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20th Irish Universities Association HR Conference

The Revolution of Work

Tristan Aitken profile picture

Welcome from Tristan Aitken, Chief People Officer and Director of SIRC and Legal Services

I am delighted to share on this site details of the 20th Irish University Association (IUA) HR conference to be hosted by UCD. We have chosen as our conference theme ‘the revolution of work’ to reflect the huge changes and challenges the higher education sector is facing in terms of attracting and retaining the most essential element of universities, our people. Peter Cosgrove, Futurewise, will set the scene on the future of work with a range of plenary and parallel sessions exploring the myriad of challenges and opportunities the HE sector faces.

I am really looking forward to welcoming you to the first in person IUA HR conference for 3 years and I am sure the speakers, debate, and opportunities to network at our conference dinner will make this a memorable and useful experience. So, book your place today and together we can explore what the revolution of work has in store for our organisations and our roles.

Finally, a big thank you to our headline sponsors Affinity Advisers, Arthur Cox and WTW. 

IUA logo

Conference Details

DateCONFERENCE CONCLUDED

TimeThursday, 12 January 2023: 10:30 - 17:30
Friday, 13 January 2023: 09:30 - 13:30

FeeEarly bird - €225 (until 12 December), Full price - €250 (from 13 December)

LocationO'Reilly Hall, Belfield Campus, UCD

OrganisersUCD Human Resources

Sponsors Affinity Advisors, Arthur Cox, Willis Towers Watson

Intended Audience HR professionals from IUA institutions.


Go to the Conference packages page to download the conference programme


Clips from the conference

Thanks to our HR colleagues from across the island who joined us in UCD for the conference. Looking forward to next year already so it's over to University of Limerick now!

Sponsors

Keynote / Plenary Speakers

Image of Peter Cosgrove

Peter Cosgrove

Future of Work Expert, Author and Media Commentator

Peter Cosgrove brings the latest insights and research from across the world of work, technology, diversity and talent and does this in an entertaining, exciting and passionate manner. His messages are delivered through memorable stories and experiences which leave the audience excited, inspired and informed.

Go to Day 1
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Adèle MacKinlay

Director of People and Organisational Development, University of Manchester

Adèle joined The University of Manchester as its inaugural Director of People and Organisational Development in November 2022. Previously she was the Director of People and Organisational Development at Loughborough University and worked at Pace University and College Avenue Student Loans in the US. Prior to her family’s move to the US, Adèle was Director of Human Resources and then Chief Operating Officer at Aston University. Her early career was spent in Financial Services.

Go to Day 2
Kay Nicholls

Kay Nicholls

Hybrid Working Project Manager, University of Manchester

Kay Nicholls is a Project Manager in the University of Manchester’s Strategic Change Office. She is an experienced transformation and change specialist, with a background in management consultancy working in public and private sectors across Australia and the UK. Her areas of expertise lie in people and change management, leadership and stakeholder engagement, behaviour change and workforce effectiveness.

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Helen Ashley

Helen Ashley

Head of Workforce Planning and Talent, University of Manchester

Helen is an experienced People and OD leader with a background in Healthcare, International Higher Education, and Science Publishing sectors. Her areas of excellence are designing and implementing workforce and OD strategies, client-led service improvement and leadership of organisational change through cooperation, collaboration and colleague engagement. She is a qualified coach, a Fellow of CIPD and a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy.

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Rachel McGraw

Rachel McGraw

Head of Colleague Experience, University of Manchester

Rachael leads on the University’s approach to colleague experience. With a background in internal and external communications and marketing, she has led a number of high profile strategic projects at the University including the engagement programme which led to the creation of the University’s vision and strategic plan Our future; engaging more than 800 colleagues in uncovering our University’s values and she is a key member of the Professional Services hybrid working project team.

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David Vuletich

David Vuletich

Senior Director, Research Advisory Services, EAB

David Vuletich is a Senior Director in EAB’s Research Advisory Services and serves as the Academic Strategy Team lead. The Academic Strategy Team houses EAB’s experts in academic affairs, student success, and university budget models, and is responsible for driving value for our partner institutions through consensus building, decision support, and guidance on best practices implementation.

Go to Day 2
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Dr Laura Bambrick

Head of Social Policy & Employment Affairs @ ICTU

I am a policy analyst and government specialist with an extensive and broad knowledge of all the main public policy areas. I hold a PhD and Masters in Comparative Social Policy from Oxford University and a BA Social Policy from Trinity College Dublin. I am a former political staffer and pollster.

Go to Day 1
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Maeve McElwee

Executive Director, Employer Relations, IBEC

Executive Director, Employer Relations (2015 to date). With IBEC since 2000 in senior positions including Head of Industrial Relations and Human Resources Traded Services, and Director of the North East Region. A graduate of Trinity College, prior to joining IBEC, Maeve McElwee worked with the World Bank in Washington DC.

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Noeline Blackwell

Noeline Blackwell

CEO at Dublin Rape Crisis Centre

Noeline Blackwell is a human rights lawyer and CEO of the Dublin Rape Crisis Centre, a voluntary organisation which works to prevent the harm and heal the trauma of sexual violence. Prior to this, she was for ten years Director General of access to justice organisation FLAC, the Free Legal Advice Centres. She previously ran a solicitor’s practice where she had a particular interest in refugee and immigration issues and in family law.

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Ross Woods profile

Ross Woods

Senior Manager Centre of Excellence for Equality, Diversity and Inclusion at Higher Education Authority

An education and research professional with over a decade’s experience in the tertiary education sector in Ireland and overseas.

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John Geary

John Geary

Full Professor, Head of the Human Resource Management & Employment Relations Group, UCD College of Business

John Geary is Full Professor of Employment Relations and Human Resource Management at the School of Business, University College Dublin and Honorary Professor at the Marco Biagi Foundation, Università di Modena e Reggio Emilia, Italy. He is currently Subject Area Head for the Human Resource Management and Employment Relations Group in UCD's School of Business. John is a graduate of the University of Maynooth and obtained his doctorate (Sociology) at Nuffield College, University of Oxford.

Go to Day 1
Maria Belizon image

Dr Maria Belizón

Assistant Professor of Human Resource Management, UCD School of Business

Maria is Assistant Professor of Human Resource Management in the UCD College of Business and works in the Human Resource Management and Employment Relations Subject Area since 2015. She holds a PhD in Management and an MSc in International Management and Global Business from the University of Limerick. Her core research and teaching focus on HR Analytics, international HRM, and industrial relations in multinational companies (MNCs). She is Academic Lead for the HR Analytics Think Tank.

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James Matthews

James Matthews

Associate Professor. UCD School of Public Health, Physiotherapy & Sports Science

My teaching and research focuses on the psychology of sport, exercise and health behaviour. Current I'm looking at physical activity related behaviour change, mental health promotion in sport, and performance management and leadership in elite sport.

Go to Day 2

Getting to UCD

We have developed a user friendly UCD Commuting Guide to assist you on planning your journey to UCD more easily. Download it to have the most relevant information about commuting to UCD with you.

Hotels

Radisson Blu St Helen’s, Stillorgan Rd, Booterstown, Dublin, A94 V6W3

Approx €175 - €185 per night (Approx 1 km from UCD)

Maldron Hotel, Bellevue Ave, Merrion Rd, Dublin, D04 K5C2

Approx €159 - €185 per night (Approx 2km from UCD)

Hampton Hotel, 19-29 Morehampton Rd, Ranelagh, Donnybrook, Co. Dublin, D04 Y6K4

Approx €139 per night (Approx 2km from UCD)

Talbot Hotel, Stillorgan Rd, Stillorgan, Dublin

Approx €106 per night (Approx 1km from UCD)

Read the full list now

Note: UCD does not vouch for or assume any responsibility for the content, accuracy or completeness of material presented directly or indirectly in linked sites.

Transport options

Heuston Train Station: the Dublin Bus route 145 from Heuston station serves UCD.

Connolly Train Station: take the DART service southbound to Sydney Parade station. 

Dublin BusOver 20 bus routes serve the Belfield campus, linking UCD to the city centre and suburban areas. The Belfield campus is served by the 39a bus, which runs 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. The 155 and 175 routes also provide great connectivity from north and south west Dublin. The 11 and 142 buses stop on the Clonskeagh side of campus and serve areas including Ranelagh and Rathmines. Express buses serve UCD offering fast direct routes from suburban areas and the greater Dublin region. RTPI screens are located at the bus stops and on campus outside the James Joyce Library & Student Centre, inside the Science and Newman Buildings and on the Blackrock Campus.

By Car: Delegates should use the N11 entrance to the Belfield Campus. Upon entry, turn left towards the roundabout, and take the third exit at the roundabout to turn back to the main entrance, pass the entrance and take first left into O'Reilly Hall car park (N2). A parking steward will be available to direct to a reserved section for delegates. See Car Parks Map here. 

(Disabled parking spots are available in all car parks)

See the UCD Commuting Guide for further information.

illustration of people

Organising Committee

Behind every conference there is a great team. Meet the UCD conference committee.

Contact Culture & Engagement

Culture & Engagement, UCD HR 3rd Floor, Roebuck Offices University College Dublin, Belfield, Dublin 4, Ireland.
E: engage@ucd.ie | Location Map(opens in a new window)