Leaders of Tomorrow

CUBS Leaders of Tomorrow is an initiative that formally recognises the impact of students beyond academic grades. It allows students to showcase their many talents, capabilities, and resulting impacts across several categories. Open to all undergraduate and postgraduate taught programmes, Leaders of Tomorrow enables students to articulate a complete picture of their impact during their time in CUBS. Some examples of the activities that got recognised include: charity work (Global citizen), coaching and mentoring (Learning Transformation), improvements made in the workplace (Innovation and Entrepreneurship), supporting fellow students (Student’s choice), overcoming personal challenges or life-changing situations like a bereavement (Exceptional Journey). There are three levels of recognition, all of which give students an individual differentiating factor that can be used as part of many future career activities. See below for the category winners (Outstanding Achievement Award).

Across the categories, there are three awards (i) Recognition Certificate, which is given for the demonstration of a clear positive impact, (ii) Outstanding Achievement, which is given for the demonstration of an exceptional impact, and (ii) Sustained Impact, which is given for the accumulation of three or more awards throughout a student’s time in CUBS.

Key Criteria:

Open to all undergraduate and postgraduate taught students. Only one (self-nominated) submission is allowed per year.

Take your first step in becoming a Leader of Tomorrow and discuss your activities and impacts with a member of CUBS staff. To get your leadership qualities recognised go to http://ucc.ie/cubsleaders for more details and the submission forms.

2022/23 RECIPIENTS:

Outstanding Achievement Award Winners - L-R: Sam Davies, Rose Goggin, Margaret Lynch, Alison McKeown, CUBS Dean Professor Thia Hennessy, Emma Coffey and Neasa O'Sullivan.

  • Neasa O Sullivan (BSc Finance4): won the Global Citizen category helping to create successful social enterprises that delivered positive impacts for both the environment and society.  She got the opportunity to represent Ireland and present the social enterprises at the Enactus World Cup in 2022 

  • Margaret Lynch (MSc Human Resource Management): won the Innovation & Entrepreneurship category for managing the nursing leadership of a 30 bedded modular build in the Mercy University Hospital (MUH). There is a daily challenge to allocate beds to admitted patients in the Emergency Department (ED) who are on trollies and meet our required commitment to admit patients for time critical cancer procedures. 

  • Sam Davies (BComm International French4): won the Exceptional Journey category for overcoming a sudden loss of vision and long-term visual impairment. Sam empowered himself through his disability to achieve great experiences and educate people on the topic of accessibility.  

  • Rose Goggin (BComm4): won the Student’s Choice. As chairperson of UCC’s Commerce Society, she ensured each committee member was able to do their role to the best of their ability, grow new skills and be able to put their academic learnings to practice. She organised the first ever BComm co-curricular event where the Commerce Society along with 80 BComm students came out in full force and raised over €1600 for our local charity SHARE. 

  • Alison McKeown (MSc Human Resource Management): won the Learning Transformation category for working with the Scout Section in Bishopstown Scouts. She redeveloped the learning programme by improving planning methods, including long term skill development strategies, and incorporating the children into developing the plan using the 'Court of Honour' system. 
  • Emma Coffey (BComm4, Quercus Scholar): won the Deans’ Leadership category for her contribution to CUBS Conference, as well as being included in the Sunday Independents 30 under 30 list of 2022. She is a very successful CEO and Founder at FinalBend, and co-founder at UGC.ie.  FinalBend specialises in providing sustainable sportswear at sustainable prices.  Through scaling FinalBend, the idea for UGC.ie, an automated content service was born. UGC.ie gives Irish SME’s access to content creators based across Ireland and Europe. 

Shortlisted Candidates

Global Citizen

  • Brian Lagrue (BSc BIS)
  • Albert Alexander Kure (MSc Food Security Policy and Mgmt)
  • Sneha Sampath (BIAS)
  • Jade Morrissey (BSc International Development and Food Policy)
  • Rachel O Callaghan (BSc Finance)
  • Innovation and Entrepreneurship
  • James Collins O'Brien (BSc BIS)
  • Patrick O'Gorman (MSc Design and Development of Digital Business)
  • Madan Malathesh Haribhat (MSc Marketing and Management)

Exceptional Journey

  • Aoife Foley Landers (BComm)
  • Gaurav Nagpal (MSc Marketing and Management)

Recognition Certificates

Global Citizen

  • Cara Griffin (BComm Int)
  • Sumer Mehra (MSc DDDB)
  • Jack O'Neill (MSc ISBP)
  • Darragh Williams (MSc HRM)
  • Ria Sunny Philip (MSc Finance)

Innovation

  • Jai Lalita Soren (MSc BIAS)
  • Sean O'Mahony (BSc BIS)
  • Piotr Janus (BSc BIS)
  • Clare O’Driscoll (BSc BIS)
  • Eilish Galvin (BSc BIS)
  • Learning Transformation
  • Ritika Roongta (MSc BIAS)
  • Michael Duxbury (BSc BIS)
  • Alex Linehan (BComm)
  • Niamh Harrington (BSc BIS)
  • Casey Doran (BSc BIS)
  • Garvit Gulati (BSc BIAS)
  • Clementine Kamekpo (BComm Int)

Exceptional Journey

  • Sarah O'Connell (BSc BIS)
  • Mayank Srivastava (MSc BIAS)
  • Students Choice
  • Rahul Math (MSc BIAS)

2021/22 RECIPIENTS:

  • Mojabeng Mashale (MSc Co-Operatives, Agri-Food and Sustainable Development): won the Global Citizen category for a social gardening project in South Africa, which achieved a national funding grant
  • Emma Coffey (BComm): won the Innovation category for developing a highly successful online retail start-up, FinalBend Ltd.
  • Denis O’Sullivan (BSc Food Marketing and Entrepreneurship): won the Learning Transformation category for being a founding student member of the FME Engagement Committee and Food Academy.
  • Mwewa Kapotwe (MSc Business Economics): joint winner of the Exceptional Journey category for work on providing training to SME’s on food packaging and being one out of 126 in gaining a government scholarship to Ireland.
  • David Giles (BCL Law and Business): won the Deans’ Leadership 2021 category for his contribution to student experience in CUBS. Instrumental in the CUBS Learning & Teaching Committee and establishment of CUBS Week 2021.
  • Bonny Benny (MSc Business Information and Analytics Systems): won the Students Choice category for supporting over 150 Indian students in UCC as they transitioned to a life in Cork.
  • Eimear O’Loughlin (BSc Finance): joint winner of the Exceptional Journey category for demonstrating resilience in the face of challenges as she reached the world stage in Irish dancing.
  • Huu Dai Nhat Tran (Sunny) (MSc Information Systems for Business Performance): won the Dean’s Leadership 2022 category. Having faced numerous challenges and family circumstances he graduated at 29, while taking on multiple roles. He received an Irish Aid fellowship to study MScISBP. He co-founded the social enterprise MANTA Sail Training Centre, which diverted fisherman to water sports, and promoted sustainable green livelihoods and awareness in his community