Women in STEM at Hollister: Honora and Vivienne’s Career Journeys

Honora Egan: From Creative Interests to Product Design

Honora did not begin with a fixed plan to work in engineering or medical-device innovation. Her early interests included art and Irish studies. After taking time to consider the type of work that suited her, she discovered product design and recognised that it brought together several areas she already enjoyed: creativity, business and technical problem-solving.

Product design is sometimes misunderstood as purely visual work. In practice, it can involve user needs, engineering principles, materials, manufacturing processes, commercial requirements and the practical limitations involved in producing a reliable product. That combination helps explain why creative and technical interests do not need to be treated as opposites. The ability to imagine a different solution is valuable, but the designer must also consider whether it can be tested, manufactured and used effectively.

Honora’s career later progressed from individual technical contribution into innovation leadership. That transition required her to develop beyond her own design and problem-solving work and become responsible for helping other people perform well. Her journey offers a practical lesson for anyone who has several interests and worries that they do not fit neatly into one career category. The objective is not always to choose between creativity and technology. It may be to find a discipline in which both are useful.

Vivienne McNulty: From Curiosity to Engineering

Vivienne’s interest in engineering began with wanting to understand and fix things. A transition-year placement gave her early exposure to engineering as real work rather than only a school subject. That experience helped her recognise a possible career direction and influenced her decision to study engineering. Her route after that was not entirely straightforward. Vivienne encountered difficulties during her education, and her career did not immediately develop as she expected after graduation. The original HERO interview also describes a period in which she worked in a shoe shop while trying to establish her next professional step.

That period did not invalidate her engineering education or determine what happened next. Vivienne later developed experience across automation and mechanical engineering and continued her education through postgraduate study. Each stage added knowledge that contributed to her eventual progression into innovation leadership. Her experience is useful because career stories are often presented retrospectively as a smooth sequence of decisions. In reality, graduates may struggle to secure their first relevant position, question their original choice or begin in work that appears disconnected from their longer-term goal.

A difficult beginning is not proof that the broader career is impossible. The more useful questions are what experience is missing, which opportunities could provide it and who can offer informed guidance. Professionals pursuing a similar route can compare role-level pay in HERO’s Engineering Salary Guide Ireland 2026.

Hollister’s Women’s Initiative Network

The Women’s Initiative Network, known as WIN, is one of Hollister’s employee resource groups.

Hollister’s 2024 Sustainability Report lists WIN among its employee networks and explains that the groups provide opportunities for associates to connect, learn and broaden their perspectives. The report also references Honora and Vivienne’s participation in HERO’s #GreatnessHasNoGender podcast, describing their discussion of STEM careers, leadership challenges and professional support systems.

The report does not publish the global or Ballina gender-representation percentages previously included on HERO’s article. Those figures should therefore remain removed unless Hollister supplies their reporting date, scope and methodology. Employee networks can contribute to visibility, mentoring and professional connection. Their effectiveness, however, should also be considered alongside practical outcomes such as access to development, project responsibility and progression.

About Hollister Incorporated in Ballina

Hollister Incorporated develops and manufactures medical products supporting ostomy and continence care. The company opened its Ballina facility in 1976 on a 40-acre campus in County Mayo. Hollister’s official Ballina careers page states that the site employs almost 1,000 people and manufactures high volumes of ostomy- and continence-care products for international distribution.

The Ballina operation has expanded beyond manufacturing. Its functions include global R&D for continence-care products, new-product commercialisation, global engineering, regulatory affairs, supply-chain management and financial shared services. That range of activity creates potential career routes across product development, engineering, manufacturing, quality, regulatory affairs, supply chain and supporting business functions.

Candidates researching the wider sector can read HERO’s guide to medical-device companies and careers in Ireland.

Hollister Ballina Investment Update

In July 2025, Hollister announced an €80 million investment in R&D and digital transformation at Ballina. The project was expected to create approximately 50 jobs and included recruitment in engineering, data science and business services. The announcement took place after Honora and Vivienne’s interview and should be understood as a later company development.