Professor Jackie McCoy, Professor of Management Development and Associate Dean for Global Engagement at Ulster University, has been named in the New Year’s Honours List for an MBE (Member of the Order of the British Empire), for services to Higher Education, Business and the Arts.
Professor McCoy has been recognised for her significant contribution to Ulster University and extraordinary impact on the broader Northern Ireland economy in her distinguished 30-year career.
During her career to date, Jackie has pioneered a range of Ulster University courses, transforming provision available to the advantage of businesses and economic development. She was responsible for the development of an innovative Management Practice Framework which led to the development of the BSc Hons Management Practice, playing a critical role in developing the management and entrepreneurial skills of business leaders in Northern Ireland. She developed a Masters course in Executive Leadership in direct response to a skills gap in management and leadership identified by the Northern Ireland Executive, addressing a specific need to strengthen and enhance business leader skills for the benefit of the local economy. These programmes have enjoyed outstanding success and supported many key businesses, including Diageo, Dell and Microsoft.
Prof McCoy has also made a significant contribution to public policy in Northern Ireland, serving as an adviser to the Local Government Staff Commission regarding the Reform of Local Government. She was influential in the commissioning of Leadership Development for senior clinicians in Department of Health, with all her recommendations being fully adopted.
She has made a further sustained impact in promoting Ulster University and Northern Ireland on the global stage as she works tirelessly to recruit international students, and her success has been reflected in the increased numbers of international students coming here to study and the increased number of international partnerships developed since taking on her current role.
A Board member of business development agency ORTUS for over 20 years, Jackie has been instrumental in creating employment opportunities in two of the most socio-economically deprived areas of Northern Ireland. In 2014, she became Chair of the world-renowned Belfast International Arts Festival, spearheading the revival of the festival, securing vital sponsorship and steering the organisation to a sound financial footing.
She is a founder member of GIVE INC, a group that promotes and facilitates charitable giving that has supported a wide range of individuals and groups by more than £100,000.
Gareth Hetherington awarded MBE:
Congratulations also to Gareth Hetherington, from the Ulster University Economic Policy Centre, who has also been awarded a Member of the Order of the British Empire (MBE) for his services to Further Education and the Economy.
Mr Hetherington, a qualified accountant and member of the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy has worked in economics and public policy for over 20 years as a management consultant and more recently, as Director of the Ulster University Economic Policy Centre.
A full list of all New Year Honours 2022 is available at this link
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