Students as Leaders

Gavin Oates

Managing Director, Inspirational Speaker, Comedian & Best-Selling Author

“Inspirational”, “Mind-Blowing”, “Hilarious” and “Barn-Storming” are just a few of the words used by clients to describe Gavin Oattes and his unique ability to entertain, enlighten and educate an audience.

Gavin is an international keynote speaker, award winning comedian, best-selling author of SHINE, LIFE WILL SEE YOU NOW and DIARY OF A BRILLIANT KID. Although he spends much of his time speaking to business leaders and directors of some of the world’s leading organisations Gavin’s true inspiration for what he does comes from where he started out his career…primary school teaching.

He’s a firm believer that we as adults can be every bit as inspired by young children as they can by us grown-ups. Gavin transports his audience back to when they were just 5 years of age, a time when we feared nothing and embraced everything.

Over the past decade, Gavin has worked with literally hundreds of thousands of people and is now regarded as one the most talented and sought after speakers in the UK.

• Website: www.gavinoattes.com
• X: @gavinoattes
• LinkedIn: /gavinoattes

Cathy Moore

Employability Consultant

Cathy is an Employability Consultant in the Faculty Partnerships Team within the Student and Graduate Success Directorate at Ulster University. She currently works with Ulster Law and Ulster Business School on the Belfast Campus to embed employability and enterprise into the curriculum and wider student experience, linking students, academic staff and employers.

With almost 20 years of experience in the Employability sector, Cathy has worked in both the Secondary and Further Education Sectors, joining Ulster University in 2017. She been instrumental in launching the Graduate Transitions Project and leading the university-wide Alumni Mentoring programme. Cathy has worked with employers to embed mentoring across management levels and roles, supporting senior managers to gain accreditation in industry for employer mentoring programmes. Cathy has been the recipient of Ulster University’s Collaborative Distinguished Excellence Awards in both 2022 and 2023 and the individual Distinguished Excellence Award for Supporting Learning in 2024.

LinkedIn: /cathy-moore-northernireland

Professor Karise Hutchinson

Professor of Leadership and the founder of Illuminaire Leadership

Karise Hutchinson is a Professor of Leadership and the founder of Illuminaire Leadership – a global institute providing high quality, research-led insight to leaders in private, public and third sector organisations. She is an award-winning researcher, author, educator, speaker, and strategic advisor to leaders in government, public and private sector, as well as not-for-profit organisations. Whether it is her TED talks or the launch of Illuminaire Press - a unique leadership science, strategy, and story publication series, Karise specialises in uncovering and spreading the very latest leadership thinking. She is motivated her purpose to equip and enable leaders take a deeper look at how they think and practice leadership today, for the sake of tomorrow. Karise lives on the North Coast of Ireland with her husband and four children joining her on her adventure and love of life.

LinkedIn: /illuminaireleadership
Instagram:  @illuminaireleadership

Roisin Loughran

Associate Director Grant Thornton

Roisin Loughran is an Associate Director in Grant Thornton’s People and Change Consulting practice.

With a passion for people and their potential, Roisin has over 20 years’ experience as a senior HR leader in a blue chip, fast-moving environment.

Leading teams of HR professionals to deliver HR best practice and inspiring a ‘great place to work’ culture. An advocate for modern, future-fit and inclusive employee engagement through learning for all, talent development, promoting diversity and health & well-being.

Roisin has significant experience developing leadership capability. Throughout her career, she has been a coach and mentor to both aspiring and experienced business leaders and HR professionals.

Susan HayesCulleton, CFA, “The Positive Economist” is Managing Director of the Hayes Culleton Group, with clients across Europe and the USA. The businesses include Active Peers AI; a tech platform that optimises mentor matching programmes including admin, algorithmic matching, tight feedback loops and effective interactions all in one space. Also, Savvy Teens which offers work experience facilitation in corporate organisations. Susan acts as MC at hybrid conferences all over the world.

Susan is a six-time author including “Money Matters”, a financial literacy textbook that is now in every secondary school in Ireland with the support of CFA Ireland. She has twice co-authored “Positive Economics”, the market-leading Leaving Cert economics textbook in Ireland, and she is the author of two books published by Penguin, “The Savvy Woman’s Guide to Financial Freedom” and “The Savvy Guide to Making More Money”. Susan is co-founder of The Positive Economist, and Associate Lecturer at Ulster University. Susan holds a Chartered Financial Analyst charter, MSc Executive Leadership, BSc Financial Maths and Economics and a Diploma in Taxation.

X: @SusanHayes_
FaceBook: https://www.facebook.com/ActivePeersAI  
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/activepeersai/  
Instagram: @ActivePeersAI