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Our alumni events provide an opportunity to hear from graduates who have built careers in a wide range of fields. Through panel discussions and networking opportunities, students can gain valuable advice and insights from experienced professionals, exploring the many paths a degree in social sciences and philosophy can offer.
These events take place regularly throughout the year and feature alumni from diverse industries, including politics, law, consulting, tech, and non-profit work. Check back here for updates on future events as they are announced!
BESS Alumni Panel: Life After College
Date: Tuesday, 8 April 2025
Time: 6.00 - 7.30pm
Venue: Synge Theatre, Arts Building, Trinity College Dublin
Open to all current BESS students. Registration is required.
Register Now
Thinking about your next steps after BESS?
Hear from six BESS graduates working in law, tech, finance, diplomacy, the v=civil service and non-profits, as they share their career journeys and offer advice to current students.
Event Details:
Join us for an evening with BESS alumni who have built careers across a wide range of sectors. Our speakers include a sustainability reporting manager at a leading bank, a senior associate at a top law firm, a diplomat in the Department of Foreign Affairs, an operations manager in the non-profit sector, a civil servant supporting ket Oireachtas committees, and a chartered accountant working in e-commerce.
They’ll talk about how they got started after graduation, what their day-to-day roles involve, and what they wish they’d known when they were students.
There will also be time for Q&A and informal chats after the panel.
Barry Comerford
Civil Servant, Houses of the Oireachtas | Barry graduated from BESS with Single Honours in Economics and later completed a Masters of Economic Science in Policy Analysis from the IPA. He has worked in the Civil Service/ public sector since graduating mostly in the Houses of the Oireachtas Service. He currently is a Principal Officer in the Oireachtas Service with responsibility for nine Oireachtas Committees. He previously worked in the Parliamentary Research Service and the Parliamentary Budget Office.
Ronan Costello
Director of Collections at Wayflyer | Ronan graduated in 2016 with a Joint Honours in Business and Economics. After interning in New York, he trained as a Chartered Accountant with KPMG Dublin, working in Restructuring and Forensics. He joined Wayflyer in 2021, where he has held several roles and now leads the Collections Department.
Peter Gillen
Sustainability Reporting Manager, AIB | Peter studied Business and Economics in BESS and trained in PwC`s Risk Assurance practice before joining Grant Thornton`s Sustainability Advisory team. He now works at AIB, supporting its sustainability reporting strategy and the implementation of the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive (CSRD).
Erin Kehoe
Operations Manager, STAND | Erin graduated from BESS in 2020 (Joint Honours in Business and Political Science) and went on to complete an MSc in Management of Operations at DCU. She has worked in the non-profit sector since graduating and is currently Operations Manager at STAND, a charity that engages third-level students in Ireland on issues of global justice, equality, and sustainability.
Emily Mitchell
Senior Associate, Matheson LLP | Emily is a senior associate in the Commercial Real Estate Group at Matheson LLP. After graduating from BESS in 2013 (Joint Honours in Business and Political Science), she completed the FE1 exams, worked as a paralegal in New York, and returned to Dublin to begin solicitor training.
Claire Woods
Third Secretary, Department of Foreign Affairs | Claire graduated from BESS with a Joint Honours in Economics and Business and has worked in diplomacy, journalism, and the conference industry. She holds a Master`s in Gender Studies from LSE and is currently studying for a Master`s in Psychological Science at Queen`s University Belfast. She also volunteers as a counsellor with Dublin Rape Crisis Centre.
Hosted by the School of Social Sciences and Philosophy and Trinity Development and Alumni
