The Leadership Academy Breakfast Club

17 Sep 2026
In-person
10:00 am - 11:30 am
Book Now

Mentoring is such an ambiguous term, we can have mentors, be mentors, pay mentors, there’s lots of way to engage in mentoring, but one thing is for sure, having a mentor gets you into leadership positions, and being a mentor keeps you in leadership positions.

We’re curious to have a discussion on all the different ways leadership and mentoring intersect and we have questions like: 

  • What actually is mentoring and how does it differ from coaching or training?
  • How do you find or identify a mentor?
  • What value can a mentor have on your leadership journey?

We don’t know but we found some peopl who do!

This event is free to attend, but registration is required.

 

Who should attend

The Leadership Academy Breakfast Clubs are available to anyone in the community, voluntary, nonprofit, or social enterprise space at any level, from volunteer to CEO.

How to register

  • You can book places for yourself and/or colleagues by clicking the button below.
  • This event will take place in Dublin and over Zoom.
  • Please email [email protected] if you have any special requirements or accessibility needs. 

Your speaker(s) / trainer(s)

A woman with short, light brown hair stands against a white wall, smiling with her arms crossed. She is wearing a dark jacket over a black top and a watch on her left wrist. The background is bright and minimal.
Speakers: Ann Marie O’Grady CEO, Irish Wheelchair Association
Speakers: Andrew Madden Head of Training, Consultancy and Communications - Carmichael
A woman with straight, dark brown hair and bangs is smiling at the camera. She is wearing a bright pink button-up shirt and a gold bracelet, standing against a plain light-colored background with her arms crossed.
Speakers: Sharon Hughes Leadership Academy Manager

Ann Marie O’Grady

Ann Marie O’Grady is the CEO of the Irish Wheelchair Association, one of Ireland’s leading representative organisations and service providers for people with physical disabilities. Previously she was the CEO of Leopardstown Park hospital. Ann Marie also sits on the Board of the Dublin Central Mission. Ann Marie credits her own leadership journey on the principles of coaching and mentoring and is passionate about both.

Andrew Madden

Andrew Madden is the Head of Training, Consultancy and Communications at Carmichael. Andrew has a long history of working with Carmichael and many other non-profit organisations and has successfully worked within the sector on governance, management and IT skills.

Sharon Hughes

Sharon Hughes is the Leadership Academy Manager in the Skills Team of The Wheel. Sharon has been involved in membership organisations for over 20 years. Before working for The Leadership Academy, she was C.E.O. of a nonprofit.

Testimonials

"For me personally, the benefits to the Breakfast Clubs have been many but key are the value of think-time, the cross sectional networking and having a product to offer staff looking to consider upskilling – in this regard promoting the breakfast club internally in Trócaire, in particular to my own team, is very relevant to the area of continuous leadership learning and development."

Karen Casey - Head of Community Engagement & Outreach, Trócaire

"As a young professional in the sector, it seemed as though there was ‘in theory’, a lot that this kind of idea sharing and information website could offer the sector although it seemed slightly wishy washy; just another website with links and articles. The Breakfast Clubs created a networking space that feels open to all leaders, future and established, so that we can meet and make connections. Sharon encourages the early career professionals in the room to be the leads for discussion and she connects people with such ease who may have been to shy to make an introduction before... I have found TLA events extremely interesting and engaging, having enjoyed the variety of topics covered in sessions and the space to network freely. I would encourage anyone who is thinking of attending a Leadership Academy breakfast to attend and get involved."

Amy Ennis, former Recruitment Coordinator at 2into3

"The Leadership Academy is a wonderful initiative and space to foster leadership and personal growth for those of us working in the nonprofit sector. It is great to be able to share insights but also to learn and gain new insights from fellow participants in the events. I really enjoyed my involvement as a panellist on a Leadership Academy event, which was wonderfully organised by Sharon with great support from her colleagues in The Wheel. Would highly recommend getting involved and responding positively if asked to be a speaker, panellist or facilitator at one of the Academy events. Ní neart go chur le chéile – There is no strength without unity."

Diarmaid O’Corrbuí - CEO, Carmichael

Location

The Deanery, St Patrick’s Cathedral, Dublin, D08 H6X3

Supported by

Logo of the Department of Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, featuring text in both Irish and English, and a gold harp symbol on the left. Ideal for nonprofit or community initiatives related to education and research.
€0.00 17 Sep 2026 10:00 am - 11:30 am
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