Our Team
B.A. MSc ACA
Gerard has been delivering experiential learning programmes to both corporate and secondary school clients for 8 years. A Chartered Accountant, he has an undergraduate degree in Law and Accounting from the University of Limerick, from which he also graduated with an MSc in Work and Organisational Psychology.
He trained as a Chartered Accountant with PwC and went on to work with Penna O’Shea, corporate Outplacement specialists, in 2008, while also working with Eagle’s Flight, corporate experiential learning specialists.
He founded Develop Me in 2016, initially offering two experiential training programmes for use in educational settings. He firmly believes in using these experiential exercises to get students to understand the drivers of effective individual and team performance. By undertaking the challenges, they more fully grasp the principles they need to consider when tackling individual and team challenges going forward, making them better individual performers and team contributors.
A big believer in the benefit of Transition Year, he was TY student of the year in Ardscoil Rís in Limerick during his own school days. He was also one of 30 students selected to represent Ireland at the Euroscola project in 2001.
Gerard has a keen interest in sport, competing with the University of Limerick in numerous intervarsity competitions. More recently he has combined working and family life with tag rugby. He represented Ireland at the tag rugby world cup in 2015.
Owen O’Brien
Owen has been delivering experiential learning programmes to corporate and secondary school clients for 2 years. Having graduated from the Limerick Institute of Technology in Accounting and Finance, Owen went on to work in the H.R. sector supporting individuals and groups who had been made redundant.
As a +1 handicap golfer, he competes in the top amateur competitions throughout Ireland. Owen represents Limerick Golf Club in the Senior Cup and is amongst the top golfers in the country.
Owen is a strong advocate of learning through experience and that “practice makes perfect”. By enabling students to see opportunities for improvement and offering them the opportunity to self-evaluate their personal performance, Owen believes that an effective environment for learning is created.
Thomas Barr
OLY B.Eng MSc
Thomas Barr is a recently retired professional 400m hurdler who has represented Ireland at the highest levels of athletics. He is a three-time Olympian. His career highlights include a fourth place finish at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, a bronze medal at the 2018 European Championships, and most recently as part of the mixed 4x400m relay team – earned the title of European Champions as well as World Bronze medalists.
While best remembered for his athletics prowess, he has always believed in balance, as Thomas also merged his academic studies with his career on the track, graduating from the University of Limerick with a Bachelor in Mechanical Engineering ( and Masters in Sports Performance.
With years of experience in elite sport, Thomas has developed a deep understanding of discipline, resilience, self-reflection and teamwork, while also having fun! These are skills and attributes that he believes are transferable to every element of daily life, and are each depicted through the various challenges that Develop Me offers.
Thomas has a passion for giving back, and now as a workshop facilitator, really enjoys drawing on his experience and background to inspire and motivate students, teaching valuable lessons in goal-setting, teamwork, and overcoming setbacks.
David O’Shea
BBS MBS
David has been delivering experiential learning programmes to corporate and secondary school clients for 7 years. Having graduated from the University of Limerick in Business Studies, he then went to Dublin City University, where he completed a Masters in Marketing. David was a scholarship athlete in Dublin City University and competed internationally at Junior and Senior level.
David is Managing Director of nTrai (Now Take Reality And Imagine) Ltd. who provide athlete management, video production and livestreaming for Ireland’s top athletes and organisations. nTrai recently managed sponsorship activities for Irish Olympian, Thomas Barr, on his journey to Rio 2016.
David believes that experiential learning is the most effective method of learning. Being able to replicate real experiences is extremely valuable and enhances the learning opportunity. This is a concept that has been used by professional sport teams and organisations alike.
Develop Me brings this opportunity to schools and David really enjoys delivering these programmes, which help students prepare for their future challenges.