Network Ireland Cork’s Marguerite nominated for LIFT Ireland award

CORK’S Marguerite O’Sullivan has been shortlisted for a prestigious new leadership awards initiative, LIFT Ireland.

LIFT Ireland is a not-for-profit organisation that works to build positive leadership skills in communities in Cork and across Ireland. It created the awards initiative to recognise strong leadership at all levels of Irish society from grassroots organisations to corporate boardrooms.

Across the country, those shortlisted for awards have participated in LIFT Ireland’s programme over the past 12 months.

They range from banking and insurance executives to Transition Year students and community volunteers, and include employees from the likes of AIB, Bank of Ireland, RSA, PREM Group and the charity GOAL.

Marguerite O’Sullivan, Innovation & Engineering Manager at Network Ireland, Cork branch has been shortlisted in the Innovation category.

The full shortlist can be viewed here, and the winner of each category will be announced at an online awards event on Thursday, October 15.

LIFT’s work focuses on developing 10 core leaderships skills, including resilience, respect, innovation and empathy.

There are 10 award categories in the new scheme: one for each of the 10 core leaderships skills included in the LIFT programme. From hundreds of nominations received, just four people have been shortlisted in each 10 of the categories.

Commenting today (06.10.20) Joanne Hession, founder of LIFT Ireland, said: “In the face of the global pandemic we are now living through, leadership and resilience skills are more important than ever before.

“The behaviour of leaders impacts on those around them. We tend to think of leaders as being people in positions of power. But we are all leaders — in our own families; in our workplaces; in our communities. At LIFT, we consider leadership a trait that can be developed, lived and emulated — from the kitchen table to the boardroom.

“It is also a trait to be recognised and celebrated, and these awards are about acknowledging the skills and values of those who display positive leadership every day in Cork and across the country.

“We are all individual parts of a jigsaw of thousands of pieces that makes up Ireland. We form the culture, character and values of our country.

“It is important to celebrate good leadership and we want to celebrate those leading in a positive and powerful way.”

At the awards, organisations that have rolled out the LIFT leadership development programme in their workplace will also be recognised with a ‘Living LIFT 2020’ quality mark. This mark has been created to recognise organisations working to raise the standards of leadership in Ireland.

Joanne Hession, who is a successful entrepreneur and leadership expert with a background in entrepreneurship training, founded LIFT Ireland, along with her brother, David Hession, an education accreditation expert, and Sonya Lennon, broadcaster, designer and social entrepreneur.

LIFT — which stands for ‘Leading Ireland’s Future Together’ – provides leadership and facilitation training to individuals and organisations across the country, ranging from multinational corporations to SMEs, NGOs, schools, sports organisations, and individuals from all walks of life.

Further information is available at www.liftireland.ie.