Where are you from?
I am originally from the top of a mountain in Kilkenny; West Cork is very urban in comparison!
Did you relocate to Skibbereen for your role at Spearline?
Having spent 12 years working in Dublin in roles that involved a lot of overseas travel, I relocated to Skibbereen in September 2019. Rural living is certainly a change and one that I’m embracing again.
What did you study at college?
I studied psychology and attended Harvard Business School’s High Potentials Leadership Program which was an amazing experience and one that gave me a great foundation for my career.
How does your education link to your current role?
My education has always directly complimented my corporate roles. It gave me a great foundation and transferable skills in problem-solving, understanding human behavior and communication which, in a sales environment certainly helps in understanding how we can add value and help customers solve problems. I am able to combine my interest in human behavior and it definitely helps to have an understanding of different types of people and personalities and to have that insight to engage with them in different ways.
What was your role before you joined Spearline?
I was previously Head of Digital at Mediacom and Head of Digital Sales at Communicorp prior to that.
Briefly describe your role at Spearline.
I am Head of Sales for Spearline’s Skibbereen and India teams. My remit includes everything from setting up and training teams, to identifying companies to partner with to add value to their business, to selling the Spearline solution.
Name a few highlights of relocating to West Cork.
Living by the sea is a new experience for me and one that I am hugely enjoying. It’s unusual to have the opportunity to work for an innovative tech company here in a rural location. Typically, you have to compromise between career progression and quality of life; with Spearline you can have both.
What career advice would you give to yourself 10 years ago?
I have two pieces of advice; firstly be determined to reach your goals, but flexible in how you get there, and secondly don’t buy into the ‘fail fast, fail often’ myth, instead iterate to succeed, learn, tweak and adapt to what failures teach you. Spearline’s culture of ‘win or learn’ really embodies this.