Transforming Organisations in challenging times

Wednesday, 13th June 2012

Waterford executive joins network on transforming organisations in challenging times

The €500m biotechnology campus developed at Waterford since 2001 by Genzyme, a Sanofi company. The Waterford site's Senior Organisation Development Manager, Mary Sullivan, is among the first members of Organisation Development Ireland, a recently-formed network of organisation development professionals.

(Pic: Dylan Vaughan).

Transforming organisations, enabling employees to be more effective and to deliver on their potential is essential to surviving and thriving in these challenging times. That was the key message from the Organisation Development Ireland (ODI) network when they met at the EBS head office in Dublin recently.

One of the early network members, Mary Sullivan, Senior Organisation Development Manager, Genzyme Ireland, commented: "The knowledge and experience that we now have access to through the ODI network is invaluable as practitioners working across a wide range of businesses. At Genzyme, a Sanofi company, we encourage people to participate in industry forums such as this one.”

ODI co-founders, Sandra Coughlan, EMC Information Systems, and Louise Geraghty, AIB, added: "Organisations worldwide are under increasing pressure to produce more with less. They need to leverage the talent and untapped potential of their workforce in order to remain competitive in the current environment.”

During the event, Elga Long, Talent & Organisation Capability Manager, DAA, shared highlights from the DAA's transformational journey to date.

"Organisations typically have a great deal of untapped potential. Organisation Development strategies can help organisations to discover and unleash where that potential lies in their workforce. Targeted talent development and performance strategies can help individuals to achieve their potential and provide additional value to the organisation. It is a win-win situation. This is the work of the Organisation Capability team at the DAA and it is valued by the business as an important factor in enabling long-term success at the DAA.”

This was the second networking event held by the newly formed ODI network which seeks to build relationships and to share knowledge and experience among senior HR Organisation Development personnel based in Ireland.

Key strategies for supporting organisational transformation were discussed by participants from the technology, biomedical, banking, university, medical, public and semi-state sectors.

The next ODI event will take place on September 6, 2012. Further information is available by emailing This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. .