Pre Placement Portfolio (Hospitality and Tourism Management)

Dr Sinead Furey

Senior Lecturer in Consumer Management and Food Innovation

Dr Sinéad Furey is a Lecturer on the consumer management and food innovation undergraduate degree programme in the Department for Hospitality and Tourism Management. Sinéad studied consumer studies at Ulster University (1998) and completed a Doctor of Philosophy degree in food poverty researching the characteristics, extent and location of food deserts in both rural and urban areas of Northern Ireland in 2001. She completed her Postgraduate Certificate in management studies at Queen’s University Belfast (2005) and is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy.

Sinéad joined Ulster in 2013 having worked previously in consumer, food and nutrition policy in the Consumer Council for Northern Ireland, Education and Training Inspectorate, and the Food Standards Agency in Northern Ireland.

Her primary research interests are food poverty, retail food promotions, promotion of food to young people, and social exclusion. She is the principal Investigator of a safefood-funded research grant (£209,000) investigating the balance of healthy versus less healthy food promotions among Republic of Ireland food retailers.

Sinéad was part of a research team for the Food Standards Agency in Northern Ireland-funded (£108,000) three-stage investigation into the balance of healthy versus less healthy food promotions among Northern Ireland food retailers. She lectures on food and consumer policy and legislation and co-ordinates modules for consumer law and global food issues. She also teaches business-related modules on marketing and management.

Sinéad supervises a PhD student identifying a fit for purpose indicator to measure the extent of food poverty in Northern Ireland. She represents Ulster University on the Belfast Food Network Advisory Group and Belfast Food Network Food Poverty Working Group.

Sinéad also holds a Ministerial appointment as a Board member of the Consumer Council for Northern Ireland and is the Independent consumer representative on the Northern Ireland Food Chain Certification Committee.

Robert McKenna

Associate Head of Department of Hospitality & Tourism Management

Mr Robert McKenna is a Lecturer with the Department of Hospitality and Tourism at Ulster University. Robert completed a BTEC HND in Hotel, Catering and Institutional Management at Salford University, before completing a BSc (Hons) in Hotel and Catering Management at Manchester Metropolitan University. In 2003 he completed an MSc in International Hospitality, Travel, Tourism and Leisure Management at Ulster University.

After commencing his role as a Lecturer within the Department, Robert completed the FHEA – Post Graduate Certificate of Higher Education Practice at Ulster University.

Robert has extensive experience as a hospitality and tourism professional, in a wide variety of roles in both the private and public sectors. Robert’s industrial experience spans 25 years working in hospitality & tourism operations and management positions in the private sector in the UK, Ireland and USA, in addition, to public sector roles including the role of Chief Executive of the Tourism Training Trust.

Robert also owned and managed a successful café franchise, prior to taking the post with the University.

He is a lecturer in Food & Beverage Operations on the International Hospitality Management Programme with the Department of Hospitality and Tourism. He has particular responsibility for second year students in food and beverage operations management, research methods, industrial placement and executive food and beverage management.

During his career he has developed and delivered programmes for industry in areas such as business and personal development to assist business growth. In addition, he has worked to bring industry and education together through organising events to help people of all ages understand and gain skills required for industry.

Robert’s main research areas include food and beverage operations, quality issues/management, revenue management, urban regeneration, urban tourism, student transition and progression.

Robert has also been an external examiner with Limerick Institute of Technology and more recently has accepted the role of external examiner with Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh.