Dave Riordan

Don’t overestimate how much time you have– It slips by really quickly so use every moment and every opportunity to learn something new.

Enjoy it.

Tell us a bit about yourself, what course did you study in UL, what has your career looked like to date?

My name is Dave Riordan, I’m originally from Kanturk, Co Cork and I studied Mechanical Engineering in UL from 1995 to 1999. After graduation I started my career in the machine tool industry but moved to pharma manufacturing in 2003 when I joined Lilly and have worked with them ever since. I had assignments in project and process engineering earlier in my career but have spent the majority of the last 15 years working in operations management. During that time, I’ve had the privilege of working internationally and I spent over 10 years abroad with my family working for Lilly in the US and in Puerto Rico. 

Tell us a bit about your co-op placement, what organisation did you work with and what year it took place?

My co-op placement occurred at Lilly’s manufacturing site in Kinsale starting in the summer of 1997, where I joined their maintenance and reliability team as an undergraduate mechanical engineer. It was my first experience in an industrial or professional setting, and I was fortunate to have excellent mentors and supervisors to guide me and explain the inner workings of the site. The assignment was nine months long and that allowed me time to work on and learn from different projects and across multiple different departments in the site, including maintenance, project engineering, process engineering, environmental control and manufacturing operations. I left my co-op placement in Lilly with a real appreciation for how I could apply myself in a team based professional setting, and with a better understanding of how I can impact the success of a large organisation through curiosity, creativity and teamwork. 

What impact did your co-op placement have on your future career?

My co-op placement had a huge impact on my overall career. Prior to my experience in Lilly, I wasn’t aware of the work opportunities available in the pharmaceutical industry, and it really broadened my thinking in terms of the number of potential career pathways that existed for me. It also confirmed very clearly for me the type of work environment that I enjoyed and would thrive in, something that is difficult for anyone to know for sure until they experience it directly. Finally, it exposed me to my first real professional role models, some of whom have shaped my views and thoughts on engineering, teamwork and leadership to this very day.

What piece of advice would you give to students going on co-op now?

Don’t underestimate the complexity of your work environment and use the fact that you are new to ask as many “basic” questions as you can.

Don’t overestimate how much time you have; it slips by really quickly so use every moment and every opportunity to learn something new.

Enjoy it.