16 Dec 2021
For 26 years running, Trinity Business School, along with the Trinity Business Alumni Association and the Bank of Ireland, has chosen and celebrated a Business Student of the Year. This prestigious award recognises individuals who demonstrate excellence not only in academics but also through their role in college life and contribution to society.
During the Trinity Business Forum 2021 Liam Booth, former President of the Trinity Business Alumni Association, along with current President Barry O’Dowd, and Sheila Cannon, Assistant Professor at Trinity Business School, presented the 2020 and 2021 winners with their awards.
Due to COVID-19 restrictions, the finalists and winners from the 2020 and 2021 Business Student of the Year Awards were both interviewed and announced virtually. We were delighted to have the opportunity to present them with their awards in person at the Forum and give them a well-deserved round of applause.
The 2020 Business Student of the Year Award was presented to Sinead McAleer. During her time at Trinity, Sinéad has achieved academic excellence, while completing successful internships at JP Morgan and PwC. She played a key role in establishing the Trinity CoderDojo, a non-profit which has, to date, provided fun and free coding education to over 140 children. In second year, Sinéad co-founded a med-tech start-up, which aims to prevent the spread of infection in healthcare environments. This start-up went on to partake in Launchbox 2018 and compete internationally, securing a Gold Medal at the world's largest student start-up competition, Internet+in Xiamen, China. Additionally, she was the Vice-President of Trinity Entrepreneurial Society, was elected to the Trinity Hall JCR and was involved in the founding of the Trinity Business Review, an online business journal for students and alumni.
The 2021 student of the year was jointly won by Oran McVeigh Keeling and Laura Brennan.
Laura Brennan achieved a first-class honours in Computer Science and Business at Trinity, achieving a first in all four years of her degree and a gold medal for academic excellence. Her passion and subject of her entrepreneurial activities as well as of her final dissertation was leveraging technology to address climate change, specifically consumer behaviour and purchasing habits. She co-founded and is CEO of Ethicart, an App that helps consumers make sustainable choices, and went on to win first place at the National City Pathways to Progress programme, as well as a place on the Launchbox Accelerator Programme and the Blackstone Summer Fellowship. When the pandemic thwarted attempts to pitch for funding for Ethicart, Laura pivoted towards a Trinity centred pilot programme for the App, and successfully implemented the idea across campus. Additionally, Laura taught code to first year students and played an active role in societies: Trinity Entrepreneurial Society, Enactus, and Trinity Musical Theatre Society.
Oran McVeigh Keeling earned first class honours and a gold medal for academic excellence in Management Science and Information System Studies (MSISS). During his studies he took over and ran the family business following a family tragedy, while simultaneously achieving first class honours in all four years of his studies. He excelled in the Student Managed Fund (SMF) winning ‘Sector Manager of the Year’ and organising the society’s first Impact Investing Conference. He also used his role in Irish Student Consulting Group (ISCG) to secure consulting internships for 170 students and served as Peer Support Mentor with Student2Student (S2S) to support others though bereavement. He has worked for, and continues to volunteer at Pieta House, a charity that supports those effected by mental health challenges.
The 2020 and 2021 finalists were also presented with their certificates of achievement during the Forum.
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2021
