Deirdre Curran, PhD, has been employed as an academic at NUI Galway since 1998. She is actively involved in research and her primary area of interest is workplace dispute resolution processes and, in particular, mediation. Deirdre is a founding member of the KIWMRG and believes passionately that mediation practice in Ireland needs to be informed by a solid foundation of empirical research.

Margaret is an experienced employment, commercial and elder mediator and has a particular interest in ethics and collaborative development. She is passionate about mediation and, since 2006, has been actively involved in the development of mediation in Ireland and internationally through her roles in the Mediators’ Institute of Ireland, the Elder Mediation International Network and, more recently, the KIWMRG.

Treasa has been engaged in workplace mediation for over 20 years and is currently undertaking a PhD on a part-time basis through University College Dublin. Treasa has found being part of the KIWMRG collaborative community of practice exciting, challenging and hugely rewarding, both personally and professionally. (It also allows her to hone her wonderful baking skills and she continues to “feed” our endeavours with a range of sweet treats.)

Brian is a Lecturer in Law with the Department of Law, Dublin Institute of Technology in Constitutional Law and Tort Law. Brian completed his PhD with the School of Law, Trinity College Dublin on reforming workplace dispute resolution structures in Ireland.

During his 41-year career with Bank of Ireland, Cyril’s responsibilities included the management of teams and mediation/negotiation of mutually acceptable outcomes between the Bank and recession-hit, business borrowers. Realising the important role of mediation in achieving timely and sustainable resolutions, Cyril undertook formal mediation training and is now accredited by the National Register of Mediators and recognised by the International Mediation Institute.

Mary is a seasoned trainer and lecturer, providing accredited training in both mediation and conflict management coaching. Her most recent innovation is a structured 8-step approach ‘POISE NOW’ to teach and coach leaders and managers to navigate ‘difficult conversations’ with greater clarity, confidence and ease.

Oksana has a philosophy/theology and law background from Ukraine and achieved her M.A. in Dispute Resolution from Independent College, Dublin, in 2015. She is currently gaining practical and academic experience in the field of workplace mediation in Ireland and honing her skills in the KIWMRG. Oksana is a member of the MII Workplace Sector Group that is currently working on raising an awareness of workplace mediation in Ireland.

James is a HR Executive with Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII), based in Dublin. He holds a Master of Science Degree in Industrial Relations and Human Resource Management from the National University of Ireland, Galway.

Having worked for over a decade in various HR roles throughout Ireland and the UK, Louisa became a part-time lecturer in UCD teaching HRM and Organisational Behaviour. As a chartered member of CIPD and an accredited member of the Mediators’ Institute of Ireland, Louisa supports SMEs in achieving their aims by ensuring that they have high performing employees who are committed to achieving the business’ objectives.

Alec understands that approaching a third party for assistance in resolving a conflict can be a difficult decision: he also believes that it can be the correct decision and the first step towards resolution. Alec is deeply committed to ensuring that all parties benefit from the transformative aspects of mediation process.

For over 30 years Laura has worked in technology organisations, both start-ups and large enterprises such as Ericsson, Logica and Telefonica. She has extensive experience in successfully delivering complex programmes and projects. Her particular focus is in guiding organisations in people-centred change programmes and agile transformations.

Mary Ellen holds an MA in Mediation and Conflict Intervention from the Edward M Kennedy Institute, Maynooth University (2015).