Since 2003, IPM has been running its annual graduate awards programme. Many of our successful award winners have progressed to be influential and highly respected leaders in the field.
The objectives of the IPM Graduate of the Year Awards are to:
Working with and learning from the highly motivated students that we have encountered over the years has been a very gratifying experience. As they have climbed the corporate ladder, their influence on the application and development of their discipline contributes to its future health.
We would like to congratulate our winners on their achievements and wish them every success in their future career.
My name is Cathal McGowan, and I am a career project professional from Dublin, Ireland. I started my career as an EDI analyst with Hibernian-Aviva (subsequently Aviva) Insurance. After a couple of years, it was clear Business Analysis was for me, and I joined the Business Change function as a Junior BA and never looked back. On this team, working alongside PMs and the PMO, I gained extensive experience working on a diverse range of projects, from small changes to strategic pan-European programmes. This experience in one of Europe's leading insurance companies exposed me to all facets of project and change management across process, product, systems development, financial risk, compliance, data migrations, and technical infrastructure, among other topics. In parallel, I also worked in the European PMO as a support analyst and contributed to the delivery of a new portfolio management application.
After several years in Aviva, the time was right to take some time out to travel in South America and Asia – a journey that was punctuated by a 9-month period in Melbourne, Australia, where I worked on a major migration programme for pensions and investment provider AMP, further enhancing my large programme experience. This time my focus was Change Management and migration readiness, developing in-flight transactions and processes to aid business teams across migrations.
Returning to Ireland, I continued my development as a Senior Analyst on another insurance technology transformation programme in FBD, focusing on product (re-)development and customer documentation streams.
After 10 years within Financial Services, I took the opportunity to diversify my industry experience, joining Europe's largest Experience Gifting provider, Smartbox Group as a Senior Analyst. Entering a well-established core systems migration programme, my primary focus was initially enterprise processes and delivery assurance, as well as contributing to the development and rollout of a new technology governance framework. With a large volume of departments, systems, and processes in scope, the diversity and complexity of my career to date have been invaluable in enabling me to settle quickly and ensure the success of the programme.
Following the completion of the final migration and after 13 years as an analyst, I was given the opportunity to move into Operations Management. Having contributed to the establishment of many of the systems and processes during the transformation programme, this was a chance to formally develop both people and project leadership capabilities within a familiar environment. During this time, I successfully enhanced and expanded an operations development team, focused on delivering strategic change objectives and operational assurance for several teams and the wider organisation.
Having successfully delivered customer and technology-focused projects in parallel with operational development activities, I made the decision to formalise and enrich my project management experience through the IPM's Diploma in Project Management, having earlier in my career attained professional certifications in Business Analysis and Oracle Programming.
With capabilities ranging from strategy & business architecture through project delivery and operational assurance, I am excited to enter the next chapter of my career as a Consulting Senior Manager with Deloitte.
I started my career in 2006 as an EDI analyst without much certainty about what I was hoping to achieve. I very quickly realised that analysis and detail-oriented activities were well matched to my personality. So, when the opportunity to join the Business Change team as a Junior BA presented itself, I jumped at the chance and never looked back.
From there, I worked solidly as a business and/or change analyst for 10 years before transitioning to operations and change leadership. While I performed project management activities during my time as a business analyst, it was within Smartbox Operations that I gained end-to-end responsibility for leading projects from strategy objectives to working operational products.
Having gained extensive experience across a range of project activities, including leadership, I was still very aware of the fact that the practice of project management went a lot deeper than my exposure to date. I wanted to gain a better understanding of the process areas I knew and develop my capabilities in those areas I had only heard of.
My experience is slightly different in that I took a sabbatical just prior to starting the course, and I am only now (as of March 18th) starting a new position. However, I found the course extremely beneficial, enriching my personal experiences with clear and proven best practices that were invaluable during conversations with recruiters, hiring managers, and peers. This formalisation of knowledge, combined with the reputation of the IPM, provided an additional layer of confidence. I have no doubt this will continue to contribute positively in my new role.
Keelyn is a Project Leader at a specialist insurance provider, CFC Underwriting, in London. Her role involves shaping and improving how projects are managed across the business. Since joining the newly formed Projects team, she has worked on building a structured project management framework, improving reporting processes, and supporting teams in delivering projects more efficiently.
Her role involves managing a mix of projects, from finance transformation initiatives to process improvements and product launches. She enjoys working with different teams across the company, helping to keep things on track and making sure projects align with business goals. She also focuses on change management, drawing on her Prosci Change Management Practitioner certification to support teams through transitions.
Keelyn has over five years of experience in financial services, consulting, and insurance, having worked on large-scale transformation programmes at PwC and HSBC. These roles gave her a strong foundation in governance, risk management, and stakeholder engagement—skills she now applies to her work at CFC.
She also values mentorship and professional development, having been involved in initiatives around personal branding, leadership, and commercial awareness. She's always keen to collaborate, share ideas, and find ways to improve how projects are delivered.
Keelyn studied Commerce at University College Cork, graduating with first-class honours. She enjoys the problem-solving side of project management and is always looking for ways to make processes smoother and more effective.
When I joined CFC, the project team was very much in its infancy, and projects were being delivered in a "just do it" format with no overarching structure or alignment to business strategy. Recognising the need for a more structured approach, I drafted a project management framework to support the delivery of my projects. However, I quickly realised that while this framework helped manage individual projects, it lacked alignment with CFC's strategic goals and an overall project portfolio.
As my projects evolved, several grew into broader programmes of work, highlighting the need for a cohesive programme management approach. I also identified gaps in my experience, particularly in benefits realisation and developing key performance indicators (KPIs) to measure project success. Wanting to get ahead of these challenges and better align projects with strategic objectives, I decided to further my learning through a Strategic Project & Programme Management diploma.
Since completing the diploma, I have been able to take a more strategic, big-picture approach to project delivery, ensuring that my projects directly support CFC's broader business goals. Rather than viewing each project in isolation, I now consider how they fit within the company's wider portfolio and long-term objectives. The course has also given me the knowledge and practical tools to refine and enhance the existing project management framework. I've introduced more structured planning, improved tracking of project objectives, and a stronger focus on key performance indicators (KPIs) and financial oversight in my projects. This has allowed the team to deliver projects more efficiently, with clearer measures of success and tangible business impact.
One of the biggest shifts has been in my confidence when engaging with senior stakeholders. I can now clearly articulate how our projects contribute to strategic objectives, providing meaningful insights backed by data. This has helped drive more informed decision-making and stronger buy-in from leadership, ensuring that projects remain aligned with business priorities.
Overall, the diploma has not only strengthened my technical project management skills but has also helped elevate the role of project management within my organisation, moving it from task execution to a more strategic function.
David Munnelly is a manager in Deloitte's Engineering, AI and Data portfolio, providing advisory services to healthcare clients, and has been involved in large-scale service transformation and digital healthcare projects. David has ten years of professional experience across both the public and private sectors, specialising in PMO, service delivery and digital transformation projects. His diverse industry experience includes technology, international non-governmental organisations, and banking. Notable projects under his belt include the implementation of national patient care information systems, national vaccination management systems, PMO frameworks, and healthcare strategies.
David graduated with a Bachelor's degree in International Relations from DCU and a Master's degree in International Peacekeeping Studies from Trinity College, Dublin. David transitioned into healthcare in 2018 and joined the National Treatment Purchase Fund (NTPF) as a Project Associate, supporting the development and implementation of a data access and case management IT system to better identify, track, and manage patient care information across public and private hospitals. David moved to the HSE in 2020 and further developed his project management skills, supporting multiple programmes aimed at improving service delivery across maternity care, Public Health and COVID-19 response.
Since 2023, David has been serving as a manager in Deloitte's Health and Social Care team, providing strategic advisory, digital transformation, and PMO leadership to a diverse range of clients. He continues to expand his project skillset and remains committed to advancing and improving healthcare delivery.
I began my Project Management education with the IPM in 2018 after transitioning into healthcare. I did not have a defined background in this industry and needed to rebase my skillset with something that could support and enhance my work. I initially completed the Project Management Diploma, and from there, I began pursuing additional certifications with the IPM that would help expand my knowledge and provide me with an understanding of leadership and strategic management to support my work in healthcare. Since joining the IPM, I have continued to expand and grow my education with additional certifications in strategic programme management, agile project management, and project leadership and management.
Since taking up my role in consulting, I wanted to continue my education to ensure I could continually provide quality advisory services to our clients. Additionally, as I began to take on more complex roles and projects, I knew that pursuing this diploma would provide me with the practical skillset and knowledge to grow and lead out on programme-level initiatives.
This course has greatly broadened my understanding of what it means to be a leader within programme management. I believe this diploma has also given me the perspective to consider what is required when faced with a strategic challenge and the steps needed to find the best solutions. Being able to leverage and apply what I have learned from this course to real-world scenarios to provide the best value to our clients has given me the confidence to grow as a project manager, enhancing my ability to lead teams effectively and drive successful project outcomes.
If you would like to read about the awards from the previous years, please visit The Institute page.
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