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Biography

Josephine Holohan is the Senior Administrator with the Office of the President. Previous to this role, Josephine worked as Projects Manager with the Research Office in SETU Waterford (2021-2023), National Research Programme Officer at WIT (2019-2021), and Commercial Research Manager at the RIKON Group (2009-2019).

Josephine graduated from WIT (2009) with a Research Masters in Business. Between 2009 - present, Josephine has been employed by WIT/RIKON initially as a senior market analyst, involving the design, implementation and analysis of market assessment/diagnostic tools and methodologies for commercial and applied research projects. Key to this role was the dissemination of research commercially, working closely with SMEs to deliver outputs meeting their emerging needs. As the National Research Programmes Officer at WIT, her role was to co-ordinate the pre- and post-award funding support for National Research Funding Programmes in the organisation, liaising with research funding agencies such as Science Foundation Ireland (SFI), Irish Research Council (IRC), the Higher Education Authority (HEA), the Health Research Board (HRB), Enterprise Ireland (EI), Teagasc, and others. As Projects Manager with the Research Office, Josephine coordinated researcher supports and internal funding programmes, spearheading numerous initiatives to benefit the research community within the University. Her work included – but not limited to – the supervision of programmes officers; design, rollout, and governance of internal scholarship programmes; day-to-day management of researcher supports; and working closely with all other University units involved in the lifecycle of funded research awards.

Josephine's career has involved closed engagement and coordination of Industry partners, funding agencies, and other external organisations. She has worked with national and local government in Ireland and has advised a broad range of private sector organisations in process transformation over her career. She has particular expertise in Lean Principles and their practical implementation in industry in addition to a comprehensive knowledge of the research funding landscape for both career researchers and postgraduates.

Guest Lecturing in WIT

Past Projects/Event Planning

1. Lead Analyst  on Waterford Retail Network Project (2007-2008)
2. Lead Analyst on Kilkenny Traffic Study and Kilkenny Retail Perception Study (2010-2011)
3. Lead coordinator for the “Innovation Express” international conference  in Kilkenny (network/conference event) (2012)
4. Judging Kilkenny Awards & New Ross Awards (Business & Professional) – interview panel etc.  (2011 & 2012)
5. Presentation to Failte Ireland on “Senior Tourism” and the national research forum (2013)
6. Lead researcher and coordinator for Bray Tourism destination development  (2012-2013)
7. Lead researcher and coordinator for Strategic development of Destination Enniscorthy (2013)

Previous role in the group include:  Market Analyst and project manager-  plan, execute and finalise projects according to strict deadlines and within budget. This included acquiring resources and coordinating the efforts of team members and 3rd party contractors or consultants in order to deliver projects according to plan. As project manager I also define the projects objectives and oversee quality control throughout its lifecycle.

Key Responsibilities include:
1. To establish and maintain effective relationships and partnerships with key stakeholders.
2. To lead and managing complex projects that are strategic in nature and national in scope.
3. To execute projects on time and on budget.
4. Strong interpersonal, communication, facilitation and presentation skills.
5. Strong analytical and problem solving skills.
6. Knowledge of workforce strategies and business modelling as planned and developed in a variety of sectors
7. Ability to apply innovative and effective management techniques to maximise performance.

My core responsibility involves the design, implementation and analysis of market assessment/diagnostic tools and methodologies both qualitative and quantitative for commercial and applied research projects. The role also involves deriving business-relevant conclusions from studies and effectively communicating them to the specific audience. In addition, I have responsibility for designing and writing case studies for applied research projects, for example:

• Institute of Technology Ireland (2011), “Destination Analysis, Planning and Development”, Innovative Research Solutions with Industry, IOTI
• Institute of Technology Ireland (2010), “Improvement in New Product Development”, Innovative Research Solutions with Industry, IOTI