Gerard McLoughlin

Geography
Social Entrepreneur/Community Development
BA (Hons) - Geography and Sociology (2003)
MA – Geographical Analysis (2004)

Gerard claims his time in Maynooth University was a very enjoyable experience for him and as a mature student it represented the start of a journey, he goes on to say “the time I invested in university returned significant rewards.  As a mature student he identified his strengths and thought about how he could strengthen weaknesses; he viewed it as a real opportunity to act in a positive way in order to change his perceptions of what was achievable in his environment, in his everyday life, and how this positive change can be reflected to change other people’s perceptions. While a student at Maynooth University we learned that anything was possible and achievable, if you want something you only had to work for it.”
 
Having completed his MA in 2004, he went on to work in the management team in one of Ireland’s largest multinational discount retail stores, managing stores with the highest sales targets  in Europe and Ireland, within Ireland. He took the experience gained there into various business development roles from small to medium enterprises. An opportunity came to work in the community development sector, specfically economic development with the Ballymun Whitehall Area Parternship in one of Europe's largest and most successful regeneration projects, the Ballymun Regeneration Project and he really is enjoying this role.