2020 Summit
The GUA Global Summit 2020 was hosted virtually as an online event for the first time ever and took place over three days from 16–18 November 2020. With a fabulous lineup of speakers we capitalised on the unique situation to create an engaging mix of high‑impact keynote talks, all aimed at personal growth and inspiring the next generation of academic and professional leaders.
As ever, the Summit is designed to reinforce the GUA’s role as a prestigious international platform for outstanding undergraduate excellence.
Keynote & Featured Speakers
Lord Mayor Hazel Chu – a Green Party councillor for the Pembroke ward and the current Lord Mayor of Dublin. Born in Ireland to parents from Hong Kong, she is the first elected councillor of Chinese heritage in Ireland. A graduate from The Honorable Society of Kings Inns and UCD Smurfit School, she has worked in New York, Hong Kong and Sydney.
She was formerly the National Coordinator for the Green Party, Chair of the Exec and Spokesperson for Enterprise. In her spare time Cllr. Chu advocates on issues of diversity and equality on various media platforms.
Edwina Fitzmaurice – is the Global Customer Officer for EY Technology responsible for the customer and product strategy and delivery of EY’s technology products and solutions around the world. Edwina has a BSc Computer Science and Masters Degree from Trinity College Dublin and she has completed executive education at Harvard Business School, INSEAD Business School, London Business School and Kellogg Business School.
Edwina was the Chair of the Irish Computer Society and has held a host of non-executive director positions on boards in the US and Europe and was named as one of the Irish American Top 100 Business Leaders. She is a passionate advocate for diversity and inclusion in business.
Jack Kavanagh – is a resilience and performance coach and speaker. In 2012, he suffered a life-changing spinal cord injury leaving him with only 15% muscle function. This ignited a passion for life within and motivated Jack to help others live more aligned, courageous, fulfilling lives, fuelled by purpose and centred in their values.
He works to create environments where people have permission to lower their mask and shares the tools to help other show up fully in and for their lives.
Lyndsay Walsh – is the 2018 Global Winner for the Earth & Environmental Sciences category. She holds a BSc in Zoology from Trinity College Dublin and is currently pursuing a Masters in Development Practice.
In 2019, she won the inaugural IMF Finance & Development essay competition and completed An Taisce’s Climate Ambassador programme, for which she was presented with an Outstanding Achievement Award. Lyndsay is passionate about using her platform to raise awareness for climate justice to an international audience and is currently working with the UNFCCC Capacity-Building team.
George Osborne – is a former British politician who served as Chancellor of the Exchequer under Prime Minister David Cameron from 2010 to 2016. As a prominent campaigner for Britain to remain in the EU, Osborne left the government in July 2016 following the outcome of the referendum. He was first elected as the Member of Parliament for Tatton, Cheshire, in June 2001, becoming the youngest Conservative MP in the house of Commons. He is currently the inaugural Kissinger Fellow at the McCain Institute for International Leadership, an advisor to BlackRock, and is the editor-in-chief of the Evening Standard.
