Tell us a little bit about yourself and your current role.

My name is David Hayes. I am from Dublin, married with two young kids. I am the Regional CEO for Pacific Prime’s UAE office and I am based in Dubai.

What path led you to where you are today?

I travelled to Shanghai, China for a year in 2005, played GAA for Shanghai Saints in my spare time. I met the manager (and one of the owners) of the Pacific Prime China office at GAA training (she is married to a Roscommon man) and their IT guy had just quit. So the IT qualification I received in Athlone paid dividends. I started as the IT guy with some sales duties in an office of seven staff. The company strongly promote internal growth and after a few years I was promoted to Sales Director and spent ten years in Shanghai.They asked me to move to Dubai in 2015 and in 2019 I was promoted to my current role. We have 150 staff based in Dubai and 1300 globally across 17 locations.

What do you love most about the work you do?

I love the industry and the company I work for. Most of our senior managers have had the same trajectory as myself. Join at entry level, and over the years it has been fantastic to see other colleagues progress through the ranks and enjoy the ride I have had. Working in the Health Insurance industry is about helping people/companies navigate the pitfalls regarding health coverage, so they ensure that when the time come to utilise the plans, there are no surprises.

When you're not working, where would we find you?

When not working you will find me spending time with my family, watching GAA, while trying to get in the odd game of golf.  

Looking back, how did your time at TUS influence your career or outlook?

Looking back my time in Athlone was very enjoyable and I still keep in contact with some of my class mates. I studied IT, once qualified I joined a law firm in the IFSC in their IT team and after four years went traveling. However even though I no longer work in IT, this qualification opened the door in China to where I have ended up now.

What advice would you give to current students or recent graduates from your field?

This may not be popular but once qualified I would recommend you get some work experience abroad and by that I don’t mean the ‘one year’ in Australia scenario. Working abroad will expose you to more opportunities and life experience, so when/if you do return home your CV will stand out from the pack. Then again….you may not return home…….unless they put a roof over Ireland..

What’s one memory from your student days that stands out to you?

Memories from my student days….the graduation ceremony was very enjoyable and the result of lots of hard work and travel (I commuted most days from Dublin)……that or the pints in Seans Bar 😊

How do you stay connected to the TUS community, if at all?

Well social media makes it easy to stay connected and check in every now and then.

What does the idea of an alumni community mean to you?

I think the idea of an Alumni community is a great way to network and share experiences with a group who all have a communality that connects them.

Finally, what’s next for you?

What’s next for me…..just to try to enjoy what the next few years throw at me and ensure my family are safe and comfortable.