This month we caught up with Orla Dwyer, Talent Development Manager at Tirlán, to hear about her journey, her role and what’s ahead for people and leadership development

Orla is originally from Clonmel, Co Tipperary, “home of the All-Ireland Hurling champions,” she proudly notes. Orla joined Tirlán nearly two years ago after almost two decades in the pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical industry. “It was a big change,” she says, “but I’m really glad I made the move. It’s opened up a whole new world of experiences and people.”

Since joining, Orla has seen her team evolve from Talent Management to the broader People Experience team, now encompassing Talent and Leadership Development, Performance, Wellness, Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DE&I), Engagement and Communication and more. She’s especially passionate about DE&I and values the cross-functional collaboration that’s now part of her day-to-day. Her role spans to develop skills, teams and careers and she leads our graduate programme, Unearth Your Future. onboarding and final graduations. She’s co-designed and launched our New Leader Programme along with her People Experience and HR colleagues and also leads our Coaching Leader Programme and culture. She also manages our suite of Thrive courses.

Looking ahead, Orla is excited about a refreshed and re-energised approach to our coaching culture. “We’re planning to deliver all coaching refreshers in a focused week,” she explains. “But more importantly, we want to re-energise coaching across the organisation, reminding everyone of the power it holds to elevate development, inclusion, wellbeing, performance and leadership.”

August will see the first-ever Graduate Capstone event, celebrating the achievements of the inaugural cohort. “They’ve done so much – from leadership and DE&I modules to two full rotations,” Orla says. “It’s been amazing to see the support they’ve received across the business. Anytime I ask someone to mentor or speak, the answer is always yes.”

The graduate programme recently earned a Silver Award at the GradIreland Graduate Awards, an impressive feat for a first-time entrant. “It’s a testament to the hard work of so many people,” Orla says. “We’re already looking ahead to welcoming 18 new grads this September.”

When asked what she loves most about working at Tirlán, Orla doesn’t hesitate: “It’s the people. The support I’ve received has been incredible. Everyone’s been so generous with their time and knowledge, it’s made the last two years fly.”

Outside of work, Orla is a proud Munster Rugby season ticket holder, a yoga enthusiast and a keen traveller. She truly embodies our value of “Empower and Go” – she makes things happen, coaches others for growth and champions a culture where people feel supported, trusted and inspired to thrive.