UCD Business Impact

S6E12 S6 Ep12: Building Ireland's First Luxury Group: VYKO Strategy

Ashley McDonnell | CEO of VYKO, Ireland’s First Luxury Group4 June 2026 - What does it take to scale Irish heritage into a global luxury powerhouse?UCD CEMS Masters in Management alumna Ashley…

S6E11 S6 Ep11: Energy Shock

Why did the world’s most sophisticated risk managers miss the warning signs of a multi-billion dollar commodity shock? Professor of Finance, Valerio Poti joins us to dissect the abrupt end of market…

S6E10 S6 Ep10: Global Turmoil and the Greatest Oil Shock: The Future of Aviation Finance

Is the aviation industry prepared for potentially the greatest oil shock in history? As jet fuel costs soar amid geopolitical conflict, former GECAS CEO Norm Liu joins us to analyze the resilience of…

S6E9 S6 Ep9: Mastering Global Leadership: Inside the Top-Ranked CEMS Programme

In this episode, we step into the world of the elite global business programme, the CEMS Master in International Management at UCD Smurfit School. As Ireland’s only member of this prestigious…

S6E8 S6 Ep8: Season 6 Episode 8 – Cracking Cartels: Competition Economics and Market Regulation

S6E7 S6 Ep7: Cpl CEO Lorna Conn on navigating AI transformation and the skills gap

How can leaders navigate the tension between AI automation and developing core critical human skills? In our latest episode, Lorna Conn, CEO of Cpl, explores the evolution of the global labour…

S6E6 S6 Ep6: 2025 Year in Review - From tariffs to AI bubbles

Donal O’Donovan, Business Editor at the Irish Independent and Chair of the Business Journalists Association of Ireland, and Kathleen Gallagher, journalist with the Business Post and winner of the…

S6E5 S6 Ep5: The Pivot and the Payoff: Siobhán Talbot on Strategy, Growth and Earning the Right to Grow

UCD BComm alumna Siobhán Talbot is one of Ireland's most accomplished and widely respected business leaders. Join us as she discusses her remarkable career journey, which she describes as a "baptism…

S6E4 S6 Ep4: The Art of the Possible: AI and the Future of Work

UCD BComm alumna, Fiona Carney, explores one of the biggest transformations reshaping the world of work, AI. A leader at Microsoft, she draws on her expertise to explain how AI is enhancing…

S6E3 S6 Ep3: Financing Flight: Professor Tom Conlon on decarbonising the skies

Aviation could account for up to 20% of global carbon emissions by 2050, but as Professor Tom Conlon explains, the real barrier to change isn’t technology, it’s finance.He believes that if the sector…

S6E2 S6 Ep2: The Long Lens: Dr Emmet Oliver on the lessons to be learned from Ireland’s economic past

Dr Emmet Oliver, Lecturer at UCD College of Business, takes a deep dive into the pivotal decades that shaped modern Ireland, drawing on insights from his new book, Irish Nation Building: Government,…

S6E1 S6 Ep1: Leading for High Performance: Lessons from Leinster Rugby with Leo Cullen

What does it take to build and sustain a culture of excellence under relentless pressure? Leinster Rugby Head Coach Leo Cullen joins us to explore the leadership lessons from one of the most…

S5E10 S5 Ep10: Proving them wrong: How an Executive MBA became Eamon Fennell’s career game-changer

In this inspiring episode, we speak with Eamon Fennell, former GAA Champion turned Salesforce professional, about his leap into education through Ireland’s top Executive MBA programme.With a…

S5E9 S5 Ep9: Bitcoin in the White House – How Crypto Currencies went Mainstream

Assistant Professor Paul Dylan-Ennis of UCD Smurfit School dives into the evolving world of cryptocurrencies— where rebellion meets regulation. From Bitcoin’s libertarian roots and links to MAGA…

S5E8 S5 Ep8: Top Soft Skills Employers Want in 2025—and How to Showcase Them in the Age of AI

In a rapidly changing job market, the traditional CV just doesn’t cut it anymore. In this episode, Louise Campbell, Senior Manager of Smurfit Careers Network, shares essential insights on the…

S5E7 S5 Ep7: Explaining AI: Building Smarter, More Transparent Technology for Business

How can biologically inspired computing shape the future of AI in business? In this episode, Assistant Professor Miguel Nicolau, Business Analytics and Computer Science at UCD College of Business,…

S5E6 S5 Ep6: Morality, Bias, and the Future of AI: How Technology Shapes—and Reflects—Society

In this thought-provoking episode, we sit down with Marius Claudy, Associate Professor of Marketing, to explore the profound ways morality influences our relationship with technology. He discusses…

S5E5 S5 Ep5: Stronger Boards, Smarter Decisions: The Power of Purpose and Cognitive Diversity

Governance expert Dr Margaret Cullen explores the biggest challenges facing corporate boards and shares actionable solutions to navigate uncertainty. She highlights the power of a clear corporate…

S5E4 S5 Ep4: Turning Waste into Wealth: Sadhbh Wood’s Sustainable Start-up Story

In this inspiring episode, we sit down with UCD Quinn School alumna Sadhbh Wood, a trailblazing entrepreneur who turned recycled coffee grounds into a thriving skincare business. Hear how she became…

S5E3 S5 Ep3: From Politics and Tech Bros to Bitcoin and Airport Caps, 2024 a Year in Review

Donal O’Donovan, Business Editor at the Irish Independent and Chairman of the Business Journalists Association of Ireland, and Catherine Sanz, journalist with the Business Post and winner of the…