The making of a leader: from family boardroom to Park Avenue

'My first job was as a mini sales rep in my family’s bustling business.'

One of my earliest memories is standing on my tiptoes, stretching to peer over the shop counter in my family’s business in Donegal. I grew up in a family business surrounded by my five siblings, our board room meetings were basically family lunches. Getting stuck in was second nature to all of us.

The fifth generation family business distributes kitchenware and cookware to retail shops and working there was just part of my daily life. While my LinkedIn profile lists Deloitte as my first employer, my first real job was as a mini sales assistant to my mum and dad. When I had the opportunity to go work for Deloitte in New York for a year, my dad was my visa reference. I remember him joking about whether to mention he was also my father. Even now, one of my sisters and my brother still work in the company, alongside my parents.

Growing up in a family business completely shaped who I am and how I work. In that environment, I witnessed an incredible work ethic every day of my childhood. My grandad never retired, chaired the daily ‘board’ meetings around the family dinner table and lived to the great age of 99.

Two lessons I carry with me are to act like an owner even when you aren’t one and treat everyone with respect.

Dunleavy Distributors Donegal Established 1870

Trust your gut

My interest in tax began while I was studying Commerce and French in UCD. I loved how logical and practical it was. As graduation approached, I considered returning to the family business but decided gaining broader experience would be valuable.

I had no connection to Deloitte at the time, but while I was interviewing for graduate tax programmes, Deloitte’s culture felt like it would be the best fit for me.

In many ways it may have been easier to go back to Donegal, but I decided against this. Joining Deloitte was a daunting but rewarding decision, even in ways I couldn’t have imagined. During nearly seven years at Deloitte, including a year with Deloitte’s International Core of Excellence Tax Desk in New York, I gained incredible work experience. Beyond professional growth, Deloitte became the backdrop for some of my most meaningful personal connections. Some of my best friends are people I met when I was a trainee 20 years ago. I even met my husband on my first day!

I still play tag rugby with an Alumni team and it is always great to catch up.

Over the years I’ve really leaned on the Deloitte network for career advice and opportunities. So many of the people I trained with have gone on to have amazing careers, both in and outside of Deloitte. It shows the impact the Deloitte network can have, it wasn’t something I appreciated when I was in my early twenties and starting out, but now I am truly grateful I trusted my gut.

Deloitte Tag Rugby team 2015

From Donegal to Park Avenue in New York

I was on a Director progression programme at Deloitte when Elan Pharmaceuticals approached me. Initially I met them out of curiosity more than any plan to leave Deloitte. But as the conversations progressed, I realised it was a really good opportunity, and I decided to go for it. My Deloitte colleagues were really encouraging of me taking the leap. 

Elan was a fantastic place to work - fast-paced, challenging and transactional. The company was acquired within a few years of my joining and as part of the bidding process, we were asked to meet with potential acquiring companies in New York. My boss couldn’t go, so I was tasked with leading the brief and presenting in our lawyers’ offices on Park Avenue.

It was a massive moment in my career. It gave me unique exposure to the board and advisors, many of whom were also connected to a new company being set up called Malin Corporation, a business that invests in life science companies. They asked me to become their Head of Tax, and I jumped at the opportunity to challenge myself in a ‘start-up’.

Trust is the bedrock of all my work

The first few years at Malin were challenging. Our team was small and there were significant hurdles to overcome. The work was incredibly interesting, always challenging and in that environment I learned valuable lessons about leadership, values and communication.

It’s influenced how I lead and build teams. Trust and integrity have to be the bedrock of everyone I work with.

I saw real potential in Malin and they saw something in me. I started as Malin’s Head of Tax in 2015 and in 2023 I got the opportunity to become CEO, a role I’ve held since then. Having been in leadership roles in Malin for nearly a decade at that point, it was really exciting to get the chance to lead the company through its next phase. I will finish up with Malin later this year and have no doubt that my experience there will place me in good stead for the next phase of my own career.

If I had to give my 22-year-old self advice, it would be this: know your strengths, really back yourself and bring integrity to every interaction you have – it will serve you well.

I also believe it’s really important to learn to overcome self-doubt but also to use your voice to build others up when you have the opportunity. Whether it was walking into a meeting in Park Avenue or speaking to senior colleagues when I was junior in Deloitte, I’ve had moments that have really rattled me. What has helped me build confidence is focusing on the moments when people really believed in me, like a colleague’s encouragement or a promotion - believe that you have earned it.

Malin Corporation plc – 2022 Irish Times Company of the Year Finalist

Family roots and female leadership

I’m a CEO who happens to be a woman, and following my departure from Malin later this year, there will be no female CEOs of a publicly listed company in Ireland. A disappointing statistic but one that I personally believe misrepresents and distracts from the many impressive female leaders across all sectors in Ireland.

I want to see more women in leadership and I believe this starts by supporting women early in their careers and often more importantly at the mid-career stage. As a mum to three busy kids aged 9, 6 and 3, the support of my colleagues through these demanding years has been mission-critical! Visible female leadership also made a difference to me, especially when I worked in Deloitte. A number of Deloitte’s female leaders today - Lorraine Griffin (Chair of Deloitte Ireland) and Louise Kelly (Deloitte Ireland's Global Trade Strategy and Resilience Lead) to name but two - trained me when I joined as a trainee and their qualities as leaders were evident and admired even then. Witnessing others being recognised and promoted has real impact on what people believe they can achieve. 

Both men and women have been integral to my career path and progression. From the very early days in our family business, growing up with four sisters and one brother, there was no distinction drawn when it came to work. I saw both my mum and dad working hard as parents and business people every day. The idea that men and women are different in the workforce simply wasn’t part of my reality. Equally throughout my time in Deloitte, Elan and Malin, male leaders and peers have played just as pivotal a role in supporting and encouraging me to reach for the next level in my career.

Looking back, my journey from a family business to CEO has been shaped by the values instilled in me from an early age: act like an owner, respect, and trust. The lessons learned around that kitchen table, the encouragement from mentors and colleagues, and the confidence to trust my own instincts have been the foundation of every step I’ve taken.

As I look to the future, and my career beyond Malin, I am committed to continuing to lead with these values, because at the heart of every great business, whether family-run or multinational, are its values.

Global Deloitte colleagues from my time with Deloitte in NYC at my wedding in 2012