Charlie Boyle

Can you tell us your name, job title and the course you studied at ATU?  

Charlie Boyle, CEO of Customer Service Excellence Ireland – I studied the MBS in Innovation and Leadership. 

Can you share your career path to date? 

Manager and Area Manager in pubs and bars in the UK. In 2014, I created Customer Service Excellence Ireland.  

What does your current role involve?  

We design and deliver Customer Experience training programmes for organisations and businesses such as Retail Ireland, Fáilte Ireland, Heineken, government departments, and more.  

What motivated you to start studying?  

I didn’t have a primary degree and often wanted to see if the practical experience I had in management for 30 years was aligned to academic teaching, and to get a professional edge in what were changing times.    

Why did you choose this course from ATU?   

The MBS in Leadership and Innovation had been recommended to me by several people I knew from the previous cohort. I attended one of the modules as a guest student, which was a good idea by ATU, it certainly influenced me.  

How did you balance work and study?   

I didn’t find this an issue. It was a part-time course over 2 years with adequate time in-between classes. I was also able to put time aside for study and assignments.  

In terms of your employer, were they supportive of your decision to study? Were there elements of the course that were particularly relevant to your current employer? 

 I am self-employed, and made sure everything was relevant to my work.  

Did this course provide any unexpected benefits to your career? 

I found doing this Masters at ATU to be very worthwhile and a great investment of time and money. Apart from the knowledge gained, it created a strong network of professionals who are still in touch 5 years later.  

Did you find that the elements you were studying had practical relevance in your day-to-day role? 

Yes definitely. I wanted to maximise the benefit to the business and this was encouraged by the lecturers in each module. My dissertation was research into an area I wanted to explore for my own business and that was helpful.   

What were the key skills you took away from your time studying at ATU?  

The key skills I took away were making sure that all things are considered when making a decision and the ability to listen to a range of opinions before doing so.