Careers rarely unfold as planned. Industries shift, interests evolve, and the work that felt right at one stage of life can feel less so at another. For some, change is forced by circumstance. For others, it comes from a growing sense that something needs to shift. Navigating career shifts requires more than ambition. It requires reflection, learning, and a willingness to rethink what success looks like.

This panel brings together three individuals who have navigated significant professional transitions, moving across sectors, disciplines, and leadership contexts. We will explore how we construct professional identity, how we make sense of moments of disruption, and how deliberate learning shapes what comes next.

Tomás O’Leary is a former professional rugby international and current EMBA student at University College Cork, where he also serves as Head of Rugby. During an outstanding playing career, he represented the Ireland national rugby union team while winning a Grand Slam in 2009.  He won two European Cup titles with Munster Rugby and was selected for the British & Irish Lions in 2009, with additional experience in both the UK and French leagues. Since retiring in 2017, Tomas has built a successful career in education and recruitment, bringing his leadership and high-performance mindset from elite sport into the professional world.

Virginia Teehan Virginia Teehan is an Irish art historian, writer, curator and archivist who has led the Irish Heritage Council (An Comhairle Oidhreachta) since January 2019.  She completed her EMBA at UCC in 2018 and was elected a member of the Royal Irish Academy in 2022.

John Forde has over 25 years experience in supply chain logistics. Previously Director of Global Supply Chain Planning and Logistics at GE healthcare, he is now Senior Director of Global Distribution Operations at Cytiva, leading complex international supply chains. He completed the UCC EMBA in 2014.

Moderator for the discussion is Professor Ronan Carbery, Director of the UCC Executive MBA Programme.

The panellists will reflect on what prompted their own transitions, what they carried forward from earlier careers, and what the experience of returning to formal education meant for them. This is intended as an honest conversation rather than a polished set of lessons, and it is open to anyone thinking seriously about their own career trajectory.

This event is open to EMBA alumni and anyone considering the programme.