Judging Panel

Olive McCarthy

Professor | Cork University Business School

is a professor with the Department of Food Business and Development and the Centre for Co-operative Studies at Cork University Business School, University College Cork. Although she teaches and conducts research on co-operative businesses of all types, Olive is best known for her research work with credit unions and her interests in financial inclusion more generally. She completed her PhD research in 2005 on organisational effectiveness and member participation in credit unions. Since then, she has published widely and the outputs of this research have had a direct and demonstrable impact on changing legislation, influencing government policy and supporting the governance and practice of co-operatives of all types. Olive is a regular contributor to national and international media interviews, blogs and podcasts and, in 2024, won UCC Research Communicator of the Year. She holds a ministerial appointment to the Credit Union Advisory Committee.