Maeve Liston is a director of enterprise and community engagement and a senior lecturer in STEM education at Mary Immaculate College, making her one of Limerick’s most influential people.
What are you most interested in?
I’m most interested in making a difference, developing a positive role in the socio-economic and cultural development of the city and region in which we all live, work, learn and play. I am passionate about promoting and inspiring creativity and innovation and empowering young people, teachers, parents and the general public, through a wide range of outreach activities in the area of STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths), entrepreneurship, culture and the arts, in collaboration with all education institutions, industries and fora across the region.
“The people that I admire the most are those inspirational people that give back and care about the place they grew up in and are from.”
What are your ambitions?
To engage and inspire people of all ages from all socio-economic backgrounds to embrace innovation and develop transferable skills needed across all life-situations and career paths. I will continue in this goal through continuously broadening our engagement with as many organisations, enterprise and industry in the region, inspiring and fostering a culture of engagement, creativity, innovation, adaptive leadership and enterprise among people with a diverse range of life-experiences.
What drives you?
I only commit to projects and initiatives I truly believe in and that align with our mission at MIC focusing on ‘Community Belonging’ i.e. ensuring inclusion, access and equity. If I set my mind on something and I am truly committed to the cause, this drives me to ensure we make an impact on the lives of people in Limerick and the region.
“We are encouraging people to explore and connect with Limerick, physically, mentally and emotionally.”
Who do you admire in business?
There are so many successful business people. The people that I admire the most are those inspirational people that give back and care about the place they grew up in and are from. I have huge admiration for our local J.P McManus, not only for his business accomplishments but for everything he does for the people of Limerick. He truly is an inspiration in how he supports an endless list of social, cultural and educational initiatives in the region.
What’s so good about Limerick?
As a city, we do collaboration extremely well. We may be a small city but are we an extremely successful city. This is all down to all stakeholders working together in promoting Limerick as a place to live and do business in. As a member on the Mid West Action Plan for Jobs and steering group of the Mid West Regional Skills Forum, I am so very impressed in how everyone is driving enterprise, jobs and skills agenda within the region. In recent years the arrival of a wide variety of international companies like Uber, Regeneron, Northern Trust, WP Engine, First Data, Troy Studios etc. is a testament to the commitment and hard work of a wide variety of stakeholders in the region. The Limerick City and County Council have to be commended for their huge drive and vision for the city through the establishment of a wide variety of initiatives.
“We never gave up on our city and now we can see how this commitment to our city is really paying off.”
What way could the city improve?
I think we have to keep working hard on our quest to make the city a livable city, by increasing the supply of accommodation in the city centre. I also think we need to continue to develop activities to catalyse the general public’s engagement with Limerick City.
As a member of Global Limerick Network and Learning Limerick, we are encouraging people to explore and connect with Limerick, physically, mentally and emotionally. We must continue to do this as much as possible to keep the city vibrant and alive.
What makes Limerick unique?
What makes Limerick unique is its people. We never gave up on our city and now we can see how this commitment to our city is really paying off. The close-knit network is amazing, if you need advice, support or just to thrash ideas/thoughts around, people are just a quick phone call away and are always there to help.
