Planning a complex military operation is second nature to Kirby’s Head of Learning and Development John Boylan. Having spent 12 years as an Officer in the Irish Defence Forces, he is used to creating, training and mobilising high-performing teams at home and abroad.

It’s a skill set he has developed further through roles in the diplomatic service, and with Greenpeace, and is now bringing to his role at Kirby.

John leads a team that delivers training and development programmes across Kirby’s sites and offices under the umbrella of the Kirby Academy. This includes both in-house and external training and development initiatives. The team isn’t just building international careers; it’s accelerating them through award-winning talent programmes that keep Kirby and its people at the forefront of engineering.

Marching forward: From the Irish Defence Forces to Kirby

At 30, John left the military. “It was the best grounding anyone could ask for, from officer training, to leading a peacekeeping tour in Kosovo, and being part of a seven-month-long multinational NATO operation in Western Sahara.

“I’d got to the point where I was moving away from the things I loved about the army – the training of troops. It was right and proper that I was working more on strategy and policy as I moved through the ranks, but it also felt like an opportunity to build a career outside of the military,” says John, who completed a Master’s degree in International Relations during his service.

He went to Australia with his then girlfriend, and found his stride with a career in HR, which eventually led to a two-and-a-half-year stint with Greenpeace.

Home called when he got married, and after a short period living back in his native Salthill, an online advert for the Irish diplomatic service caught his attention and led to a five-year jet-setting career with the government.

He initially worked on international counterterrorism and cybersecurity policy in Dublin and was later posted to Canada as Deputy Ambassador to the Irish Embassy in Ottawa. This role saw him work to improve relations between Ireland and Canada, across the gamut of politics, trade, education, and community.

A promotion to Principal Officer saw him return to Dublin to take over the portfolio of National Public Transport services at central government. However, Galway beckoned, and a chance encounter led to an opportunity with Kirby.

“As an international company, Kirby offered the chance to develop and deliver industry-leading initiatives from an office closer to home.

Industry leading training and development programmes

One such programme is Kirby’s High Potential Project Management Development Programme (HiPo). “

Now in its second year, HiPo is a two-year investment that sees people receive bespoke training, mentoring, and development in preparation for their next role. Jointly delivered by Trinity College, the Institute of Project Management, and the Kirby Academy, individuals benefit from 220 hours of training, across: on-the-job, technical, and functional training; personal development; mentoring; and coaching.

John is spearheading the programme, with 19 participants this year.

“This ambitious 24-month programme reflects the company’s commitment to learning, employee development, and investment in our people.

“We have already seen considerable success in terms of promotions achieved by participants in the inaugural programme, and we hope to increase that rate of success each year as we refine and develop the programme.

“It is one of the most progressive and innovative schemes I have seen in my 20 plus years in training and development, and runs alongside outreach, bursary, apprenticeship, graduate and development schemes,” adds John.

High performance culture

Kirby also offered John the chance to be part of a high-performing team on the field.

Although an ankle injury stopped John’s GAA career in its tracks in 2013, the call to captain the Kirby team at the Inter-Firms GAA All-Ireland Football Championship this year was too good to pass up.

As a 2006 All-Ireland Club winner, Gaelic football and his home club – Salthill Knocknacarra – have always been close to John’s heart.

Hoisting the cup as 2025 winners, John congratulated the Kirby team on and off the pitch: “The victory is a testament to the hard work, dedication, and team spirit that the players demonstrated throughout the tournament. The result showcases the high-performance culture we pride ourselves on, both in the workplace and on the field.”

Stepping into the future

Just seven months into his career with Kirby, we asked John what the future holds. John says: “I’m incredibly excited about what we can achieve at Kirby. We have a Board and CEO completely committing to developing its people, understanding that our people are our single greatest asset. Given this progressive outlook, the sustainability of the company is in safe hands, and the future for Kirby looks bright. I’m privileged to find myself at the heart of that, supporting our teams and our people to reach their potential.”

To find out more about the programmes that John and his team deliver, as well as the international careers available at Kirby go to: careers.kirbygroup.com.