In Conversation with: Kathryn O Shea

Tell us why you chose to study at NUI Galway?

I grew up in Donegal, but had a family connection to NUI Galway; my father graduated from NUI Galway in 1972. During all our holidays and trips to Galway as a child, we would always take a wander through the campus where Dad would point out various buildings and the rowing sheds, where he had spent a lot of his time on the college rowing team. So, when it came to choosing a university, I was immediately drawn to NUI Galway given our family history and the strong memories and connection I had to the campus. I was also attracted by the size of the campus and its integration into Galway City. It all felt very accessible.

Describe your connection to NUI Galway and Galway

My father grew up in Galway City and my grandparents were in Galway so on every school holiday and on every available opportunity, I wanted to get down to Galway. I always found the city so magical and exciting. The constant buzz, the array of shops and restaurants, the street buskers, summer festivals, the buzz of  students and the deep cultural fabric of the city left a strong impression.

What was your experience of NUI Galway as a student?

I really embraced student life; I loved every minute of my experience as a student in NUI Galway and look back on it with such fond memories. I met some of the most wonderful people during this time and formed lifelong friendships. I had wonderful lecturers, who were always warm and approachable and the door was always open. It was an easy place to be a student with such a friendly campus and surrounding city. One of my fondest memories and something that epitomises what student life was like in Galway is of Mike in the library, who always greeted you with a smile and asked how your day was going. He always took the time to chat and to listen, and he became a very dear friend. Outside of the lecture halls, I had some of the best experiences with involvement in student societies and volunteering experiences – so many opportunities and experiences were available.

What impact did this experience have on your life?

The biggest impact are the people I met along the way – lifelong friends who I am still very close to over a decade later. I also believe it was my experiences in student societies and in the volunteer groups like Suas that really broadened my experiences and skill sets and really stood to me later on.

In your opinion, what makes NUI Galway distinctive?

The size and accessibility of the campus and being so integrated and connected with the city right on your doorstep makes it a really interesting environment to be a student in. Being in the heart of such a creative, vibrant city greatly enhances the experience and I think benefits both the university and the city. The collaboration opportunities between industry and the wider ecosystem with a world class education institute in NUI Galway are very unique. 

What advice would you offer to students and alumni of NUI Galway?

To students, make the very most of every minute you have – the years really do fly by. There is so much available to you at NUI Galway. Take the opportunity to get involved in societies and clubs along the way. There really is something for everyone and you meet so many students from other disciplines.

Tell us about your personal and educational journey

In truth, starting out, I didn’t have a clear career objective in place, but I knew I wanted to go to NUI Galway. I studied the Bachelor of Civil Law (2004-2007) and it was a wonderful foundational degree. Initiatives such as the clinical placement offered in 3rd year were excellent and a great opportunity. While I didn’t end up pursuing a legal career, it gave me excellent training and combined with my involvement in volunteer groups and societies on campus, shaped my experiences and career. I moved to Dublin for a few years to work with Ashoka, which works with global social entrepreneurs and then moved to Australia to undertake my postgraduate studies in Human Rights at the University of Sydney as part of the Australian government’s Endeavour award programme. On completion of my studies, I started working with IDA Ireland and had the opportunity to return to Australia as director of IDA for Australia and New Zealand.

What does your job entail?

The role involves working with companies from across Australia and New Zealand to encourage them to invest in Ireland. We work with companies from across all sectors to help them consider Ireland as a location to establish European operations. Companies that are investing are interested in talent, track record, infrastructure, access and connectivity, and proximity to third-level educational institutes such as NUI Galway.

We help companies by providing information for their evaluation, organising bespoke visits to help them understand and evaluate the location, meet some of the other businesses in the area and develop a business plan for Ireland. Once the company establishes, we continue to work very closely with them in both Ireland and Australia to help them grow and build their presence in Ireland. We work closely with the Irish Embassy, Enterprise Ireland, and Tourism Ireland as team Ireland in Australia.

IDA Ireland has been represented in the Australia and New Zealand (ANZ) market for more than 30 years and in 2015, increased its presence with two full-time team members in the IDA Sydney Office. There are now more than 70 Australian and New Zealand companies in Ireland with just over 3000 staff. These include brand names such as Resmed, Macquarie Bank, Link Group, FlexiGroup, Computershare, World Nomads Group as well as emerging technology companies like SiteMinder, Livetiles and Catapult Sports. Our clients are in multiple sectors, insurance, financial technologies, sports technology. A number of Australian companies such as SiteMinder and ALS have established in the West and access to the graduate population in NUI Galway was a strong value proposition for these companies to set up there. 

There are deep and historic ties and a really strong and unique relationship between Ireland and Australia and there are so many similarities in how we do business. We have seen a strong increase in investments in Ireland from Australia, particularly since Brexit. Australian companies find it very easy to do business in Ireland – culturally, we get on very well; geographically, it’s easy for Europe and the US; and the common language and legal system make it straightforward to do business together.

The COVID-19 pandemic has changed how we do our jobs, but we are still very much open for business, albeit in a virtual environment. This past year, because of the lockdowns in Australia, we haven’t been able to travel or attend the usual events, so we have increased our online presence, meeting companies virtually and presenting at many events about the benefits of doing business in Ireland. A lot of time was spent working with our existing client companies making sure they understand all the supports available to them in Ireland to help them through this tough period.

What advice would you offer to NUI Galway in terms of its strategy for internationalisation?

Internationalisation deeply enriches a university and indeed the wider community. It offers significant benefits both in an economic and intellectual sense.  Internationalisation fosters diversity which enriches university, workplaces and ultimately society. It helps broaden and expand horizons. It helps build global relationships, interconnectedness and a more collaborative culture.

The University of Sydney where I studied benefits from its geographical location in Asia Pacific and has a huge array of international students.  Some of the strengths I experienced being an international student in Sydney was the end-to-end student engagement programme which held the hands of all new arrivals to the city and campus. The visa system was extremely streamlined and allowed opportunities to also work part-time, with pathways available towards other residency visas upon graduation. 

Australia has the highest margin of international students per capita accounting for over 25% of the student population. Although severely impacted by border closures related to the Covid-19 pandemic, it is still worth approximately A$31.7 billion to the Australian economy. National scholarship programmes such as the Endeavour awards help attract global talent from across all academic disciplines to Australia.

NUI Galway should continue to leverage extensive global links through diaspora and alumni and demonstrate via our world class education institutions such as NUI Galway, that Ireland is a great place to study and to live and to build a career.

The collaborative efforts between academia and industry championed by NUI Galway is a great way to continue to attract global talent. It’s a great time for global students to come to the West of Ireland to study and work and there are so many opportunities on offer.