Tell us how long you have worked in Glanbia and a little about your role?
I did my second interview for Glanbia the day before I got married, back in 2015. I got a call on our honeymoon to say I got the role. I wanted to be an accountant since I was 10 years of age and worked as a Chartered Accountant with Glanbia until April of last year when I moved into an IT Applications Manager role. I’ve seven people reporting to me and while I loved accountancy, this is a far more fast-moving and dynamic role. I had worked closely on the GlanbiaConnect online shop project in my previous role; it gave me a flavour of the IT involved and I knew that if I wanted to progress in the company, I needed to be more dynamic.

Your department is one of the lesser known teams in GI, tell us about what the team looks after
We support the business on two fronts – through 85 different IT applications and we enhance the business through new and existing applications. Any of the large projects in GI tend to have an IT element so we’re brought in at the outset to play our part. IT is becoming more and more important to the company at every single level.

What’s your favourite thing about working in Glanbia Ireland?
Every day is different. When I worked in accountancy, once you completed the months’ end, you repeated the task. In my new role, everything is different and there are new challenges every single day, particularly in such a big and diverse organisation as Glanbia.

What are you most proud of in your job?
The way we pull together, particularly in a crisis. During the recent SAP outage, we worked long hours and worked to our collective strengths. It was the first time that the business saw the whole IT operation working together as one unit, as a very tight and close team.

How do you describe GI to friends or family outside of work?
As a great place to work and a place where your talents are recognised and rewarded and your future is nurtured. I’m a Limerick native but I’m made feel very much at home at Glanbia.

What do you like to do in your spare time?
I’m very involved with the GAA. I train the ladies football team in Old Loughlin in Carlow and have also trained the Kilkenny ladies football team. I trained Castlecomer hurlers last year. I love coaching and the GAA in the evenings takes your mind off the challenges you face during the working day. When you turn up for training, nobody wants to know what kind of a day you’ve had. You’re there to do a very different job.

What are you most looking forward to post Covid/lockdown?
I’m looking forward to hopefully seeing Limerick win an All-Ireland again and this time being in the crowd in Croke Park. Not being there when they won last year was cruel. I’m also looking forward to going back into the office; to chatting with people face to face in the canteen. I’m also looking forward to being able to go out for meals with my family.