Leadership Conversation Series

19 Mar 2026

Cork University Business School recently hosted an exciting series of events as part of its Leadership Conversation Series, welcoming staff, students and alumni to engage with two outstanding industry leaders over the past few weeks.

On Thursday, February 19, CUBS welcomed Sharon Cunningham, CEO and Co-Founder of Shorla Oncology. Cork University Business School graduate Sharon trained with PricewaterhouseCoopers before co-founding Shorla in 2018 alongside Orlaith Ryan. Since then, the company has developed an innovative pipeline of oncology drugs targeting unmet needs in women’s and children’s cancers. Sharon’s leadership and entrepreneurial achievements have been widely recognised, including being named EY Entrepreneur Of The Year Ireland 2024, before representing Ireland on the global stage in Monaco in 2025. Her insights offered attendees a compelling perspective on leadership, innovation, and purpose-driven enterprise. On the same day Sharon was honured with an Alumni Achievement award in the Aula Maxima.

On Wednesday, March 11, we were delighted to host Eddie Wilson, CEO of Ryanair, as part of both the Leadership Conversation Series and UCC Innovation Week. The engaging 90-minute discussion drew a large audience and sparked lively interaction, with students and attendees contributing thoughtful questions throughout. Eddie shared candid insights into Ryanair’s success story, the challenges of leading in a competitive industry, and the leadership lessons he has gained throughout his career. His willingness to stay on and engage further with students highlighted his commitment to supporting the next generation of business leaders.

These events strengthen CUBS’ ongoing commitment to providing students with meaningful opportunities to learn directly from influential leaders across industry.

As Anthony McDonnell noted:
“CUBS was proud to welcome two exceptional leaders to our Leadership Conversation Series in February and March of this year. Sharon Cunningham and Eddie Wilson provided our students, staff and wider community with valuable insights into what it means to hold a leadership role. They offered genuinely reflective insights into the challenges, lessons and opportunities faced on both an individual leader level and from their roles within their globally focused organisations. We look forward to hosting future iterations of this series where we will continue to provide our School and the wider Cork community opportunities to engage and learn from esteemed and thought-provoking trailblazers.”