Experience

The Blink Effect

• Ireland
• Professional Training and Coaching
• 1 - 100 Employee

• Co-Founder & Director

  • Jun 2020 - Present

  Paula is Co-founder and Director of The Blink Effect, ally to the elite mind. Anchored in a fusion of neuroscience, psychology, and mindfulness, The Blink Effect is a programme designed to build psychological flexibility in senior leaders.CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE: https://www.theblinkeffect.com Paula is Co-founder and Director of The Blink Effect, ally to the elite mind. Anchored in a fusion of neuroscience, psychology, and mindfulness, The Blink Effect is a programme designed to build psychological flexibility in senior leaders.CLICK HERE TO LEARN MORE: https://www.theblinkeffect.com



EY

• Entertainment Providers
• 1 - 100 Employee

• Head of People Experience, People Advisory Services

  • Jan 2018 - Present



A Lust for Life (www.alustforlife.com)

• Charity Co-Founder and Chair

  • Sep 2016 - Present

  Co-founder, Chair of the Board (and acting CEO) of A Lust for Life, an award winning Irish mental health charity that uses content, campaigns and events to facilitate young people to be effective guardians of their own mind - and to be leaders in driving our society towards a better future.Focused on;o Public voice – Acting as a primary public spokesperson for the organisation – speaking at public events and on national media to represent and promote the organisation and its campaignso Governance – Establishing robust governance infrastructure and practices in line with best practice and both Company and Charity law requirements – in addition to leadership and expansion of the board.o Strategy – Defining and implementing a long-term strategy with priority focus on driving campaigns to deliver social change and also on establishing long-term organisational sustainability.o People-and organisation – Leading and mentoring the operational team of A Lust for Life.o Financial planning and fundraising – Working with the board and the operational team to develop a sustainable and long term funding model – in addition to robust, transparent financial management practices.



Aura Holohan Group

• Ireland
• Wellness and Fitness Services
• 1 - 100 Employee

• Interim Group Director Brand & Business Development

  • Feb 2016 - Apr 2017

  Operating as interim Group Director of Brand & Business Development to drive all group new business development, sales and marketing activity – with a focus on future evolution & growth, developing and driving:o Brand - The optimum brand identity, promotion & positioning for the group – what the group represents as a brand and how the group positions that brando Business development - How the group profitably grasps new market opportunities based on robust market & competitor assessment o Products & Services - What the group goes to market with in terms of current and new products and services



Clarks

• United States
• Retail
• 1 - 100 Employee

• Interim Global Director of Programmes

  • Feb 2012 - Oct 2015

  Interim Global Director of Programmes with C. & J. Clark International Ltd trading as Clarks, a c. £1.7bn UK-based international shoe manufacturer and retailer with over 1,000 stores and franchises globally. Role focused on;o Programme Leadership - Working with the senior leadership to craft and lead a strategic consumer-focused portfolio of transformational programmes and projects with collective budget of c. £200m.o Capability building - Building a new global capability focused on on-going delivery and analysis of this portfolio.o Strategy - Engaging in strategic planning process for the global business.I also continued to work with the Clarks leadership team as Programme Director on a series of transformational projects after my initial role as interim Global Director of Programmes.



Mind Gym

• Honduras
• Education
• 1 - 100 Employee

• Interim Global Head of Solutions

  • Aug 2013 - Oct 2014

  Interim Global Head of Solutions for a c. £30m UK-based global Learning and Development organisation, using the latest psychology and behavioural science to transform how people think, feel and behave and so improve the performance of companies. Role focused on leading, developing and expanding the global creative team to create, define and improve all of Mind Gym’s learning solutions and products, ensuring;o All learning solutions and products are based in science and robust research.o A consistent focus on the entire cycle of learning which starts before the classroom intervention and beyond.This entailed;o Capability building - Expanding the global team by c.30% with specific focus on London and New York.o Operational leadership - Establishing unprecedented global robust operational processes and practices.o People Development • Leading and developing a global team of c.45 occupational psychologists and graphic designers. • Defining and rolling out a foundation Competency Framework for the global business.



Virgin Atlantic Airways

• India
• Appliances, Electrical, and Electronics Manufacturing

• Independent Consultant

  • 2011 - 2012

  Independent Consultant with Virgin Atlantic Ltd, a £2.7bn UK airline.I was engaged to facilitate the C-level leadership team and management board through their 5-year strategic planning process. Independent Consultant with Virgin Atlantic Ltd, a £2.7bn UK airline.I was engaged to facilitate the C-level leadership team and management board through their 5-year strategic planning process.



The Work Foundation

• United Kingdom
• Think Tanks
• 1 - 100 Employee

• Chief Operating Officer

  • Nov 2008 - Nov 2010

  Chief Operating Officer for The Work Foundation, a 100 year old UK ‘think tank’ and independent authority providing advice, consultancy and research on the future of the knowledge economy and the world of work, economic and organisational effectiveness. One of two Directors who orchestrated the sale of The Work Foundation to Lancaster University the role centred on;o Strategy • Executive responsibility for strategy definition and delivery. Strategy delivered a 20% reduction in organisational cost base, 3 new long-term research programmes, advanced plans to establish a ‘Big Innovation Centre’• Driving an initiative to articulate and campaign to government for structural change to evolve the UK’s creative economy. o Business Development• Developing and driving the business development strategy, building and nurturing a strong sales pipeline, identifying and developing new client relationships, managing, expanding and strengthening existing client relationships, building the case for new innovative programmes, leading responses to large scale tenders and proposals.• Delivering on business development strategy, which achieved commitment from 30+ sponsors of various programmes (collective value c. £1.5m) and c. £1.2m of bespoke research and strategic advice.o External partnerships• Ownership of partnership programme and team - c. £600k funding p.a. with c.200 partner relationships.• Direct account management responsibility for c.25 relationships across major UK organisations (e.g., Unilever plc., BBC, BP, Lloyds TSB, Arts and Business, University of Creative Arts, Tesco plc.) and government departments (e.g., DEFRA and Department of Health).• Leading the transformation of the partnership model, resulting in a 20% increase in partnership base.o Operational leadership• Executive ownership of financial and corporate team with responsibility for trading budget of c. £5m.• Working with leadership to achieve £1.1m cost savings off a trading cost baseline of £5.2m.



Accenture

• Ireland
• Business Consulting and Services
• 700 & Above Employee

• Senior Executive/Partner

  • Mar 1997 - Oct 2008

  Senior Executive/Partner, with Accenture plc., a $32bn global management consulting and professional services company that provides strategy, consulting, digital, technology and operations services.Role entailed operating in senior leadership roles on major client engagements with expertise in solution and business case architecture, transition planning and programme/project management. Was ultimately a lead Senior Executive within the HR transformation service line of Accenture’s global Talent and Organisation Performance practice. Key client engagements include;o Lead Global Solution Architect on a market-making 7-year $900m contract signed with Unilever plc. in May 2006. This was the largest global HR outsourcing contract ever signed and entailed transfer of HR operations to Accenture across 100+ countries with an in-scope population of 1,500+ employees; large offshore component across Accenture’s key global delivery centres; global implementations of PeopleSoft, Accenture’s Learning Management System, Vurv, SAP Payroll and Softscape.o Lead HR Solution Architect on a 10-year contract with Carillion - the first ever multi-tower business process outsourcing contract within the UK Construction industry. o Solution Planning Manager and People Transition and Communications Lead on a 7-year $125m HR transformational outsourcing contract with Best Buy Co., Inc. headquartered in Minneapolis, US. o Project Lead on Volvo HR Outsourcing Feasibility Study in 2002/03 - spanning 30 countries, 10 HR functions and 15 Volvo Business Units. o Project Lead on establishment of Accenture HR Services Australia in 2002, consolidating 5 HR operations locations into one. o Key member of the Accenture leadership team that established Accenture HR Services in 2000.One of the most experienced senior practitioners within Accenture's HR outsourcing global network, led key global internal capability development projects and acted as lead faculty on many global training programmes.



Marks and Spencer

• United Kingdom
• Retail
• 700 & Above Employee

• Regional Assistant Financial Manager

  • Sep 1994 - Mar 1997

  Regional Assistant Financial Manager with Marks and Spencer plc., a £10.5bn British multinational retailer.Responsible for regional financial management, budgetary planning and information systems management - with line management responsibility for financial and administrative teams of c.70 people across 6 locations and budget in excess of £40m p.a. Regional Assistant Financial Manager with Marks and Spencer plc., a £10.5bn British multinational retailer.Responsible for regional financial management, budgetary planning and information systems management - with line management responsibility for financial and administrative teams of c.70 people across 6 locations and budget in excess of £40m p.a.