Averil Power, Irish Cancer Society – A Finalist in the WMB Businesswoman Award Category
18th April 2022
Over the coming weeks, we will be introducing you to our WMB Award Finalists. Ultimately there will be one winner in each of our five Award categories, to be announced at our Conference & Awards on May 16th. If you’d like to attend our Conference & Awards, you can book now>>
Here, we introduce you to Averil Power, Irish Cancer Society – a finalist in the WMB Businesswoman Award category.
Title and Company Name
CEO, Irish Cancer Society
Sector & size of operation
Healthcare charity with an annual income of over €20 million and more than 200 staff.
You originally hail from
Dublin
Single or relationship
Relationship
What is the best part of your job
Seeing the huge difference our donors make to children and adults with cancer by funding lifesaving research and vital free services such as in-home night nursing care, counselling and transport to hospital appointments.
And the most challenging
The heartbreak every time cancer claims the life of someone close to me and I remember how far we still have to go to stop this cruel disease.
Your definition of success
Success for me means being true to myself, improving as a person every day, making a difference through my work and being worthy of the unconditional love I get from my partner and my daughter.
Best trait
Optimism. I am a very optimistic person who believes anything is possible and loves to defy the odds.
Worst trait
Impatience. I generally want things to be done yesterday and have to remember to slow down sometimes.
Biggest ‘win’ to date
Ensuring the Irish Cancer Society overcame the challenges presented by the pandemic, not only continuing our existing services but also growing them and introducing new ones so we are now doing more than ever before to help people affected by cancer.
Who inspires you most
My little girl Noa. She is curious, fearless and sees the wonder in everything. She reminds me to appreciate the small things in life and inspires me to do better and be the person she thinks I am.
Name two things on your ‘bucket list’
Learning Spanish and trekking in South America.
What does it mean for you to be a woman in business today
It means standing on the shoulders of giants, benefiting from the cracks other women have made in the executive glass ceiling, making the most of the opportunities I have had and paying it forward by helping other women succeed.
Best advice to pass on
Believe in yourself and do what scares you. There is no growth in the comfort zone.
