Judging Panel

Olive McCarthy

Senior Lecturer | Department of Food Business & Development

Dr. Olive McCarthy is a senior lecturer with the Department of Food Business and Development and a senior researcher with the Centre for Co-operative Studies at UCC. She is programme co-director of the MSc in Sustainable Development, Agri-Food and Co-operatives, winner of the 2024 Best Masters Award from the Education Awards in Ireland.

Although she teaches and conducts research on co-operative businesses of all types, she is best known for her research work with credit unions and her interests in financial inclusion more generally. 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. She is a regular contributor to national and international media interviews, blogs and podcasts and recently won UCC Research Communicator of the Year for 2023.