Programme Manager
Women’s Leadership Programme
My alarm starts wailing at 6am every morning and I’m up out of bed and on my way to the gym with a coffee in my hand. If I didn’t get my 40 minute exercise class I wouldn’t know myself.
Beginning the day with a clear head is important. As a mother of three, I don’t get a lot of time to myself, so every minute counts in the morning.
I have held several roles in Co-operation Ireland since I joined in 2013, but I can honestly say my current position of Programme Manager for Leadership Programmes has been my most fulfilling.
No two days ever look the same. Today, for example, started with a few meetings regarding an upcoming conference in May, chatting to keynote speakers and briefing them on the agenda. Then in the afternoon it was all admin - forecasts, budgets and claim queries. (Love it!! :)
A bit of background about me.
I grew up living in East Belfast under on an interface my entire childhood until the age of 18. Having a peace line at the end of your garden meant It wasn’t an easy place to live and for a long time, I saw this as a disadvantage. But after working on Co-operation Ireland programmes over the years, with the wonderful opportunities I have had, I now see that it has shaped me as a person.
I gained so much resilience and empathy over those years, and that gave me the ability to connect on a real level with the people on our programmes. Working particularly on grassroots leadership programmes, I realised how passionate I am about the work we do in Co-operation Ireland and the impact our programmes have had in communities around us.
Going forward, I feel very excited about what’s next. Managing our new ‘Leading with Peace and Purpose’ programme which engages senior leaders across the island, is a huge privilege. For me, what really matters, is that the impact of this programme on the participants filters out in a positive way to benefit grassroots communities across the island.