience. They provide the most concrete proof of the excellence that typifies our School. Hear the stories of our international alumni, their motivations for choosing Smurfit and the role their Masters has played in their professional life.

Hubert
Halopé
Platform Curator at the World Economic Forum

Hubert Halopé
MSc in International Management / CEMS MIM '16
Platform Curator at the World Economic Forum
With a strong international perspective and a passion for leveraging innovative technology for good, Hubert Halopé has found his niche in the World Economic Forum, where he is Lead/Platform Curator of Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning.
Tell us a bit about your education and early career
My parents are French but I was born in Germany and grew up in Osnabrück in Lower Saxony. I have always been advocate of European values and European spirit and hence my ambition from my early years on to do something internationally. It’s also why I wanted to study in English and have an international scope.
I started with my Bachelor’s Degree in Economics and Business Economics at the University of Maastricht in the Netherlands. From high school I’d always enjoyed subjects relating to economics and politics so this was a perfect combination. My time in Maastricht allowed me to spend one year in China back in 2013/4, which was very exciting and influenced my life and character a lot. I did one semester exchange at the Renmin University of China in Beijing. Then, after finishing my Bachelor’s Degree I returned to China for a half-year internship at BMW, working in import/export at operational level. It was a very exciting and unique environment.
I wanted to continue studying while having a more pragmatic study track, hence the natural choice for me was to do a Master’s in Business or International Management. I applied to do the CEMS programme at the UCD Michael Smurfit Graduate Business School. My brother had previously done it and enjoyed it and it brought him a lot in terms of personal growth so I said I want to do the same.
My time at UCD Smurfit was the best time of my student life. It was a great student community, great professors and classes and I still carry all the learnings with me today. I did the second half of this holistic programme in Universitá Bocconi in Milan.
As part of the CEMS programme I did an internship in PWC in Digital Strategy Consulting in Luxembourg and then transitioned into a full time role there. This drove my passion for new tech and AI being the next thing after digitisation.
After a while I wanted to experience something different so I went to work for Délifrance, a small to medium sized company in the global food sector. That was through a government sponsored programme for young talent in France aimed at helping companies build out their export business and internationalise. This was a really pragmatic experience that gave me exposure towards what digitisation means and what change management means. During this time I was a Global Project Manager for the CRM system and other sales technology tools that were implemented across the business units and countries.
Then, at the beginning of 2019, I turned to another challenge at the World Economic Forum, where I work today, based in Geneva. I started on the partnership team for Europe and North America and brought my technology lens and digital lens from my past background. I did that for a bit more than two years and helped to move the needle internally for fostering or influencing more tech-driven processes and decision making. I also got to know the artificial intelligence (AI) team, which I joined one and a half years ago.
I’m now the project lead and central curator of the artificial intelligence and machine learning platform. What that means is that I curate initiatives and scale projects around AI governance and AI for good. That’s my life task for now.
What does your role involve?
The World Economic Forum is the international organisation for public private partnership. My role is to work with multi-stakeholder communities, bringing together leaders and decision makers from the private sector, public sector and also civil society, including academia to collaborate on projects around responsible AI and AI for good.
One example of this is with our Centre for the Fourth Industrial Revolution in Turkey (C4IR Turkey – we have 16 of these centres across the world), where we work with the local business community on leveraging AI to combat, predict and mitigate wildfires. My role is to bring together the necessary experts and align everyone to a common vision, and also make sure what we’re doing can be replicated around the globe and be freely accessible. The World Economic Forum is a not-for-profit so everything we do is openly available and freely available.
What motivates you?
It might sound a bit kitschy, but really what motivates me is doing good for the world. My role currently is to shape artificial intelligence to benefit humanity while minimising the risks that come with this general purpose technology.
The vision of the organisation I’m working for is also very important to me – in the case of the WEF it’s to improve the state of the world.
Last but not least, it’s also the people I’m working with – both my team and the people around the globe who have the same passion and are leveraging this exciting technology to do good.
Who has influenced or inspired you?
Many people have inspired me and influenced me on my journey. I would have to mention my parents and their resilience– they always keep their heads up when facing challenges and never give up. Also, I look at my siblings who teach me every day to dare.
If I look towards my organisation, the executive chairman Klaus Schwab is very accessible and I admire how he has reinvented himself and the Forum continuously. And I mustn’t forget my current and past managers who have actively shaped my leadership style and aspirations.
One more person I’d like to mention is Michael Smurfit himself. He gave a keynote at the very end of my study programme at UCD – it was an inspiring speech and his humour has really stuck with me.
How would you describe your leadership style?
Based on team mates’ feedback and various leadership assessments, characteristics that keep coming up are that I’m an empathetic leader, people oriented and a true believer that everyone has a talent to offer. I believe that sometimes talent is a very obvious and sometimes less so. I think a good leader should get this talent out of people and make them grow.
I also like to have a clear vision and to take a structured approach in trying to support that vision.
Is ongoing learning important to you?
Ongoing learning is extremely important, especially nowadays with all the technological advancements that are shaping our lives and jobs. I think ongoing education and learning is key to success, as are staying curious and being adaptable.
I recently concluded an executive programme at MIT around AI and AI Strategy for Business which really helped me to rethink the topic on AI governance, the future of jobs and also AI for good. It’s really influencing my role and the project I’m working on.
But informal learning is also important. I really like reading books and these are not necessarily related to my job but bring in creativity and new perspectives.
What’s your best piece of career advice?
For me it’s listening to your gut and doing what you’re passionate about. It takes a bit of courage but I would recommend everybody to do that – it hasn’t disappointed me so far.
I would also say everything is possible. This is something I was convinced of before, during and after being a student and I still hold to that. Ultimately, it’s related to following your gut. I would say follow your gut, decide what you want and go for it.
What are your plans for the future?
I can see lots of interesting challenges lying ahead in my current position and organisation and I’d like to widen and deepen my leadership role. In the very long run, I’d like to try out my entrepreneurial skills. Technology is something I’m passionate about so if I did start a start-up one day it would for sure be innovative and tech-oriented.
Insight Track
How has your degree benefited your career?
It has given me a solid business knowledge foundation and a network to tap into.
What is your fondest memory from your time in UCD Smurfit School?
The Three Tun Tavern.
How important is your UCD alumni network to you?
More and more important.
What are your main interests outside work?
Horseback riding and outdoor activities.
What piece of technology can you not live without?
Email.
Do you have a favourite writer or book?
Sapiens by Yuval Noah Harari.
What is your favourite dish to cook?
Omelette.
What is your favourite place in the world to visit and why?
Switzerland, love the mountain views.
Where is home and why?
For now, Switzerland having lived here for five years. It just fits with my French-German background.
What charities or causes are closest to your heart?
Environment, child safety (online/offline), education and culture.
July 2022

Elizabeth
Meraz Lopez
Customer Success Manager at Twitter UK & Ireland

Elizabeth Meraz Lopez
MSc Digital Marketing '20
Customer Success Manager at Twitter UK & Ireland
"The MSc Digital Marketing at UCD Michael Smurfit Graduate Business School definitely prepares every student for the digital transformation needs that businesses require in a globalized world. The course offers an excellent variety of modules delivered by high-quality lecturers which give students the tools to apply them through course projects that involve digital strategies for real-world business problems. Digital is not an option anymore for businesses, it is a strategic solution for the business of tomorrow. This course offers a unique learning experience along with constant personal service and support from UCD Staff and Faculty."

Abhiraj
Mandyam
Risk Assurance Associate at PwC

Abhiraj Mandyam
MSc Management '20
Risk Assurance Associate at PwC
"The MSc Management course gives you a strong foundation in business management studies. The joy of discussing subjects like economics, corporate finance , strategy and marketing within a multicultural student and teacher community is unparalleled. The Smurfit experience is world class because it’s not limited to just the classroom. I learned just as much outside. Be it via giving speeches in the Smurfit Toastmasters, attending the Global Leadership Programme or even playing tag rugby with my classmates. These experiences have led me to believe that the MSc Management course and the UCD Smurfit Community help create an environment that encourages curiosity and rewards initiative."

Flippo
Carli
Account Executive at Datadog

Flippo Carli
MSc International Business '20
Account Executive at Datadog
"The MSc International Business gave me the possibility to understand international firms’ best practices to gain competitive advantage. I particularly appreciated its holistic and practical approach. Not only I had chance to work in project groups with people from all around the world, but I could also get in contact with multinational companies headquartered in Dublin. This combination is the key if you are eager to kick off your international career. I was part of a great group of friends and today we are all working for big corporates. If I look back, my experience in the MSc International Business was more than positive."

Jagriti
Sapra
Senior Tax Associate at PwC Ireland

Jagriti Sapra
MSc Finance '20
Senior Tax Associate at PwC Ireland
"I chose UCD Smurfit's MSc Finance as it offers well designed core modules that combine both financial theory and application to real-world situations through multiple projects using industry leading software such as Bloomberg Terminals, MATLAB. The course is taught by world-class academics with extensive professional experience and the cultural diversity of my classmates allowed me to understand different working styles in an international environment. I am thankful to UCD for bundling vast knowledge in a short span that gave me an employability edge and helped me secure my current role at PwC. Overall, I would highly recommend this course for anyone who is eager to grow a career in finance."

Soufana
Al Fathil
Business Development Representative at Salesforce

Soufana Al Fathil
MSc International Business '20
Business Development Representative at Salesforce
"My time at Smurfit and in the MSc International Business programme really gave me the foundations for an exciting career in Business Development. The modules that were taught across the three semesters broadened my horizons in relation to the latest updates in the world of business and gave me the tools to analyse and understand the changes around us. One of my favorite modules was Cross Cultural Management, where our professor really stressed the importance of the society we lived in and all the underlying behaviors that make up each of our personalities and how we interact in a global environment. This really helped me understand my global cohort better and has helped tremendously when I speak to my customers across the Emerging Market region. I definitely recommend this course as it has allowed me to develop as a person, network with some of the top companies all over the world and put me in touch with some of my closest friends."

Ekaterina
Sarapulova
Performance Marketing Analyst at 2K Games

Ekaterina Sarapulova
MSc Digital Marketing '20
Performance Marketing Analyst at 2K Games
"The MSc Digital Marketing course at UCD Smurfit School provided me with a fundamental set of critical thinking and analytical skills to fulfil my current role. The practical element of the final project acted as a superb alternative to years of experience often demanded from graduates in our field. During the project, I exercised my skills of market research, digital strategy, branding, analytics and SEO that I acquired earlier throughout the year while also expanding my network of connections in the professional landscape."

Umme
Hani
Global Supply Chain Analyst at Abbott Diagnostic

Umme Hani
MSc Management '20
Global Supply Chain Analyst at Abbott Diagnostic
"The MSc in Management course gives a solid theoretical foundation with an overview of different disciplines in management studies. With a non-business background and desire to maneuver my career trajectory, this course assisted me to leverage on a field of interest while I worked around everything from economics, accounts, to supply chain and marketing. Throughout the course, I had various assignments to evaluate and interact with real-time company data whilst recommending insights on the subject. Moreover, in the final semester, the business simulation project culminates all the learnings while you compete to survive in a mock-up business world and evaluate your decisions based on company finance, HR, marketing, pricing, market demographics and so on. Additionally, UCD Michael Smurfit promotes your holistics development in leadership, literature, soft skills and not to forget the extremely diverse and multi-cultural dynamic in your classrooms."

Erik
Obendörfer
Digital Strategy Consultant

Erik Obendörfer
MSc Digital Innovation '19
Digital Strategy Consultant
"I'm genuinely grateful to have experienced the high quality of teaching at UCD Smurfit School while pursuing the MSc in Digital Innovation. I truly appreciated the course's interdisciplinary character that asks students to assess innovations and their impact on business and society from different perspectives. Being aware of the complexities of technological change helps me a lot in my new role as a digital strategy consultant. In addition to this, the collaborative culture shaped by supportive and inspiring people makes Smurfit an excellent place to study, one I can highly recommend to everyone."

Kaustubh
Labhe
Vice President at JP Morgan Chase

Kaustubh Labhe
MSc Management '14
Vice President at JP Morgan Chase
"It was a privilege for me to pursue my Masters at the prestigious UCD Smurfit School. My time at UCD Smurfit School not only exposed me to the quality and expertise of the faculty, but to an internationally diverse learning environment. The structure of the course met my expectations and complemented my existing engineering undergraduate degree. The lecturers and other staff at UCD Smurfit School were friendly and helpful and made the transition to studying abroad in a new country a wonderful experience. I would recommend UCD Smurfit School for a transformational experience and a great study abroad choice for students."

Valerie
Price
Co-Founder at Millionaire Moxie

Valerie Price
MBA '12
Co-Founder at Millionaire Moxie
"The Smufit MBA not only changed my perspectives on business, but also on myself as a person. Through the classroom interactions and PPD programme I learned about team and group dynamics and the personality types that drive people to interact the way they do. More importantly, I learned how I fit in those dynamics. To me, this was invaluable information as the people part of doing business is often the most important."

Kavya
Ramesh
MSc Marketing '17

Kavya Ramesh
MSc Marketing '17
"I chose to study at UCD Smurfit School, as the course curriculum offered a hands-on learning approach through practical applications of theories taught in class. Also, the opportunity to do live projects with renowned companies provide to be an invaluable experience."

Anja
Holocher
Medical Student at Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf

Anja Holocher
MSc HRM '11
Medical Student at Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf
"I am truly grateful to have been a student at UCD Smurfit School and to have gained such valuable experience while studying Human Resource Management. My course enabled me to acquire an all encompassing foundation in Human Resource Management and to quickly understand various HR structures. Moreover, small classes, excellent lecturers and a great learning environment all added to the unique experience I had while studying at UCD Smurfit School. I can genuinely recommend this excellent School and especially the MSc in Human Resource Management course."

Jeet
Kashyap
Associate Manager at Accenture UK

Jeet Kashyap
MSc Digital Innovation '20
Associate Manager at Accenture UK
"This course is a unique combination of modules covering business fundamentals along with extensive coverage of trends and developments in the ICT industry. It definitely helps individuals to develop outlook and knowledge to strategise, manage and deliver transformation and innovation in an ever-changing digital landscape."

Mengying
Huang
MSc Marketing Practice '17

Mengying Huang
MSc Marketing Practice '17
"I chose to study at UCD Smurfit School due its great reputation and strong network base with a wide variety of companies across Ireland."

Minh
Tung Dao
Account Manager at Qsoft Vietnam

Minh Tung Dao
MSc iBusiness '14
Account Manager at Qsoft Vietnam
"I am now an Account Manager at Qsoft Vietnam, a software outsourcing company in Vietnam with 100+ employees. Originally I graduated with a Bachelor of Computer Science with a strong technical background. I have acquired business knowledge, communication skills, international experience and a business network throughout my studies at UCD Smurfit School on the MSc iBusiness - Innovation through ICT course. With the knowledge, experience and skills I have gained, I am doing very well in fulfilling my responsibility as an account manager. I got my new job only one month after coming back to Vietnam. Without the opportunity that UCD Smurfit School gave me, I would not be able to achieve this. UCD Smurfit School was the best experience for me. Friendly classmates, eminent professors, kind-hearted staff, an intimate campus and a beautiful apartment, all contributed to my dream and remain indelible in my memory."

Anastasia
Golovanova
EMEA Product Specialist, Google

Anastasia Golovanova
MSc Finance '11
EMEA Product Specialist, Google
"Having graduated from a University in Moscow, I immediately started researching MSc courses offered by graduate business schools across various countries. The MSc in Finance at UCD Smurfit School matched my interests in the financial domain perfectly. The course was even more comprehensive and enjoyable than I expected. The academic and consulting experience of the faculty provided a world class learning environment. I would highly recommend the course to all those who are interested in financial markets and would like to pursue a career in investments."

Tang Huynh
Phuong
Senior Research Executive IPSOS

Tang Huynh Phuong
MSc Marketing '14
Senior Research Executive IPSOS
"I heard about UCD Smurfit School from some UCD Smurfit School alumni in my country, Vietnam. Besides its international recognition as one of 100 leading business schools in the world, I also chose to study in this school because of its reputation for a dynamic international studying environment and prestigious lecturers. Studying at this university has been rewarding and I am proud to have graduated from here. The core modules of the course offered me a solid foundation in different aspects of marketing management such as strategic planning, marketing communications planning and marketing research, while optional modules facilitated more in-depth study of my main interest area of brand management. The knowledge I have gained from this course allows me to undertake marketing planning tasks more efficiently in my current position. Moreover, the variety of marketing projects that I had to take on during the course equipped me with a wide range of hands-on and practical experience, which will be very useful for my current role as a marketing assistant and my career as a brand manager in the future. Finally, being immersed in an internationally diverse studying environment with students from different cultures was a great personal and professional experience for me. My social life is enriched with many international friendships from my class. Also, the exposure to various mind-sets and viewpoints during the course still helps to facilitate my adaptation into the multi-cultural working environment of my company, and improve my skills in dealing with international partners. Overall, I have thoroughly enjoyed studying for a marketing degree and look fondly upon my time at UCD Smurfit School. I highly recommend this course to anyone wishing to benefit from a wellrounded student life with exceptional courses, excellent lecturers, and a uniquely diverse academic and social environment."

Michael
Queisser
Product Marketing Manager at Google

Michael Queisser
MSc Marketing '14
Product Marketing Manager at Google
"My time at UCD Smurfit School has been truly beneficial, not only concerning all the skills that I gained but also in terms of personal development. It was only a year, but working together with such a wide range of talented people from all over the world and a truly dedicated staff was the best possible academic preparation for my career. Time was flying and I didn’t regret for a single second that I decided to come to Dublin to study here. One aspect I appreciated especially is the high number of real-life projects with companies such as Procter & Gamble, Qualtrics and Keogh’s."
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Lacy (Meng Jung)
Lin
MSc Supply Chain Management '14
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Lacy (Meng Jung) Lin
MSc Supply Chain Management '14
"UCD Smurfit School has opened a world of possibilities to me. Throughout the course, I gained the most up to date information on supply chain management across many industries. Moreover, I was given the opportunity to run a supply chain consulting project at Dell. This helped me to apply what I had learned in practice before I commenced in this area in the real world. The course also enhanced my professional skills and gave me the opportunity to pursue my dream job in one of the best companies in the world. I would definitely recommend choosing the MSc Supply Chain Management at UCD Smurfit School for a bright future!"

Peter
Gila
Manager at Deutschothek Sprachschule

Peter Gila
MSc International Management / CEMS MI '11
Manager at Deutschothek Sprachschule
"After my bachelor’s degree, which I completed in Vienna and Moscow, I wanted to pursue an international Masters degree in an English-speaking country. The decision to choose the CEMS MiM course at UCD Smurfit School is one of the best decisions I have made; not only due to the high quality of the courses, but also due to the excellent networking opportunities with company representatives and students from all over Europe and beyond. CEMS MiM at UCD Smurfit School offers a well-balanced combination of theoretical modules, practical courses and skill seminars, which were excellent preparation for my career. I recommend the CEMS MiM degree to anyone who is looking for a high-quality degree in management and would like to work internationally."
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Vivian Pucher
Pucher
Associate Account Strategist Google
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Vivian Pucher Pucher
MSc Strategic Management and Planning '16
Associate Account Strategist Google
Always keen to have positive impact and step outside her comfort zone, Vivian Pucher left her native Germany to spend six months volunteering in a women’s cooperative in Guatamala at the age of just 18. Six years on and she’s working at Google in Dublin and a member of the Seachange Foundation board, as well as planning a triathlon and a stint in Tanzania working with entrepreneurs.
Tell us a bit about your education and career to date
I grew up in the German Black Forest and after graduating from high school there wanted to see a bit of the world so I went to Guatemala for half a year to work in a cooperative of Mayan women. There I realised that nobody – including me, of course – had any idea how to run an organisation and that’s why I decided to study business. Because I’d learnt Spanish in Guatemala I went for a double degree between ESB Business School at Reutlingen University in Germany and Universidad Pontificia Comillas in Madrid. After graduating in 2015, I went on to do my master’s in strategic management at Smurfit.
During my studies I did several internships in consulting and in the automotive sector as well as working for a start-up. Besides that I have always been very involved in university initiatives and did a lot of voluntary work. For example, during my time at Smurfit, I did a project on social impact measurement in Gujarat (India) with Shanti Life India Foundation, a microfinance organisation focusing on empowering women through business and sanitation loans. I am also now on the board of Seachange Foundation, a partner organisation of Shanti Life based here in Dublin.
Tell us about your role in Google
Last November, I joined the sales department in Google in Dublin where I am an account strategist. This involves working with small and medium-sized enterprises in Germany on how they can grow their businesses nationally and internationally with online marketing. It’s a fantastic team and I get to work with very smart people.
How do you feel your degree at UCD has benefited you most?
I think there are two dimensions to what I got out of my time at Smurfit. One of those is the personal side. In Smurfit I really made friends with people from all over the world. It always sounds so simple but I think we underestimate a lot those cultural differences between people. I learnt an incredible amount about working with very different cultures. On the other hand, content wise we learnt about many concepts that I wasn’t really aware of during my primary degree. I sometimes wondered why on earth we would learn this in strategy management. Now, being in the corporate world I see it all the time and remember back. It really turned out to be very useful for me in terms of being able to see the bigger picture.
What motivates you?
I think what motivates me most is to have an impact in a positive way and to be able to see what my work has done. In my current work, making clients happy is really motivating for me. So, it’s really about positive change.
What are your career goals?
I have a mid-term plan and a longer term plan. I have done a lot of consulting, working on very strict business projects, and also NGO work and I would like to combine the two in the future. I would like to work more on the social side of business and that could be within Google or somewhere else. In the long term, I would like to return to university some day and share my experience. I could really see myself going back to academia... but that’s far away!
What for you is good leadership?
I think it depends a lot on the stage an organisation is at, but ultimately I would define it as being inspiring, having strong values and allowing your people to take risks and to think big. It’s not about showing what to do but more about showing what we are doing something for.
I have led projects in the past but haven’t yet been a leader professionally, but I think that’s the kind of leader I wish to become one day.
Who or what influences and inspires you?
I read recently that you are mostly influenced by the five closest people around you. Hence, I have been influenced a lot by my family and close friends. Nevertheless, when you move places a lot, also the people around you change. So it’s always shifting a bit and I see myself changing with it. So I’m probably really the cross sum of all the people that are close to me.
In terms of inspiration it’s a bit different. I’m really inspired by people who have strong ethical values and clearly stick to them. I’m inspired and interested by people who dedicate their lives to something amazing but manage to do so in a selfless manner. One, but certainly not the only, example would be Sheetal Walsh who I mentioned earlier. She is incredibly successful from a business point of view but still dedicates a huge part of her time to run a charity.
What achievement stands out for you so far?
Probably it’s the time I spent in Guatemala. I went there when I was 18 years old and spent six months in a mud hut. It was a very tough time. Since then, whenever things are getting difficult I always remind myself that I was able to do that at such a young age and that the challenge I’m facing now is not so big compared to it and I can probably achieve so much more. So, I always use it as my anchor point to put things into perspective.
Are there any failures you’ve learnt from?
Primarily my plan was to not even do a master’s degree but rather to start working right away. But I honestly failed at getting the job I really wanted straight after my primary degree. I was probably overconfident in what I had achieved and after I got rejected my whole self confidence broke down. Now I think it’s the best thing that could have happened to me. It was a really good learning that when something doesn’t work out the way it was supposed to then another door opens. Hence, I learned to move on and look forward.
What are your tips or advice for success?
It might sound extremely naive but the thing that I benefited from the most and that I try to continue doing, is to say “yes” as much as possible. I try to embrace any opportunity that crosses my way. I think it’s better to have a bit too much on your plate than just staying inside your comfort zone. And I’ve always benefited in some way from the additional experience I have gained from just saying, “yes, sure, I will give it a try”.
Any immediate plans for the future you’d like to talk about?
For now, I’ll try to move on in my current workplace and will continue the work I’m doing with Seachange and Shanti Life. I’m also going to Tanzania for two weeks this summer with Google, working with entrepreneurs there. And I’d like to do a triathlon – that’s actually another point on my list for this year!
What are your main interests outside work?
I really like to do sports and I also love to travel. And I enjoy reading and I have just started painting recently.
Insight Track
How important is your UCD alumni network to you?
So far it has been extremely helpful for having lovely friends in Asia when travelling there. But at the same time I see them all getting into great work positions, so also from a professional aspect I’m sure we’ll benefit a lot from our connections in the future.
Tell us one thing most people don’t know about you
Unfortunately I’m very chaotic and even more unfortunately I’m allergic to mangoes.
What is your pet hate?
People walking super slow in front of me – I love being lazy but I hate to waste time unnecessarily.
Who’s your favourite writer?
Paulo Coelho has been extremely inspiring to me.
And what is your favourite band or musician?
It’s mainly one song that always gets me into an extremely happy mood: Golden Age (The Asteroids Galaxy Tour).
What’s the last gig you went to that you loved?
I went to a jazz concert by Christian Scott (my first one ever) two weeks ago and it was absolutely amazing.
What is your favourite dish to cook?
I always like to cook exotic things I’ve never made before. And even more if they are really spicy.
What is your favourite place in the world to visit and why?
Freudenstadt (which actually translates to happy town) in the Black Forest...because there is no place like home.
Name three things on your bucket list
Run a marathon, be published somewhere and speak five languages fluently.

Vu Kim
Hue
National Project Officer at ILO

Vu Kim Hue
MSc Strategic Management and Planning '14
National Project Officer at ILO
"One year studying at UCD Smurfit School was the most amazing year of my life. The excellent academic environment makes students feel comfortable to enhance their knowledge, skills and personalities. I had opportunities to be actively involved in not only the lectures, but also dynamic cultural and sport activities during the school year. The course undeniably enabled me to have a comprehensive approach to problems at work and more assurance to accomplish my professional goals. I would recommend the MSc Strategic Management & Planning course and UCD Smurfit School."

Joby
John
Group Financial Controller at ION

Joby John
MSc Management '13
Group Financial Controller at ION
"It was a privilege for me to secure admission to pursue an MSc in Management with adequate financial assistance (MSc Regional Merit Scholarship) at UCD Smurfit School. I am extremely delighted that I got a chance to study with highly motivated and industrious graduate students from different backgrounds and cultures in an ideal mini-international-business world. The eminent faculty and the emphasis placed on general management orientation and rigorous research methodologies certainly brought out the best in me, which helped me to achieve outstanding scholastic records. Recently, I have secured a job with Ernst and Young as a Financial Assurance Associate and will be doing ACA along with this, which will take me to the next level of professional qualification. I certainly recommend UCD Smurfit School to any aspiring graduate based on the breadth and depth of the courses coupled with a stimulating research environment it will be the right mix for seminal work and pioneering business studies."

Lukas
Decker
CEO at Coindrum

Lukas Decker
MSc International Management / CEMS MIM '12
CEO at Coindrum
"The CEMS MIM at UCD Smurfit School has been an intensive and valuable experience on both a personal and professional level. I was very much able to appreciate the benefits that the course offered - a group of like-minded and ambitious students from all over the world created a culture of mutual reinforcement and openmindedness. The environment was challenging and demanded engagement in academic business topics, internships and practical business projects. Professional skill development such as presentation skills and negotiation skills were also part of a steep learning curve. The latter was one factor in my decision to found my company, Coindrum, which quickly proceeded to receive angel investment by a major industry player."

Javier
Bouzas
Computer Science Teacher

Javier Bouzas
MSc International Management / CEMS MIM '14
Computer Science Teacher
"I first discovered UCD Smurfit School in 2007, after evaluating different universities and countries to pursue my first postgraduate course. UCD Smurfit School has a unique academic environment, quality of teaching, outstanding prestige and an unrivalled lifestyle in Dublin city. CEMS has provided me with the opportunity to increase my knowledge in international business and relationships while improving intercultural awareness and has proven to be very beneficial for my professional development."

Pooja
Dey
Director Global Product Marketing at Sage

Pooja Dey
MBA '16
Director Global Product Marketing at Sage
Tell us a bit about your education and early career
I was born and brought up in New Delhi. After graduating with a degree in mass communication and journalism from Delhi University I got my first job with CNN on its brand team.
I then moved on to the Times of India, the third largest English-language newspaper in the world. I worked on some very exciting mass communication type projects there, including Teach India and we secured some great partnerships to help fund the programme and build the brand.
I also spent a couple of years with the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), again in the corporate communications team, where I was responsible for driving brand specific fundraising initiatives. One of the biggest projects I was involved in was the Save the Tiger campaign.
I got to a stage where I felt I’d done some really cool stuff in India but my CV was missing overseas experience. I also wanted to take a pause and go back to education. So I started to explore MBAs abroad and prepare for my GMAT. I decided on UCD Smurfit School because it offers a one-year programme and the visa process is very friendly for international students. Also, it’s one of the leading business schools globally and definitely number one in Ireland.
What was the MBA experience like for you?
I arrived in Dublin just over five years ago to begin what was nothing short of an unbelievably exciting journey. The year is packed with stuff to do, is incredibly busy and really pushes you out of your comfort zone. We were 48 students and 17 different nationalities but with similar goals and aspirations in life and there was really good camaraderie.
One of the most stimulating elements for me was meeting some really successful leaders through the alumni network, careers events and societies. I was co-chair of the Thought Leadership Club and even got the chance to interview Michael Smurfit and Joe Schmidt – the highlight of my MBA!
There were also many challenges and times when I questioned whether I’d made the right decision – if I’d get a job at the end of the year and adjust to this new lifestyle. It was a very interesting journey of self-discovery and I think if I hadn’t done it I would have regretted it. And I think I’ve come out as a better person – the MBA helps you to reach your career aspirations but also helps define you and firm you up as a person.
During my MBA I interned with Zurich Insurance – I’d met them through the Thought Leadership Club. So I was able to think about and apply the frameworks I was learning in a business context. Getting that real-time, live exposure to all the theories we were learning was so good for me and was a great help in building my CV.
How has your career progressed since completing your MBA?
Towards the end of the programme, I was actively networking, which I think is a very important part of life today. I met some of the kindest people, who opened doors, introduced me to more people, did interviews with me and gave me training and insights.
Things started happening on the back of that. I got a job with 3M as product marketing manager in its energy and electronics division. That role was a very good building block and gave me the opportunity to apply learnings from the MBA.
During that time I met my husband – we married two years ago and now we have a house so I guess I’m going to be here for a bit longer.
After a couple of years with 3M I knew if I wanted to meet my career aspirations I would have to move from hardware to the software space. I had the frameworks and transferable skills – my approach is always to challenge and question before making strategic decisions and that’s relevant wherever you are.
I moved to Sage nearly three years ago as product marketing manager for a product the company had just launched. After six months, I was settled in, getting very good exposure, building relationships and loving it. I was on my honeymoon in Bali when I got the news that the product had been discontinued.
I wasn’t sure if I’d have a job when I got back but I was moved to work on another product Sage had acquired from Silicon Valley that it was launching into the UK. I was responsible for the entire go-to-market strategy and giving this US product a local flavour. The entire year and a half I worked on that was a massive learning curve and very interesting and rewarding.
Most recently I was promoted internally to global product marketing director at Sage. The new role started on 4 January so it’s still all very new. I’m really excited about it all – new year, new role and a new challenge.
How would you describe your leadership style?
I look up to a few people in Sage who are really good at leading their teams and have tried to adopt some of their traits into my approach.
To me, there are three elements to leadership. Number one is being logical – it’s important to be very clear about what we want to do and why and to communicate that to the team.
Second is being authentic. It’s really important to have diversity in discussions and to be able to share your views – I encourage my team to do that and my managers and leaders have always encouraged me to do this. That really adds value to the quality of the work you do.
The last element is having empathy. You have to have the flexibility to trust people and allow them to do things in their preferred way. Particularly when people are working from home, they will do things at a pace that suits them and you have to respect that.
What motivates you?
I’m definitely motivated by reward. And that reward can be many things – it could be solving a problem for a customer, helping to drive business, a promotion at the end of the project or other incentives. I need to know what we’re going to get at the end of the piece of work we’re doing. Without that clarity I don’t know what the purpose is of me doing what I’m doing.
The journey itself and what that looks like also motivates me. You have to have fun and enjoy yourself along the way.
It’s really a mix of both but it starts with reward for me and then I am interested to know what the journey looks like, who is involved and if it’s going to be a healthy collaboration.
Who or what has influenced or inspired you?
Two people in particular in the last couple of years have played a critical part in helping me and when I’m in doubt about something I always go to them.
I was fortunate enough to meet Nick, a senior executive at Sage, who is so approachable and full of empathy. He gives me the best advice. He never makes decisions for me but shows me the alternatives and allows me to think through which one is best.
He’s also great at introducing people to each other. That gets the creative juices flowing – we know because we’re meeting through him that we’re probably similar or want the same things. He’s so good at creating networks and they’re so valuable, especially during the lockdown. He is a very good champion for people he truly believes in. And that’s what I do for my team and for people who are my mentees. I’ve learned so much from him that I want to give back in the form of mentorship to others.
The other person is my sister in law, Áine. She’s really successful and also so positive. I’ve seen her in tough situations but always with an amazing smile. I’ve never heard her say bad things about people. She’s already experienced many of the things I’m going through in my career so I go to her for advice a lot. She gives me the management perspective on things. We work in different organisations in the same building. I obviously know her personally but I get to see her indirectly in a professional capacity. I can see that her team loves her and I just love the aura she carries.
Another person who has had a big influence is my mum. When I was little and going to dance classes quite far away she learnt to drive so she could take me there. I love that –the idea of pushing yourself out of your comfort zone to give the best to the people who matter.
What has been your biggest achievement so far?
That would definitely be the MBA. I took it as a challenge and there was quite a lot of preparation with the GMAT and the interview process and then risk too – the fees and leaving the country, my friends and family and everything that was going alright for me.
If I hadn’t taken that chance I wouldn’t have become a much happier person. I’ve seen a transition in myself and I’ve found my husband so both professionally and personally I’ve achieved a lot more in life because of the risk I took.
What is your advice for success?
Don’t be hard on yourself, especially now. At the moment, many of us are stuck in our homes and the only interaction we have is with our immediate family and work colleagues. The line between work and personal life is blurring. Enjoy your work but be kind to yourself and to each other at home as well.
If you’re doing your MBA this year, try to make the most of doing any fun things that are happening like virtual catch-ups. It’s not ideal but try to make the most of it.
In general, I’d also say think before you commit yourself to doing anything. Then it will be a lot easier once you’re in it.
Insight Track
What is your fondest memory from your time in UCD Smurfit?
Visiting Mandela House, Soweto in South Africa. It was a very humbling experience.
How important is your UCD alumni network to you?
This is my first extended family in Ireland. Amazing support system – you know they are for you when you need them.
What are your main interests outside work?
Reading and listening to podcasts, and I dabbled in gardening last summer like many.
What piece of technology can you not live without?
My mobile phone. Especially WhatsApp – great way to keep in touch with family afar.
What’s your favourite book?
There are so many amazing books. I’m currently reading The Architect’s Apprentice by Elif Shafak. I am meandering through beautiful Ottoman monuments and lives.
What is your favourite place in the world to visit and why?
Take me to any wildlife reserve parks and sanctuaries. There is so much I learn from nature. It gives amazing perspective. Also an opportunity to unlearn and let go of lifestyle burdens we carry.
Where is home and why?
Home is definitely Dublin. I wish I could have my parents and best friends with me here all the time too.
What charities or causes are closest to your heart?
I volunteer with Seal Rescue Ireland five days a year through Sage Foundation. I love wildlife and seal pups are the cutest!
January 2021

Nitin
Sharma
Director - Procurement Solutions at SAP

Nitin Sharma
MBA '02
Director - Procurement Solutions at SAP
Tell us about your background and your motivation for undertaking the UCD Smurfit MBA
I’m a mechanical engineer by qualification. When I graduated from Punjab Engineering College in 1994, I joined Maruti Suzuki, the largest automotive company in India. I worked there for seven years before moving to Ireland and UCD Smurfit School to pursue a full-time MBA programme.
Because I had already been working for a few years and was going to be taking study leave from Maruti I didn’t want to do a long MBA programme, so the one-year duration really worked for me. I had decided on Europe because there were more options for one-year programmes and the fees seemed manageable. I ended up getting a scholarship from UCD so my decision was easy.
After my MBA, I returned to India and went back to Maruti for a couple of years before joining Infosys in 2004. Then I joined Oracle where I was focused solely on the Indian market. I started off as a principal consultant and then became director of sales consulting. In 2018 I joined SAP as part of the intelligent spend management team. We help our customers manage their procurement spend and improve bottom line saving and governance. It’s been a fabulous journey thus far with huge opportunity for learning as well as making an impact on customer organisations by moving them to cloud solutions.
How would you describe your leadership style?
Because I started out in manufacturing and in a company that was a joint venture with Suzuki I think my leadership style is influenced by many of the Japanese techniques. One of these is the idea of managing by walking around – making decisions based on actual situations. That approach was engrained in me. It’s really about looking at brass tacks and not just staying on the surface. But you have to bring yourself out of it quickly so you don’t miss the big picture.
I also like encouraging and collaborating within my team rather than just directing people.
What motivates you?
The fundamental thing that motivates me is customer success. No matter if my customer is internal or external, if I can help them to be successful and they are happy, that for me is the biggest motivation in my current role.
How has your degree benefited your career and/or personal life?
My time at Smurfit School gave me a global perspective and experience. This has certainly helped me in navigating the professional world, which is now without boundaries and works virtually.
What is your fondest memory from your time in UCD Smurfit School?
People refer to the MBA as Marriage Breaking Association due to strenuous schedules. But contrary to that I came back to India for my wedding during the first term preparatory holidays. My wife joined me in Dublin after the exam. We had a phenomenal stay in Ireland for the remaining terms. There was big fun with some of the class parties, especially the customary visit to the pub after Thursday’s corporate finance class.
How important is your UCD alumni network to you?
I think it’s very important. Unfortunately, I have not been able to actively engage with the alumni as much as I would have liked to. But with so many social media platforms this should be easier for the next generation.
What has been your biggest achievement?
I came from a rural village in India, did my studies through English and ended up doing an MBA in UCD Smurfit School and having professional success as well. To me that has been a phenomenal journey and a big achievement. There’s still a lot more to go and bigger dreams but I’m on that journey.
Learn more about our MBA Programmes here

Micaela
Connery
Co-Founder and CEO at The Kelsey

Micaela Connery
MBA '17
Co-Founder and CEO at The Kelsey
Tell us about your educational and career background
Because of my cousin Kelsey, my background has been always focused around disability and inclusion. As a high school student in West Hartford, Connecticut I founded a company – Unified Theater – that delivered performing arts programmes in schools for young people with and without disabilities. I was also heavily involved in theatre and the arts personally and started college in New York thinking I was going to do the professional theatre track. I quickly realised I didn’t want to pursue that professionally and that what I enjoyed most about theatre was the community element and the way it brought people together.
So, I ended up moving to the University of Virginia, where I did a self-designed major in service, community and social policy. I was really focused on the intersection of volunteerism, social services and political organisation. After that I worked professionally for five years on Unified Theater, expanding its reach to over 100 schools in the country and building up to a team of six people. Unified Theater has since been acquired by Kids Included Together and continues to run programmes in schools.
As I left Unified Theater, I began to realise people like me were investing tonnes of time and effort and resources into supporting young people with disabilities but that we don’t invest the same amount when they became adults. And so I went to graduate school quite explicitly to focus on housing for people with disabilities and how to meet those needs.
Just before starting my public policy degree at Harvard I travelled to Ireland for the first time. I have Irish heritage and had always wanted to go. I spent four incredible weeks in Ireland and fell very much in love with a lot of the culture and community that makes Ireland what it is.
It was interesting because when I was doing disability inclusion from a policy perspective at Harvard I realised quite quickly that a lot of finance and business operations went into housing development. I decided I wanted to do a business degree and learned about the Mitchell Scholar programme. I saw it as a wonderful opportunity to get my MBA, get back to Ireland and also go back to a community where there is so much about neighbours looking after neighbours.
The MBA programme at UCD was beneficial in a few ways. Because I already knew what I was going to be doing afterwards I had opportunities throughout the programme to the coursework and focus on projects that specifically applied to The Kelsey. In one of our business model analysis classes, I was able to do the final project on tinkering with our business strategy and input output model. My final capstone project with our strategy professor was the full business plan for The Kelsey.
Tell us about The Kelsey and your role there
The Kelsey is a non-profit with the mission of accelerating and advocating for housing that is inclusive of people with disability of all incomes. We are building houses within communities that are a mix of housing for adults with disabilities, affordable housing and middle income housing all mixed in one community development. One of our huge needs and desires is not to isolate or segregate based on people’s income or ability. In parallel to building our housing communities and raising the money to do that, we also advance policy advocacy and community organising and awareness that support those goals.
I started The Kelsey in San Francisco. When I was in Harvard I began laying the groundwork there and then I was travelling back and forth between Dublin and San Francisco when I was doing my MBA. I moved out here full time in the summer of 2017 after finishing my programme and bootstrapped for the first six months. We closed our first round of seed funding from the Chan Zuckerberg initiative in March 2018 and since then I’m proud to say we have 240-plus homes in our pipeline with projects in San Jose and San Francisco and we've raised and unlocked over $18m of funding and will get close to $60m by the end of this year (2020) between our philanthropic funding, private lending and public subsidies. We're also advancing some exciting policy initiatives.
I'm the founder and CEO and then we have a team of five. I'm pretty proud to say that we are a very lean team and look at maximising the impact by pretty focused operations and good strategic partnerships.
Was there a defining moment that shaped what you're doing now?
For me the person who has shaped almost everything I do now is my cousin Kelsey, who had multiple significant disabilities. Kelsey and I were the same age and came from the same type of family and had similar things we loved to do, yet the opportunities that were available to me and the opportunities that were available to her were not equal. And so, for my whole life that lens of disability and inclusion has been central and fundamental to everything I do.
What is your leadership style?
I would first describe my leadership and approach to work in general as aspirational, supporting my team to look for what is possible and always striving towards that aspiration versus inspiration. Inspiration is sometimes touchy-feely and looking at something in the past. Aspirational is saying, I see something bigger that is possible. It sometimes feels slightly out of reach but is something we can all drive towards.
When I jump on opportunities they’re always with those aspirational goals in mind and not getting overly mucked up in and around what people say. Affordable housing and disability inclusion are perhaps two of the areas where people are quick to talk about all the barriers that exist. Focusing our work on what is possible, we can start to push aside the pre-existing assumptions of where things can’t happen. That has been pretty central to how I approach our organisation and how I work on our team.
What has been your biggest achievement?
Our project in San Jose is tracking to be both a landmark inclusive housing project and one of the fastest developed affordable housing communities we’ve seen in our region. A lot of that is because we focused on achieving some early wins and lining up opportunities in sequence: acquiring a really amazing site, locking down $11m in city funding very early after acquisition and then closing $5.3m in funding with Google at the end of last year.
In 18 months, we went from having this idea and a passionate community of over 300 residents in our region saying we need this type of housing to now having a site, having a lot of our early funding lined up, and a plan and the right partners to achieve on that. But, I think I’ll really feel I’ve achieved something when people move into that building.
What is most important piece of advice you’ve received or would give?
One piece of advice I was given and continue to think about is to hire really good people and to pick them based on their skills, their smarts and their passion for your mission and not necessarily for a check box of items on a job description. Hiring people who can do a lot of things and want to do things for the mission you’ve lined out has been measurably impactful in allowing us achieve our goals at The Kelsey so far.
The leaders I really admire from a business standpoint and from a social and community standpoint are people who take big steps. If you’re not going to do it big and try to achieve what you set out to achieve, why do it? Don’t be measured and small in how you approach what you can do. I take that from my religious views – we’re put on this earth to do great things and it’s your job to jump into those things and take risk and put yourself out there to do them.
It’s such a cliché, but, go big or go home. We could have built three units of housing in a small community at The Kelsey but that’s not what we set out to do. We’re trying to build a model that can be scalable. It wasn’t really worth trying to move the needle if we couldn’t move it a way that would actually create sustained impact for people and communities.
How important is ongoing learning to you?
As someone who has recently invested in two graduate degrees, formal ongoing learning and continued education is something I obviously value. I’m also always looking at what people are doing in very unrelated businesses. I’m always trying to learn from entrepreneurs who I think have built very good businesses or people who have changed social programmes or created scaled impact to see how I can apply what they’ve done to The Kelsey or to my own style as a leader.
Going forward, what are your aspirations?
Since I’ve started working in disability inclusive housing I feel with such certainty that I will always be doing work related to this issue. Obviously my immediate goals and foreseeable future will be directly as part of The Kelsey and bringing this organisation to scale and executing on our first communities. This organisation will give me plenty of work and fun and learning and opportunity that has an impact for many years to come.
I think my ultimate goal is to create funding sources and policy that allow disability and inclusive and mixed income housing to be the norm in cities across our country. It’s possible to create communities where all people of all types and all abilities and incomes can thrive and that’s the work I want to be doing for years to come.

Ankit
Bajpai
Product Manager at Red Hat

Ankit Bajpai
MBA '14
Product Manager at Red Hat
"The UCD Smurfit School MBA gave me the opportunity to be part of an experienced cohort of classmates. The UCD Smurfit School MBA has an international focus that is apparent from a number of aspects of the course – the international trip to an emerging markets country and more than 50% of the class being from outside Ireland. The MBA also gave me confidence to be part of MBA clubs and to organise and lead events in the Dublin region. The MBA experience has certainly helped me broaden my horizons both in terms of thought process and career opportunities."

Erwan
Le Pavec
Deputy CFO at Astek

Erwan Le Pavec
MBA '14, Contrôleur financier Corporate TFS
Deputy CFO at Astek
"The UCD Smurfit School MBA was a unique and unforgettable experience. After ten years working in France, I wanted to open new perspectives in my career in terms of management skills, team work and culture. I appreciated the diversity of the participants, their backgrounds and the wealth of our discussions. The quality and human size of the course also helped me to change my mind-set and think more broadly. In other words, I approach business more globally. Today, I feel better equipped for the future and see the UCD Smurfit School MBA as a long term valuable investment."

Nubi
Kay
Startup Programs Lead at Paystack

Nubi Kay
MSc iBusiness '14
Startup Programs Lead at Paystack
Tell us a bit about your educational and career background
My name is Kayode Nubi, but I’m generally called Nubi Kay. I’m from Nigeria and I moved to Ireland in 2013 to study in Smurfit Business School on the back of being involved in a tech start-up in Nigeria. I had done my undergrad in electrical engineering at the Eastern Mediterranean University in Turkey and then did a Master’s in IBusiness - Innovation Through ICT (now MSc Digital Innovation) in UCD.
The plan was to spend one year here doing the Master’s and to then go back to Nigeria to work on another start-up. But while I was at UCD I won Accenture’s Leaders of Tomorrow Award for developing a smartphone app. That landed me a six-month internship with Accenture and then I got a full-time role there for two-and-a-half years in the Financial Services Division working as a Project Manager and a Business Analyst. I was mainly working on projects with bank clients.
I got exposed to fintech there because of Accenture Fintech Innovation Lab and I thought it sounded interesting. I knew because of my first start-up how hard it was to integrate payments online and so I got to learn about Stripe. I subsequently joined Stripe in 2016 and I’ve been there for almost five years.
I joined Stripe as a product specialist, supporting customers, including helping start-ups get up and running. I did that for about a year and then moved into a Programme Manager position, which I did for another year. Then I moved into a sales role as I wanted to explore other parts of the organisation. That allowed me the opportunity to get back to my roots and deal with start-ups. So I was working with CEOs, CTOs and Heads of Finance in start-ups to figure out how to better leverage Stripe to help them with their growth and scaling up. I did that for about six months.
What is your current role?
In the last couple of months I’ve just moved into a new role on the Paystack side. Stripe acquired Paystack, a Nigerian payments company, for around US$200m last year. It’s part of Stripe’s expansion strategy into Africa. I’ve been seconded to the Paystack side as Start-up Programmes Lead. My job will be to explore how Paystack can better work and support start-ups in Africa in their growth. It’ll involve talking to founders and the start-up ecosystem stakeholders, like investors, accelerators and incubators, and developing programmes to make things easier for these companies and their founders.
Once the world opens up there’ll be a lot of travel back to Africa. We’re in Nigeria, South Africa and Ghana right now and we have plans to launch in three more countries over the next few months and that will require me to be on the ground engaging with start-ups.
What motivates you?
I’m very motivated by helping to enable growth, progress and success in people, whether it’s individuals with their careers or working with start-ups and businesses and seeing them leverage technology and optimise their processes and get tangible growth as a result.
About 18 months ago a colleague of mine in Stripe and I started a community fund, HoaQ.club, to invest in early stage start-ups and it’s been phenomenal. We started it as an experiment and before the end of this year we’ll be deploying about a million dollars in African start-ups and founders. That gives me energy – playing the role of facilitating partnerships, knowledge transfer and anything that leads to tangible growth and development.
Who are the main people who have inspired you?
There are a few people. My dad is one. He’s a Pastor and a Professor in Nigeria and he’s somebody who’s dedicated to a life of service and lifting up people around him: as a Pastor he feeds your soul and as a Professor he feeds your mind. He could have gone and done anything he wanted to do professionally and looked to make a lot of money but he put himself in a position of service to his congregation as well as his students.
It was great to see that example not too far off.
My grandma is another influence. I guess my dad got the influence from my grandma so I got it from her.
And my wife is another big influence. She’s definitely one of those go-getters. I’ve seen how she’s evolved as a person, from an athlete who got so many accolades and then going from an undergrad to doing a Master’s and now a PhD in so short a period that we've known each other. She's done all these gracefully while parenting our two wonderful daughters, Kike and Ire.
How would you describe your leadership style?
I have a coach kind of style. I want to be in the trenches with you but at the same time give you the room so you can grow yourself. My style is really hands on and engaging but trying to ensure there are results. As a coach or a mentor I’d be asking what’s the goal and what’s the plan, and then checking in regularly to see what progress has been made, what the blockers are and how I can help to unblock those.
So I won’t be telling people what to do, but looking at what needs to be done and helping them to work towards the goal or outcome.
What’s your biggest achievement to date?
I’m only getting started. There are things I’m proud and privileged to have been able to achieve but I haven’t scratched the surface yet.
Is ongoing learning important?
It’s very important. I’m a big believer that you never stop learning. And that’s beyond the school walls. I like to consume knowledge in many different ways, whether it’s from listening to podcasts, reading articles or interacting with people who are on the same level or have gone before you or are behind you. There’s always something to learn from those interactions. I’m definitely one for continuous learning.
What’s your best piece of career advice?
The biggest one is to start with what you have and where you are. I think it’s important not to push things back to when you have a certain amount of money or everything is perfect to start things. Even though what you want is not what you have right now, just start building towards that.
When we started the fund it was just several of our friends putting together €1,000 each into our first deal and we just did that again and again and again. You start with what you have.
Do you have career or business aspirations for the future?
I try to keep an open mind and focus on what looks like success or fulfilment for me. And that for me is enabling others to be successful. I try not to think about roles or titles but think more about how I scale the level of enablement that is possible.
Insight Track
How has your degree benefited your career and/or personal life?
My degree at UCD made me a better manager and entrepreneur. It provided me the knowledge and skills to work cross-functionally and think critically through problems to come up with solutions that are both feasible but also scalable.
What is your fondest memory from your time in UCD Smurfit School?
Running into my wife-to-be on the Smurfit campus while she was canvassing for votes to run for student representative. It happened to be on the same day as the Smurfit Ball. I later ran into her on the day the votes were being counted. She didn’t win the seat but I often joke that she got the better prize, me.
What are your main interests outside work?
Faith – I am music and word minister at the Kings Arena Church, Dublin.
Family – spending time with my wife, Nana and our daughters, Kike and Ire.
Travel – I love to visit new and old places to make and relive memories.
Food – I love to cook and also eat out.
Tell us something most people don’t know about you
I started a band in college (Turkey) and composed original music that outlived my stay at the institution.
What piece of technology can you not live without?
My smartphone – communication, payment and resource all in one.
What is your pet hate?
When people are unkind.
Who’s your favourite writer and what’s your favourite book?
The writer is Malcom Gladwell and the book is Stubborn Attachments by Tyler Cowen.
And what is your favourite musician?
Brymo.
What is your favourite place in the world to visit and why?
Istanbul because it’s the best of both worlds – Europe and Asia.
Where is home and why?
Home is where the heart is – a little bit of Ireland and Nigeria.
What are your insider tips for visitors to Nigeria?
Be open minded and try new things. It helps to have a local friend while exploring.
Name three things on your bucket list
- Climb Kilimanjaro
- Hot air balloon in Cappadocia
- Dinner with Jay-Z
What charities or causes are closest to your heart?
- Habitat for Humanity
- Girls in STEM
- Foodcloud
November 2021

Lee
Weisgerber
Attachée de légation at Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs, Luxembourg

Lee Weisgerber
MSc International Management / CEMS MIM '20
Attachée de légation at Ministry of Foreign and European Affairs, Luxembourg
"My decision to pursue the double degree MSc in International Management and CEMS MiM at UCD Smurfit was driven by my intellectual curiosity and passion to immerse myself in international environments. Already during the admission process, the staff and faculty were extremely welcoming, and it became obvious that, to round off my academic career, a double Master’s at UCD would be exactly the challenge I was seeking. What I appreciated most, was the possibility to design the program based on my personal interests, not only through choosing from a broad range of courses but also through the various opportunities to get involved in the student community and gain international experience at one of the 34 CEMS partner universities. A love for collaboration and personal growth are two things, I continue to carry forward from my time at UCD and which help me in my professional career to this day."

Thomas
Bonnefoy
CEO and Co-Founder at PRISMO

Thomas Bonnefoy
MSc Marketing '14
CEO and Co-Founder at PRISMO
"I had both a great academic and personal experience at UCD Smurfit School as a Marketing Masters student. The quality of the student experience is really high thanks to the teaching excellence, the facilities, and especially the people. As a student, you an feel there is a genuine global follow-up of your experience from the teachers and the Smurfit staff. The MSc in Marketing at UCD Smurfit School is a comprehensive course as it enables you to embrace the main marketing theoretical principles and to apply them through real-life case studies and operations-driven projects. This complete Master’s course enabled me to step into the business world with confidence, with the required knowledge and skills."

Patrick
Nebel
Product Management / Launch Management at BMW Group

Patrick Nebel
MSc International Business '14
Product Management / Launch Management at BMW Group
"I am proud to be an alumnus of UCD Smurfit School as I really enjoyed my time at the School on the MSc International Business course. Apart from a providing me with a strong grounding in international business, the course was enhanced through the opportunity to apply what I had learned by taking part in a number of real-life projects with Irish companies. I acquired valuable knowledge and business experience on the programme. It was also a pleasure to meet and interact with students from many different countries. I built a network of international contacts who now enrich my career and help me pursue my professional and personal goals. After graduation, I joined Capgemini Consulting as Senior Consultant for the German practice. In my daily work, I can build upon the skills and experience I gained at UCD Smurfit School. I would definitely recommend UCD Smurfit School to anyone pursuing a career in an international context."

Rebecca
Heins
Strategic HR Partner at Wells Fargo

Rebecca Heins
MSc International Business '14
Strategic HR Partner at Wells Fargo
A love of learning took Rebecca Heins from a well-established human resources career in HP Bangalore, India to study at UCD in Dublin. She’s back in Bangalore leading HR strategies at the Indian Institute for Human Settlements, as well as running several networks, including the local UCD Alumni chapter.
Tell us about your education and career progression
Though my undergrad degree was in commerce, I did not want to end up as a finance professional so followed up with a post-grad diploma in business administration from Bangalore University. Right after my PGD, I started to work in advertising.
My career has taken some unexpected but interesting twist and turns from marketing to human resources. I started with advertising, moved into market research and later into marketing communications. With HP I had a stint of more than a decade, but was fortunate enough to hold various roles, from communications to managing employee engagement for a business with over 3,000 people to human resources.
While I was working a lot more closely with HR in my communications role, a fully-fledged HR opportunity came up that required a branding background and I was invited to apply. With this role I moved to HR to manage employer branding for India and my role later widened to manage talent acquisition and a talent channels for India. Subsequently, I was promoted to a more strategic role of leading talent channels for Asia Pacific and Japan and reporting into the APJ talent acquisition director based in Singapore.
I’ve always loved to study – every few years I have had the study itch! While I was able to get an executive MBA along with working, I never had the satisfaction of studying full-time once I had started work.
My parents dissuaded me from quitting a well-established career for full-time study. Fortunately, my manager was supportive of my ambition and approved a year’s sabbatical and I was able to convince my parents to let me go. And that’s how I ended up in Ireland in 2013 to do my master’s in international business at UCD.
My sabbatical was for a year so I could look at only one-year programmes. When I got admissions in the UK and UCD in Ireland and was confused about which one to choose, my close friend who was already living in the UK for many years said the Irish are really a friendly lot (that I experienced first-hand once I got there) and it would be a lot easier than with the English folks who take time to open up. To top it all, everyone raved so much about Ireland’s beautiful countryside. UCD being one of the top universities in Ireland, its amazing campus and globally well-known triple accreditation really helped make my choice a lot easier.
And it was the best decision I ever made. My time with UCD will remain memorable for my lifetime. I met really wonderful people and I remain friends with a lot of them.
Even though I had worked for a multinational company and for ex-pat managers and travelled in Asia before, I never had a chance to live long-term in an international multicultural setup. As well as giving the opportunity to meet and interact with different people, studying abroad offers an insight into perspectives from various cultures. I recommend an international master’s to everyone after experiencing this myself.
My personal opinion is that it should be encouraged, more so for Indian girls. Mostly, Indian girls grow up in a close family culture, protected by family and friends, living a sheltered life. Coming out of the protected environment and living independently encourages them to take decisions on their own and helps them build confidence and discover their true identity, independent of their family.
After I completed my studies, someone else had taken over my Asia role and my manager recommended me for a contract position with the HP UK & Ireland compensation and benefits team, and so I ended up working at HP’s Kildare office for some time.
Now, I’m back in Bangalore and currently working with the Indian Institute for Human Settlements (IIHS) as a senior HR manager leading the talent acquisition and compensation and benefits areas. And that has aligned nicely with my affinity for education as the IIHS is primarily a research, consulting and academic institution in the areas of climate change, water sanitation and sustainability.
What motivates you?
Every day I want to be able to look forward to the work I do. Passion for my work drives me and I want to be able to make a difference wherever I am. Whatever I’ve learnt, I would like to be able to teach. That’s my motivation – to be able to come to work and share what I have learnt and also make a difference at work and in the lives around me.
What is your leadership style?
I like to nudge my team towards common goals, encourage people to develop and discover their own abilities, empower and equip them to take the lead and guide them when they need. Perhaps this was largely influenced by a US ex-pat business leader – Larry Terrell – I worked with many years ago. I saw how he positively inspired and influenced many of his first-line leadership team’s capabilities and the culture throughout the organisation. I would like to think I have imbibed that in my leadership style so far.
Who or what has influenced or inspired you?
Professionally, it was Larry; he has continued to be a mentor in my life, even after he retired from work. Personally, my mum and sister are two big influences in my life. Despite all the hardships we have had, I saw how my mum sacrificed and pulled us through, but still has a big heart and is kind even with the most difficult people. My sister is strong-willed and pursues her goal with all vigour and makes it happen with a lot of perseverance. I always call her a one woman army. Her tenacity has been an example in my life.
What has been your biggest achievement?
It’s probably how far I’ve come, personally and professionally. I was a very quiet, shy child who hardly spoke. Now I would like to believe I am a lot more confident and comfortable enough to connect with people. There are some parts of the little child still in me, but I think time and experiences have made me a stronger woman than I was before.
Are there failures or mistakes you’ve learnt from?
There have been failures on work projects where I have relied on someone else to do their part and it did not turn out like it should. For a while I hesitated to take up initiatives for the fear of failing. My mentor said, “Rebecca, if you are not making mistakes it means you are not doing anything”. That struck a chord and I learnt failures are a part of life’s experiences and you can only learn and grow from them.
What are your tips and advice for success?
Be open to learning! Take only the positives out of your experiences and move forward. Nothing is too small and no one is too young to teach you. Be open to learning from experiences, people, books, the internet, everything. Take every experience, every challenge and every failure as an opportunity to learn. Personally, every difficult situation has taught me something. I think by keeping a positive mindset and viewing it as an opportunity to learn you will take away something good that can only enrich your life.
What are your plans for the future?
My sabbatical to study in UCD and being in Ireland helped me look beyond work. If I get passionate about something I devote 100% to it and it has been all work for a long time and I have not given enough time to my personal life. So I have decided to take time off at regular intervals and to also do other things I’m passionate about like writing, travelling and volunteering. I have already taken a step in this direction by taking off on a vacation to Bali a month ago with a friend I met on a UCD international student trip. We met in Bali after not seeing each other for almost two years.
Tell us about your involvement with the Bangalore chapter of UCD Alumni
Before I went to Ireland I never really knew the value of investing in networking. After I came back, I realised I have a lot of connections and there could be real value in bringing them together. So I created a network for people who work or have worked in human resources in HP in India and we now have 200-plus HR alumni professionals in that group who work across various industry sectors and senior levels. It’s mainly a social networking group to share HR topics, news and discussion and we also catch up offline for lunch once in a while.
Also when I was in Ireland, I noticed that international students coming in to study ended up asking the same questions over and over again. I thought bringing together people who have studied there with people looking to study in Ireland would really help answer all those questions; basically connecting alumni with the new aspirants.
So I set up and moderate another group on Facebook called Study in Ireland – Community Help and we now have over 500 members from UCD, TCD, DIT, etc, from various courses and I think it’s helped answer questions about studying in Ireland, queries and concerns from an international student (non-EU) perspective.
UCD Alumni, India heard about my initiative and asked if I’d be interested in getting involved in its Bangalore chapter, which it was hoping to set up. The chapter is only a few months old at this stage. I’ve tried to get a few people together but it’s not really active yet. We held a reception recently to help get the word out and I had a chance to meet a few more alumni. Over time I hope people will see the value of networking and coming together.
What are your interests outside work?
I am a practising Christian so I spend my weekends being a part of the church band, involved with other church activities and volunteering.
I have always had an interest in all forms of arts, including writing. I started blogging about lifestyle and business related topics but my current work takes up a lot of time so I haven’t had a chance to do as much as I would like.
And I love reading. With work, trying to find time to do some uninterrupted reading becomes difficult, so to push myself I have enrolled in the Goodreads reading challenge. I was pretty successful last year with 12 books read in total. This year I am aiming to double that number. My most recent read that left an impact is The Grit by Angela Duckworth. She talks about how talent counts, but how passion and perseverance play a significant part in successes. It definitely is an inspiring read.
Insight Track
What is your fondest memory from your time in UCD Smurfit School?
The Vietnamese Festival Celebration and Halloween, where all my classmates got everyone included in the festivities.
Tell us one thing that most people don’t know about you
I am so picky about being organised that I have an Excel sheet tracking how many days I’ve worked out every month for the past couple of years. That helps me to be consistent with my workout and not to slack off.
What piece of technology can you not live without?
Like many, I am attached to my iPhone, from using it for waking up till I sleep!
What is your pet hate?
People talking loudly on the phone in public places.
Who’s your favourite writer and what’s your favourite book?
Steven Covey is my favourite author and his book 7 Habits of Highly Effective People is a classic and will always remain relevant.
What are your favourite dishes to cook?
Various types of biryani, along with masala ginger chai.
Name three things on your bucket list
Slow travel, deep sea diving and getting a vacation home.
What are your insider tips for anyone travelling to India?
Don’t go with media defined perspectives of India. Go with an open mind. If you are not overwhelmed, I am sure you will be touched by our hospitality and the amazing diversity in our ancient culture.
What charities or causes are closest to your heart?
Causes relating to children and education have always been close to my heart and I support U&I, a local charity that works in these areas. I’ve always held education in high regard because I believe it makes a difference in lifting people up in their lives.

Jakub
Kamecki
CCO at TG0

Jakub Kamecki
MBA '14
CCO at TG0
"Getting an MBA degree has been a lifelong dream of mine. Graduating from such a prestigious school as UCD Smurfit School
has delivered on that and then some. Even before graduating I have been promoted to my current position, a highly ndependent and entrepreneurial role of heading up business development for Dell Software in Poland. On a daily basis I'm able to leverage the skills and knowledge gained during my studies. I find the courses in marketing, and managing competitive and corporate sales relations strategy, have been of particular value in my day to day responsibilities. I'm hopeful that having access to the vast and international alumni network of the school I will be able to build on my degree and accelerate my future success."
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