Venice Biennale 2023
UCD lecturers Peter Cody and Mary Laheen are part of a team of five architects commissioned by Culture Ireland to represent Ireland at the Venice Biennale 2023. Ahead of the official launch in Venice, the curating team presented their proposed Irish Pavilion – ‘In Search of Hy-Brasil’ – to the UCD community in UCD University Club in May.
Laurence Crowley Lecture
This year’s Laurence Crowley Lecture featured Dr Paul Stoffels, Chief Executive Officer of Galapagos, who delivered an address on ‘The Role of the Pharmaceutical Industry in Prolonging Life and Enhancing Quality of Life for Patients Worldwide’. Dr Stoffels led on the early development of breakthrough treatments for HIV and is currently overseeing the development of new therapies to treat cancer.
Matheson UCD Leadership Series
The Matheson | UCD Leadership Series presented Crypto and Digital Assets Revolution: What’s Next? in May 2022. This hybrid event brought together industry leaders including Martin Moloney, Secretary General IOSCO, and Professor Joyce O’Connor, Founding President of NCI and Co-Founder of Block W, to discuss the future of cryptocurrencies and digital assets. Dr Niamh Howlin, Dean of Law at UCD Sutherland School of Law, provided opening remarks and the keynote address was delivered by UCD alumnus John Whelan, Managing Director, Crypto & Digital Assets at Banco Santander.
Green Challenge
In February, the College of Business launched an innovative Green Challenge for alumni, students and the wider community. Over 30 days, participants took planet-positive actions and tracked them on climate action platform Pawprint. Collectively, over 48,000kg of CO2 was saved from entering the atmosphere – exceeding the initial target. Trees were also planted on the Blackrock and Belfield campuses as part of this initiative.
EGA Autumn Panel Discussion
In November 2022, the UCD Engineering Graduates Association (EGA) was delighted to host a webinar on the topical issues surrounding energy security. The format with a panel of experts allowed alumni from around the globe to join this fascinating discussion. We extend our thanks to the panellists and to MC Professor Andrew Keane, Director, UCD Energy Institute.
Aspire Scholarship Welcome Reception UCD Rugby Annual Dinner
The long-running and transformational ASPIRE Scholarship Programme continued into its 14th year, with over 130 scholarships granted to students over the years. In September 2022, a reception was held at UCD Smurfit School to welcome nine new Aspire Scholarship recipients to the School and to the Aspire community
Business Journalist Awards
In December 2022, Ireland’s leading business journalists were recognised at the 15th annual UCD Smurfit School Business Journalist Awards sponsored by Bank of Ireland. The awards honour excellence in Irish business journalism across the media spectrum and this year included the inaugural Women in Business Journalism Award
Christmas Reception
In December 2022, the College of Business Alumni Relations Team were delighted to host the first in-person Christmas Reception since December 2019, at UCD University Club in Belfield. It was wonderful to reconnect with alumni from across the College and to meet in-person.
UCD Rugby Annual Dinner
UCD Rugby was delighted to hold the Cantor Fitzgerald Annual Dinner in O’Reilly Hall in May, when alumni, IRFU President, Leinster Club Presidents, corporate supporters and friends gathered on the night.
Among the many guests were members of the Irish Rugby U20 Grand Slam-winning team. UCD Rugby President Brian Gilsenan spoke about the commitment of Club members who play a vital role in managing the various teams across the Men’s, Women’s and Tag Rugby sections of the Club. Highlights of the evening included the awarding of life memberships to John Hammond, who continues to be an integral part of UCD Rugby through his work for the Club’s annual Daffodil Day collection and help on match days, and Josh van der Flier who was a member of this year’s Irish Rugby Grand Slam-winning team and has established himself as one of the finest rugby players in the world. Newly appointed Leinster Rugby President, Billy Murphy acknowledged retiring Director of Rugby, Bobby Byrne for his dedicated service and remarkable tenure, his vision and exceptional leadership undoubtedly playing a crucial role in the Club’s success.
The showcase of the night involved an interview with former CEO of Leinster Rugby, Mick Dawson, conducted by Hugh Cahill.
