Séafra Ó Faoláin Email & Phone Number

Ireland

My research brief covered a variety of areas, including foreign affairs, tax, finance, and trade, with a climate focus in all areas. My main responsibility was to prepare briefing notes and speeches for national parliamentarians in a fast-paced environment in a manner that was easily understandable and relatable to the public, persuasive and accurate. I also liaised with the Party’s Communications Team regarding communication of policy to ensure that party communications are understandable and accurate.My main achievements have been:• Writing speeches and speaking notes that are used in the national parliament on a weekly basis;• Drafted Bills and amendments to Bills which entered the legislative process;• Drafted, with internal and external stakeholder input, party submissions to public consultations, such as, the Corporate Sustainability Reporting Directive, White Paper on Enterprise Policy, Co-operative Societies Bill. For the Co-operative Societies Bill, I then briefed a parliamentarian and attended a meeting to lobby the relevant Minister on same;• Led the drafting of party position papers on policies such as Public Banking, International Trade Agreements, Co-operative Societies;• Costed policy proposals for budgets, some of which were implemented, and for party manifesto.

I was elected in 2019 as one of the youngest local politicians in the country, at 22. My main responsibility was to solve issues for constituents and other stakeholders, which could be through negotiating an annual budget of approximately €200 million with officials and other party leaders, or contributing to national media (print, online and radio), or building coalitions with advocacy groups for specific campaigns. My main achievements were:• Accelerated climate action at a local level by working alongside officials and other Councillors, to achieve the upgrade of public lighting, increased funding for biodiversity, and improved planning standards;• Garnered national print and radio media coverage, including a front-page article in the Irish Times, and speaking on a prime-time debate on Newstalk;• Successfully secured support for greater active mobility interventions as a response to COVID-19;• Secured a commitment to a ‘Women and Girls’ Safety Audit’, UN Habitat’s framework for creating safer public spaces for women and girls.

County Dublin, Ireland

- General Account Executive duties: Oireachtas and media monitoring, writing to politicians and arranging meetings for clients, coordinate interviews with journalists, compiling media/regulatory/political monitoring notes, pitching stories to journalists, writing and sending press releases, drafting, researching and proofing;- Account Lead for one client: manage day-to-day correspondence with client, all monitoring responsibilities (including crisis communications), manage the progress and achievement of Deliverables, draft annual Plan of Work;- New Business: seek out new business opportunities, initial research for pitches; attending networking events;- Mentor: manage responsibilities of incoming interns, train in, advise on next steps and advocate on their behalf to MD;- Representation: represent the agency at external and networking events.

County Dublin, Ireland

I interned at Hume Brophy for three months, in both the Public Affairs and Communications/PR divisions of the Dublin office. My main tasks were:- Media monitoring (print, online, radio and television); - Preparing daily, weekly and fortnightly political/regulatory/media updates for clients;- Drafting, sending and following up on press releases to national and local media; - Research for new business pitches;- Writing an article for the firm's website (link attached);- General support for colleagues at every level, along with fact-checking and proofreading.Some of the projects I was involved with were:- Part of a team on a social media auditing project and subsequent report for the firm's largest client;- Researching and presenting potential communications strategies for an international industry body in the area of creating a circular economy;- Attending a gambling-related conference and preparing a report on the developments of the day.

Master'S Degree, Public Policy

Bachelor’S Degree, Philosophy, Political Science, Economics And Sociology, | Freshman Average: 2:1; Foundation Scholarship Examinations: 67

Activities and Societies: Foundation Scholarship Examinations // Ordinary Committee Member of the Society for International Affairs.

Erasmus, Political Science And Economics, Upper Second Class Honours

Activities and Societies: Kot Erasmus: Part of a live-together society to welcome other Erasmus students and organise social, cultural.

High School, Leaving Certificate: 600/625

Activities and Societies: Senior Basketball Team (2011-2014), Captain (2013-2014) // Commerce and Economics Society Committee Member //.