To celebrate International Women's Day (IWD), we are shining a light on some of the amazing women who help shape National College of Ireland. Find out what IWD means to them.
Deirdre Giblin, Director of Development & External Engagement at NCI
International Women’s Day, March 8th, 2025
Shining a light on the women of NCI.
My name is Deirdre Giblin, and I’m the Director of Development & External Engagement at National College of Ireland. I’ve worked here for 20 years!
Career pathways and aspirations
I am a graduate of NCI. I have always credited my NCI (in my day as a student it was NCIRL) Post Grad Diploma in HR (think it was called Personnel Management then) as being the main driver in becoming a HR Director of a US multinational by the time I was 30. I had a circuitous route to a HR career being an art college graduate from NCAD and then working for the then Her Majesty’s Customs & Excise in London where I was the Training Manager for London’s Airports and Ports. When I decided to come home to Dublin, I needed to get my HR qualification and chose NCI. It tangibly helped me in my HR career and my last HR job industry job was as a HR Director for 12,000 employees across Europe, US, Mexico and Asia. I then combined a HR consultancy career with the IDA and Enterprise Ireland with being a part time lecturer in NCI while my children were young. Then I went full time in the college heading up the then Professional Education & Training Unit and then became Director of Development & External Engagement which is my current role.
Goals and seeing the power of education
I have always wanted to work in education. When I went to art college it was with a view to become an art teacher but ended up switching to a fashion and textiles degree. In my industry roles I gravitated towards the training, coaching and mentoring elements. When an opportunity presented itself to join NCI as a member of Associate Faculty, I very much fulfilled my aspiration to facilitate the learning of others. As a person whose life was changed through education my personal aspirations very much align with the mission of the college to change lives through education. I come from a socio-economically deprived area and went to a school were most of my peers did not stay in school for their Leaving Certificate. The then ‘Inter Cert’ was the main aspiration. My parents believed in education and in providing me with the opportunities that they did not have.
My motivations
I am motivated by improving the status quo whether that be professionally or personally. If I can see a way to improve something I do my best to do so or to work with those that can.
I very much believe in the power of volunteerism, and it is a core value of mine. I believe that the power of volunteerism can achieve major societal changes. I am involved in several organisations as a volunteer and find these roles motivating and very satisfying.
International Women’s Day
Society shapes how women work
My comment here is less about specific experience in my role but more a wider comment on the pressure of combining career and family especially when my children were young. I left my HR Director role because it was an international role, and I could not work out the juggle. For a period of time, I combined consultancy and lecturing while my children were young and did manage to keep up pension contributions etc., but I found it very difficult. I think that any caring responsibility for anyone needs to be taken into consideration by employers and ultimately the state. To see the whole DEI movement under attack in the US (and spreading) is of grave concern.