Perseverance is the secret of all triumphs

“I’m someone who gives 150%. It’s one of the biggest challenges I have to manage, especially while balancing a career with a growing family.” 

Despite growing up two miles away from Tara Mines, one of Europe’s largest zinc mining operations based in Navan, Meath, it never occurred to me that I would end up working there.

Since joining Boliden Tara Mines, I have learned a great deal — not least that if we cannot grow it, we must extract it. I have also gained a much deeper appreciation of how modern society depends on responsibly sourced minerals and metals, from the materials in our smartphones and cars to those that support renewable energy infrastructure. Before working here, I did not fully appreciate where these metals came from, or how easily we take them for granted

Early in my time at Tara, a review of the corporate structure revealed a small but meaningful family connection. To my surprise, I discovered a company bearing the ‘Bennett’ name, linked to an exploration licence my granddad, a local stonemason, had once secured after believing copper might be present in a nearby limestone quarry in Ardbraccan. Nothing came of it at the time, but years later that licence became part of Tara Mines’ story — and, in a very personal way, part of mine too. 

Growing up, you could usually find my four siblings and me either on a football pitch or standing on the sidelines. We were a GAA household, and living in Meath in the 1990s was a great time to be involved in the sport. I still remember the Dublin–Meath rivalry and family trips to Croke Park. My dad would lift me and my sisters over the turnstiles — I am not sure that was allowed, but that is how it was! In recent years, it has been the Meath ladies who have been so successful. I played a little for the county, though nowhere near the standard of the current team. I love watching them now and bringing my own two girls to club and county matches. Being a spectator is much easier than wearing the jersey.

Sport taught me the importance of teamwork, and I carried that lesson into my professional life. Every team has its stars, but without a strong wider squad, success is difficult to sustain. I also learned that you have to experience losses and setbacks to truly appreciate success when it comes. 

My mum was the matriarch of the house, busy managing five children, and it is only now that I fully appreciate the work that took. My dad was a local carpenter, with a bit of farming on the side. He would get up at 5am to turn the hay before starting work in a local joinery at 8am. We had one car, so some days we would collect him after work, which I always looked forward to. 

In 1989, the joinery closed for good, and my dad set up his own business with a former colleague, George. That business is still going today.

The business became successful, making a name for itself as an expert in stairs for some of Ireland’s biggest housing developers. But that success was never guaranteed. In the early 1990s, the joinery burned down. It was an extremely difficult time for my dad, George and my mum. I did not fully appreciate the devastation then, but I do remember people calling to the house to offer support and others sending machines from Westmeath. I thought it was incredible how people showed up in times of adversity. That taught me a valuable lesson about relationships: the people who show up when you need them matter most. My mum, two of my brothers and one of my sisters are now involved, and my dad still works 50-hour weeks. He turns 80 next year. 

Watching my parents build something through hard work, a fire and times of uncertainty had a significant impact on me. It taught me that grit, determination, integrity and humility can take you a long way. 

It also made me determined to take care of myself and take nothing for granted. When I did my J1 in the United States, my parents loaned me the airfare, but I was adamant I would pay them back. I was gone for only 10 weeks, and my parents and all five of my siblings came to visit for two of those weeks. Like I said, we are close. I worked as a chambermaid in the morning and in a restaurant in the evening, saving enough to repay them.

I was proud handing over a wad of mainly one-dollar bills from tips. They did not want to take it — not just because it would be hard to carry around — but I insisted. For some reason, it felt really important to me.

Michelle with her mother and sisters

There was no grand plan, but I have learned that even with a plan, things are not always plain sailing. 

When I finished in secondary school, I chose to do a commerce degree at the University of Galway because I’d enjoyed studying business and accounting for the Leaving Cert. 

None of my close friends from secondary school were going to Galway, but that did not faze me. Looking back, I realise it was brave — I shared a room on campus with a girl called Emma I had never met — but at the time I did not overthink it. I met some of my best friends in Galway – Emma and Niamh - and I am grateful that I took that leap. We worked hard, of course, but we had a lot of fun too. Galway still holds a special place in my heart. 

In my third year at university, I interviewed with Deloitte Dublin, which was offering the opportunity to train as a chartered accountant over three to four years. I immediately felt a connection with the people I met, so joining felt like a no-brainer. 

I still vividly remember going with my parents to buy a suit for the first day – matching jacket, skirt and shirt - for my first day. How times have changed, I don’t think I could stick to that dress code today! 

I had a brilliant time in Deloitte. I worked, studied at night and at weekends, and still found time for the occasional social event. I also had the opportunity to work on a project for CRH, including time on the east and west coasts of the United States. After three and a half years of training and exams, I qualified as a chartered accountant in 2006. Deloitte’s investment in me, and the quality of the training, helped shaped my career. It is why I still advocate for people to train as accountants, even if it is not what they want to do long term. It is a platform from which to grow. Throughout my career, even when I have not been in a direct finance role, I keep going back to the skills I learned in those early years.

Michelle and her Deloitte friends 

The friends I made in Deloitte have also turned out to be ones for life. I left 20 years ago and I’m still in touch with so many of them. 

After a few years, I wanted to try something different, so I moved to Australia. Deloitte continued to have a positive impact on my life because a group of Deloitte friends came too. One of them was a good friend who quickly became more than a friend and is now my husband. So I gained a lot from my time in Deloitte! My children still ask why both Mum and Dad are accountants, and whether it is fun to count numbers! 

I’ve learnt the most from the challenges in my roles

When I came back from Australia, I got a job in Eir (at the time, Eircom) as an accountant on the Retail side of the business.  

I spent 11 years at Eir, experiencing plenty of ups and downs: changes in leadership, an examinership process that saw debt holders become shareholders, a rebrand to Eir, completing an MBA while working full-time, getting married, having my first child, and being heavily involved in the sale of a major stake in the company in 2018. 

That period reminded me again of the importance of working hard and investing in relationships. You can be as strategic as you want with your career, but if you do not put in the work behind it, strategy will not mean much. Many of the opportunities I have had came because people trusted me to do the work. 

One of those opportunities was to work as business manager to the CEO. It was my first non-finance role and came in the middle of the Eir examinership process. The exposure in the role was phenomenal. I learned an entirely new skillset, began to think more strategically, and broadened my perspective on what it takes to run a large organisation. 

I left Eir just as a new CEO, Carolan Lennon, was taking over. I knew there could be opportunities for me, but I also wanted to extend my family, so I decided to take more than a year out. It was hard leaving colleagues who had become friends, and leaving Carolan, who remains an inspirational figure to me for how she balanced a brilliant career with family life. 

I have learned most from some of the hardest moments in my career, including unexpected hurdles that tested my resolve. 

I returned to work a couple of years later as Finance Director of a financial services company. During that time, we faced regulatory challenges that no college course or textbook could prepare you for. I had to rely on my professional network, including people from Deloitte and a close mentor from Eir, as well as my own experience and resilience. 

My personal support network was also critical - my husband, my family, especially my sisters and my mum, were amazing as I wasn’t present at home for several weeks. Those were the people that show up when the stakes are down.  

Michelle with her husband and kids

Tara Mines and the importance of teamwork and trust

As I was coming out of that intense period, I got a call from Boliden Tara Mines to ask if I would be interested in the Head of Finance role. 

Tara Mines is about two miles from where I grew up, but with no mining background, and as the first proposed female member of the management team, I was not convinced I was the right fit.

Michelle at Tara Mines

I joined in spite of that, and I have since learned a huge amount about mining — something I never expected. 

Less than a month after I joined, Russia invaded Ukraine. Tara is exposed to geopolitical factors: the zinc price is set by the London Metal Exchange, the product is sold in US dollars, and the market we operate in is cyclical. Add energy and inflation pressures, and it became a perfect storm. 

Operations at Tara were temporarily suspended in July 2023, following significant financial losses driven by the factors mentioned above.  

It was a devastating blow for our employees and their families, most of whom live in the local community. A huge effort went into reopening the operation in July 2024 and putting it on a more sustainable basis for potential future growth. 

Shortly after reopening, I was offered the opportunity to become General Manager. I was the first Irish woman without a mining background to take on the role. I honestly never aspired to it, or thought it would be possible to become General Manager of a Swedish-owned mining company, but opportunities like that do not come around often. Sometimes timing matters. I thought: feel the fear and do it anyway. 

The role is vastly different from anything I had done before, but my financial literacy, starting with my Deloitte training, has been a huge advantage in the role.  

I have also learned that successful leadership depends on trust: trust in the process, and trust in the team. My aim is to foster an environment where my team and our wider workforce feel comfortable speaking their minds, where open conversations happen with respect and without judgement, and where different perspectives are welcomed. 

We have a great opportunity at Tara for the future. It has been a rollercoaster, and I must give credit to my team and the wider workforce. We are all working hard to build a sustainable future for Tara.

I have been lucky with the opportunities that have come my way, but I have also faced significant challenges that shaped me professionally and personally. Those challenges taught me the importance of resilience, judgement and relying on the network around you to give perspective and advice when needed. I want to set a good example for my two daughters and teach them the importance of independence and that there are opportunities for everyone to excel in life.  

On reflection, and going back to where it all started, Deloitte is very much at the forefront of my thoughts. I built a solid career on the skillset I gained there. On top of that, I met my husband, a wonderful group of close friends, and a wider alumni network that I still rely on. I feel very lucky to have had that opportunity.