“Loyal and pragmatic with a thirst for adventure.”
Hometown: Athy, Ireland
Fun fact about you: I’m on a mission to visit all 63 national parks in the United States. I’ve visited 10 since moving to the US.
Basic studies and degree:
Trinity College Dublin, Bachelor of Science (Pharmacy)
Royal College of Surgeons, Master of Science (Pharmacy)
Where was the last place you worked before enrolling in business school? I worked in Operations at AbbVie, where I led a team of 13 pharmaceutical technicians at a drug manufacturing facility.
Where did you do an internship in summer 2020? PwC, Chicago / Remote.
Where will you work after you graduate? I have accepted an offer from PwC and will return to their Pharma Life Sciences Advisory Group after graduation.
Teamwork and leadership roles in the business school: As part of my community ministry at Boston College, I volunteer as a tutor on the Invest ‘N Kids (INK) program. INK is run by PhD students as a tutoring program designed to help disadvantaged middle school students with their homework.
I also volunteer at the West End House. This is the largest youth development agency in the Allston-Brighton community in Boston, offering impactful programs that ensure local young people are academically successful, develop professional skills, and adopt healthy lifestyles.
As a member of the Graduate Consulting Club, I took part in workshops and mentored a group of first-year MBA students. I’ve also participated in several case competitions. I worked with the admissions team in recruiting prospective students and acted as an ambassador for the program at information events.
I am a member of IntEnt, the Graduate Intrapreneurship & Entrepreneurship Association at Boston College. I participated in the IntEnt Apprenticeship Program, a volunteer opportunity that connects Boston College graduates with local Boston organizations.
I am a recipient of the Denis O’Brien Fellowship. Irish businessman Denis O’Brien created this merit-based scholarship, which offers two Irish students a year a fully funded MBA in BC, where O’Brien himself earned his MBA in 1982.
What school or extracurricular achievement are you most proud of during your studies? I am proud of how my relationship with the church has changed, inspired by the Jesuit tradition of service at Boston College. A strong sense of community was instilled in me. I don’t think I really understood before business school that individuals rarely change needles on big issues, but there is great power in having individuals consistently support their community. This is a change of perspective for which I am very grateful.
What success in your professional career are you most proud of? Working with an innovative biotech company like AbbVie offered excellent opportunities for exciting and meaningful work. As a Technical Operations Pharmacist, I was responsible for the technical transfer of a new oncological drug from pilot to commercial scale. It’s incredible to work on projects that have such a real impact on the lives of patients around the world. I was also the supply chain representative on the rollout team for a new hepatitis C (HCV) treatment at the rollout manufacturing site. Prior to the introduction of this therapy, there was no cure for HCV. Treatment at the time required long-term maintenance and was incredibly debilitating. AbbVie’s HCV treatment cleared the virus from your body within 12 weeks, allowing patients to live full and healthy lives.
Why did you choose this business school? Boston College has a very strong data analytics track – that was very important to me when choosing a program. I really enjoyed mastering data tools like SQL, Tableau, SPSS, Alteryx, and Python and learning how to use these tools for strategic insights. These are skills that will set me apart in the workplace.
Boston College has a deep connection to Ireland and a great sense of community, which makes it a special experience for me and where I feel very at home.
What was your favorite MBA event or tradition at your business school? The Tuck Winter Carnival, an annual intercollegiate event that BC is invited to, was my favorite MBA event – especially since it happened just before last year’s lockdown. I was fortunate enough to take part as a freshman MBA student. It was great not only getting to know MBA students from other schools, but also building stronger connections with my classmates and high school students.
Looking back on your MBA experience, what would you do differently and why? There isn’t much that I would change. I was hoping to go on a volunteer trip. With the lockdown, however, this was not possible. Otherwise, I might have changed a course or two afterwards. However, by dealing with various topics, I was able to understand my personal interests, strengths and weaknesses.
What’s the biggest myth about your school? Boston College is known as a strong financial school. That’s true, but the BC MBA also has a broad curriculum and we are fortunate to have very talented professors everywhere. For example, we have an incredibly strong data analytics track. Professors like Pieter Vanderwerf, George Wyner, Sam Ramsbottom and Jonathan Reuter make their respective fields accessible, practical and entertaining.
What surprised you most about the business school? I was surprised that I liked the more technical and quantitative subjects, although I am probably qualitatively stronger. There is a great sense of satisfaction in tackling a difficult problem and overcoming the challenge.
What did you do during the application process that gave you an advantage at the school you chose? A face-to-face visit to a school and a face-to-face meeting with faculty and students is invaluable, not only to give you an edge during the application process, but also to determine if the school is a good culturally fit for you.
Which MBA classmate do you admire most? Kimberly Hay Strauss is remarkable. She is always up to date in class while doing internships and looking after her son during school time. Despite her humble, low-key style, it is evident that she is incredibly intelligent and hardworking. She is also very generous with her classmates.
How disruptive was switching to an online or hybrid environment after the COVID outbreak?
The pandemic was certainly a shock and the MBA experience was one of many things that were hit by these unprecedented times. Regardless, BC and the professors did a great job adapting to an online environment quickly and providing personal support to the students. I also took the opportunity to get the most out of the online MBA experience by setting up zoom workouts in the morning, using virtual office hours, and making daily check-in calls with my friends. I was incredibly grateful that I had the opportunity to build relationships with my fellow students in the first semester. That was a great support network.
Who most influenced your decision to start a business while studying? Several people inspired and influenced my decision to do business while in college. My father is my role model. He is a serving leader within the local community. He set high standards for my siblings and me and taught us to do our best in everything we did. He instilled in us the confidence that great opportunities are open to us.
My younger sister is a trained pharmacist and also attended business school. She is a health counselor and opened my eyes to the impactful work available to those who can marry a health and business perspective.
James Hughes, a director at AbbVie, taught me a lot about strategic thinking and how to effectively support and engage a team. He is a great mentor who has actively supported my personal development and professional career.
What are the top two items on your professional bucket list? In the short term, I’m excited to come to PwC to work with life science clients to solve their greatest challenges. I am interested in building based on my data analysis skills that I acquired at BC. This is in line with PwC’s goal of training its employees with new data tools. Ideally, I want to help companies design and leverage data systems to achieve operational efficiencies and improve the overall patient experience.
In the long term, I would like to start my own company. Ideally, I want to start a small or medium-sized business that offers job opportunities or drives growth in my community.
What did … do Gráinne such an invaluable addition to the 2021 class?
“Gráinne has the ideal qualities that we expect from a BC MBA student. She is smart, hardworking, and dedicated to giving back to the community. Her exemplary achievements and contributions at BC – in the classroom and her work with Invest N ‘Kids, in her summer internship and at BC MBA admissions events – testify to her consistent pursuit of excellence.
Born and raised in Ireland, Gráinne attended Trinity College, where she earned both a BS and an MS in pharmacy. After graduation, she was hired by AbbVie, the Illinois-based pharmaceutical company, to work on the company’s business development program in Dublin, Ireland. Because of the high quality of her work, she was given the opportunity to work at AbbVie’s Chicago office.
Gráinne applied to the Carroll School, where she received the highly selective Denis O’Brien Scholarship, which is awarded to students expressing an interest in the economy or business development in Ireland. After a successful first year in the program, Gráinne completed the consultant internship program at PwC in Chicago in the summer of 2020 and will return there for a full-time position after graduation. We have been fortunate to have Gráinne as a member of the 2021 class and she is a real pleasure to work with. In addition to all of her successes in the program, Gráinnes’ humility and her commitment to the BC MBA program make us proud to have her as a member of our community. “
Marilyn Eckmann
Associate Dean, Graduate Program,
Carroll School of Management
source https://collegeeducationnewsllc.com/2021-mbas-to-watch-grainne-dunne-boston-college-carroll/
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