Gwen first encountered UCD Innovation Academy while guest lecturing at UCD. A chance meeting with Pepper the robot sparked her curiosity and led her to enrol in one of the Academy’s programmes. Instantly drawn to its creative and future-focused ethos, she knew she had found her tribe.
Today, Gwen is a facilitation specialist at the Academy, where she helps individuals and teams embrace change, grow in confidence, and approach complexity with imagination and clarity. With over three decades of experience across entrepreneurship, education, and leadership, she brings a strategic, playful and practical approach to every learning experience.
Gwen began her entrepreneurial journey before she even left school, founding a seasonal business that employed five people. Since then, she has built a career around empowering others to think creatively, act with purpose, and explore bold new ideas. Her facilitation blends experiential learning, co-creation, play-based methods and human-centred innovation to spark transformation and insight.
She is a certified LEGO® Serious Play® facilitator and holds specialist badges in Universal Design for Learning and facilitation—demonstrating her commitment to inclusive, accessible education where everyone has the opportunity to thrive.
Deeply rooted in sustainability and driven by curiosity, Gwen is passionate about imaginative thinking, hands-on prototyping and lifelong learning. Her dedication to impactful, learner-centred education has been nationally recognised with a Teaching Hero Award.