Presented by SETU President, Professor Veronica Campbell, at Faithlegg House Hotel on Thursday, 15 October, the awards represent the University’s first formal occasion to celebrate the achievements and impact of its alumni.
The five honourees embody SETU’s values and ambitions through their leadership, innovation, enterprise and commitment to making a positive contribution to society. Coming from a diverse range of sectors, including construction, technology, consulting and media, financial services and biotechnology, each is a worthy recipient of this inaugural award.
The 2026 SETU Alumni Award recipients are Liam Kenny, CEO of John Paul Construction Group; James O’Connor, Corporate Vice President, Microsoft Global Operations Service Centre and Site Leader for Microsoft Ireland; Cathal Quinlan, Founder of Better@Work Management Consulting and host of the Better@Work Podcast; Orlaith Ryan, COO and Co-founder of Shorla Oncology; and Donna Tilson, AVP, IT Integration Strategy and Ireland Lead at Sun Life.
Presenting the awards, Prof. Campbell praised the recipients for their achievements and the impact they have made in their respective fields, highlighting how their careers reflect the talent, ambition and leadership of SETU’s graduate community.
While your career paths have taken you in different directions, you have used that success to make a meaningful contribution to society. Through hard work and determination, you have demonstrated just how far talent, ambition and educational opportunity can take you.
Prof. Veronica Campbell SETU President
She also recognised the recipients’ continued connection with SETU and their commitment to supporting current students, adding, “Through student engagement activities you are generously sharing your stories, experience, insights and advice with current SETU students and I want to express my sincere thanks to each of you for taking the time to do this.”
In her address, Prof. Campbell also shared SETU’s progress in delivering major capital projects for the University and expanding educational opportunities across the South East. Drawing on her own experience, she emphasised the transformative power of education and the University’s ongoing commitment to widening access and participation in the region.
Reflecting on the pivotal role SETU has played in shaping his career in Microsoft, James O’Connor, said, “After completing my leaving certificate, I was enrolled to start at an agricultural college, however it was a visiting family friend who inspired me to re-consider and instead think about a career in computing. As a result, I contacted Carlow RTC and was very lucky to secure a place in computing which would transform my life. I’m deeply thankful to SETU for this incredibly thoughtful Alumni Award recognition, which I hope will inspire current and future students at SETU, to take similar career path risks and always dream big.”
Fiona Garvan, of SETU’s Development and Alumni Office, highlighted the importance of recognising graduate achievements and maintaining strong connections with the university community.
We are proud to celebrate graduates whose achievements and contributions are creating positive change in their professions, communities and wider society. Their stories demonstrate the ambition, creativity and community spirit at the heart of the SETU alumni community.
Fiona Garvan of SETU's Development and Alumni Office
The SETU alumni community is a growing global network of more than 100,000 graduates from SETU and the University’s legacy institutions across the South East, along with partner institutions around the world.
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