Dr. Olive McCarthy is a senior lecturer with the Department of Food Business and Development and a senior researcher with the Centre for Co-operative Studies at UCC. She graduated with a BComm in 1994, an MSc in 1996 and a PhD in 2005. Although she teaches and conducts research on co-operative businesses of all types, she is best known for her research work with credit unions and her interests in financial inclusion more generally, including moneylending and the importance of access to and acceptance of cash.

She has published widely and the outputs of this research have had a direct and demonstrable impact on changing legislation, influencing government policy and supporting credit union governance and practice. She is a regular contributor to national and international media interviews, blogs and podcasts.She has secured over 2 million in direct funding to UCC across research projects and seed finance.Olive is keenly interested in inclusive learning and teaching and has extensive experience in innovative new programme development.

She has won several awards for teaching excellence and has been highly successful in securing industry funded full scholarships to support postgraduate students. She holds a PG Cert and a PG Dip in Teaching and Learning and chairs the university's Academic Council Learning and Teaching Committee. She is the academic co-director of the MSc in Sustainable Development, Agri-Food and Co-operatives which was awarded Best Masters programme in Ireland in 2024 by the Education Awards.

Approach as Mentor

I prefer a relaxed, friendly and less formal approach to mentoring. I'm getting involved in mentoring as I enjoy working and interacting with people and sharing what I've learned over 26 years at UCC.

Type of Mentoring Offered:

1:1 Mentoring - longer term relationship (1 year plus).

1:1 Mentoring - short term relationship (6 months or less).

Speed Mentoring - One meeting to address specific mentee need.

Panel Mentoring - mentoring with 1 to 2 other panel members - longer term relationship (1 year plus).

Panel Mentoring - mentoring with 1 to 2 other panel members - Short term relationship (6 months or less).

Panel Mentoring - mentoring with 1 to 2 other panel members - Speed Mentoring Session (once off meeting around specific need).

Mentoring Topics Include: Collaborative Teaching, Advising Students, Student Engagement, Enhancing Student Learning Experiences, New Programme Development, Developing an Academic Profile, How the University Operates Academically, Grading & Assessing Student Work, Academic Leadership.