From DCU to Leadership: My Journey through Education, Career and Personal Growth
Hey, guys,
My name is Jeannine Hillen and I attended DCU Business School where I studied International Marketing and Languages (French and Spanish) as an Undergraduate.
During my time at DCU I was able to study a wide range of subjects, from Economics and Business Mathematics to Spanish Culture and the Basics of Chinese. It was an extremely enriching course and provided me with a clear and compelling foundation for success in business management.
Although I didn’t realise it at the time, studying various modules at a young age gave me a vital foundation in business that prepared me for many decisions and conversations in my future working life.
Looking back at the early stages of my career, I relied heavily on the fundamentals of business I learned at DCU. I also learned how to push my limits by taking on new opportunities. For example, I learned Spanish and ended up spending a year in the south of Spain on Erasmus. This was a tough first experience, learning a language, studying business in that language, and ultimately taking exams in Spanish and completing a Spanish thesis written in Spanish.
Immediately after graduating, I joined the civil service and soon after, I had the opportunity to move into an entry level role in the technology industry, then into leadership roles and then senior management roles at eBay Inc. Currently, I work as an executive at Stripe Inc, responsible for risk partnerships and strategy for the EMEA region.
I am forever grateful to DCU for giving me that early foundation in academia.
His early years were surrounded by academia: his late father was a successful quantity surveyor who studied Construction Management at the University of Ulster in Northern Ireland, and his mother, a former banker, holds an Honours Bachelor of Social Sciences from Queen’s University Belfast.
I have many relatives who are PhD holders and successful academic authors.
Now in my most important role to date, a mother of three young children, I am still striving to develop and improve myself and believe that is a very important component of success. Always evolving means never standing still.
Looking back at my own journey, I remember watching my mother study at night and on weekends as a teenager. Even though she was a mother of four, she still made time to prioritize her education. My mother was and still is my biggest inspiration. She has incredible determination and drive. She is the light that keeps me going to succeed. Then, when I turned 17, I lost my father to cancer. That remains the greatest tragedy of my life. His journey was very short, he only lived half his life, but he accomplished so much in that time and left a great legacy for his children and grandchildren. He inspired me to reach my potential and was always the best ambassador for nurturing my natural talents.
During that difficult time, it was my mother who ensured I continued with my studies. In fact, it was never in question. Me and my three sisters were destined to follow the path laid out by my mother and late father. And with that very practical approach, I started my journey to DCU the following year and never looked back. So, for anyone wondering, “Can I do this?” or grappling with the question, “Is now the right time for me?” the answer is “there is no right time…time passes anyway”.
Author: Jeannine Hillen, former Head of EMEA Strategy and Risk Partnerships at Stripe, BA International Marketing and Languages (French and Spanish) graduate