We have a new Leadership Academy Manager! 

The Wheel is delighted to welcome Sharon Hughes as the new Leadership Academy Manager. Sharon joined us last month and will be taking the lead on the Leadership Academy going forward.  

Before joining The Wheel, Sharon served as the CEO of T.U. Dublin Students Union C.L.G for over five years. Her background is in member events and communications. Sharon is a keen volunteer and she has worked with a number of organisations in the nonprofit sector, delivering training in the areas of leadership and professional development.  

Sharon is currently making her way around as many of our members as possible to discuss people’s needs or ideas for how the Leadership Academy could be useful. If you have an existing programme you would like us to know about, or thoughts for where we could add value, please get in touch at sharon@wheel.ie. 

Sharon has many exciting plans for the Leadership Academy’s development and we asked her to share some thoughts with us.  

What attracted you to the Leadership Academy 

I worked with students and young people for over 20 years and in that time my favourite part of my job was always working with the elected student representatives. I saw hundreds of young leaders pass through and I became really interested in what, if any, resources there were for these amazing people. I trained as a Coach and Trainer to offer support, but ultimately, I was very surprised at the lack of structured options to engage people with leadership potential. When I heard about the Leadership Academy, I saw a real opportunity to address this and I had to get involved. 

What are your hopes for the Leadership Academy?  

I hope that in the coming years the Leadership Academy will become the go-to place for anyone in the sector looking to resources themselves, or their teams, as Leaders. I also hope we can build a dynamic community of Leaders in the sector, both established and emerging, and that it will become a pathway for opportunities, both for individual people and the sector.  

What do you see as the biggest challenges ahead?  

Everyone knows that investing in people is crucial, but finding the time and the financial resources are extremely challenging. We need to explore as many viable options as we can for people to consider, regardless of their budget or size. Also finding ways to encourage people to engage with Leadership activities in a way that is recognisable for their career path, both within the formal academic course and beyond, will be challenging. There are many ways to learn and we are hoping to find ways to highlight these in a way where everyone wins! 

Sharon is always happy to chat at sharon@wheel.ie.