Hi, I’m Barry and I’m the founder of focusondiversity.ie
My early career spans time in the start-ups, advertising, charity and recruitment sectors, before carving out a niche at the intersection of business, employment and Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI).
Having started with 180 Leaving Cert points, I graduated from college in 2011 with six first-class honours across a degree in Marketing and a Master’s in Advertising, having studied in Rathmines College of Further Education, IT Tallaght and DIT (IT Tallaght and DIT are now part of TU Dublin).
My early roles included internships in start-ups, advertising agencies and charities, before joining Publicjobs.ie and Bank of Ireland, which gave me an excellent practical grounding in recruitment, marketing and content creation.
In Bank of Ireland in 2016, I began working for ThinkBusiness.ie, it has everything you need to start, run or grow your business.
After working nine months full-time, I have freelanced for them once a month ever since. I specialise in interviewing people working in DEI, particularly the disability space. I now create articles showcasing businesses in every Irish county and businesses across different sectors in Ireland. You can view my entire portfolio here.
In 2019, I joined Dell Technologies’ DEI team, organising events, being invited to events in London and Panama, creating content for their DEI programmes and helping roll out Neurodiversity Awareness Training. After this, from 2021 to 2023, I then spent two years as a job coach for autistic people, supporting them into employment.
In 2021, I founded focusondiversity.ie, a platform highlighting people, companies and programmes being proactive in the area of DEI. I do this through interviews, articles and practical tips. I also deliver training in DEI, including:
● Neurodiversity Awareness Training
● Unconscious Bias Training
● Social Media Accessibility
● Diversity and Inclusion in Irish Education
Testimonials from previous participants point out that these trainings include providing engaging information on all the topics provided, but also include games, brain teasers and other fun and engaging content. Making the trainings stand out from other training providers.
I have delivered these trainings at conferences such as Legal Ireland, Social Media Fest and Dyspraxia Ireland, and to businesses including Wolfgang Digital, EY Ireland and CPL, among others. I have spoken at events in Ireland and internationally, including the One Young World conference in Munich. You can view testimonials for his training here. If you would like to learn more or are interested in me delivering these trainings to your organisation, please get in touch here
Since 2023, I have run an evening course with Rathmines College of Education, called Embracing Workplace Inclusion. I teach people with disabilities (and job coaches) the practical skills needed to find and secure meaningful employment. In recognition, the Education and Training Boards Ireland awarded Barry its Alumni Award in 2024.
I remain driven by a single goal: to promote DEI in Ireland and abroad, and to help make Ireland a more equitable place for all, regardless of background, ability or identity.