Jump Back
1. What inspired you to pursue a career in talent advisory with Barden?
The people, hands down! I met Kate Flanagan for an initial advisory coffee in Cork when considering my career options in tax. I never considered a career in talent advisory until that day. As soon as I met the rest of the team, my decision was made ☺️
2. What’s the most valuable lesson you’ve learned in your career so far, and how has it impacted your work?
Be a sponge, not a rock – a quote from our very own Cole Carroll. It’s so important to actively seek and embrace new ways of doing things! The business world has evolved significantly over the last few years, and technological advancements are accelerating this pace of change even more. Day to day, I try to question whether there is a more efficient way to complete a task that may save me time. I also believe chatting with your peers is important to see how they approach similar tasks.
3. What’s one piece of advice you’d give to someone considering a career change?
Take your time. It’s easier said than done, I know, but it’s so important to understand why you feel you need to make a change and then inform yourself about the market and your career options before taking any action.
4. Can you describe a project or accomplishment at Barden that you’re particularly proud of?
I’m probably the proudest of making the move to the world of talent advisory and sticking with it. It was very much an unknown for me at the beginning, and Covid was thrown in the mix 6 months in, so I have definitely built up a sheer amount of resilience over the years!
5. What aspect of your work at Barden excites you the most?
The potential to make a difference in someone’s life.
How you feel on a Sunday night really matters, and it can have a massive impact on your professional and personal life. In Barden, we focus on providing advice first, 100% of the time, for professionals and businesses. Our guidance can truly shape a professional’s career decision or a business’s hiring strategy.
I also really enjoy the commercial insights from the businesses we partner with—it might be the tax nerd inside me! I love getting to know a business, understanding what it does, how it generates revenue, and what its future plans are.
6. What’s a hobby/ interest you have that might surprise us?
Does reality tv count?! I’ve probably seen every single episode of Below Deck (no judgement!)
7. If you could master a new skill instantly, what would it be and why?
Cooking! I will preface by saying I can actually cook, but I’m lucky to have a husband who outshines me in the kitchen, so maybe two weeks in Ballymaloe Cookery School would do the trick!
8. If you could swap jobs with anyone for a day, who would it be and what would you do?
I’m not really answering this question, but if I weren’t in Barden, I would love to set up my own fashion boutique focused on pre-loved, affordable fashion for both women and men -essentially a Depop or Vinted with nicer merchandising! Conscious fashion consumption is something I’m passionate about, and I was very inspired by similar boutiques I visited in Sweden a few years ago.
9. What’s one thing you’d like to accomplish, personally or professionally, in the next year?
It’s been on my bucket-list to take up golf so hopefully I get a chance to kickstart this before the Annual Barden Golf Invitational in a few months!
10. What’s the best piece of advice you have ever received?
Always believe in yourself and celebrate the little wins. It’s normal to struggle with self-belief, but the key is to remind yourself of all the things you’ve overcome and achieved. Progress, not perfection, is what matters most.