Kieran Munnelly has thanked Loughborough College for setting him on a path which has led to him coordinating a worldwide response to the Covid-19 crisis for a major global organisation.
The former public services student, who is now Senior Crisis Management Expert at the Allianz headquarters in Germany, said: “I had wanted to be a firefighter and can honestly say that I did not at all envision where my journey would take me – but this journey would not have been possible if it were not for the support, motivation and belief that was instilled in me at Loughborough College.”
Following his course with the College, Kieran secured an academic scholarship to study for a degree in Disaster Management and Emergency Planning at Coventry University. After a 12-month professional placement in London saw Kieran given the opportunity to support emergency preparedness for the London Olympic Games, he achieved a First Class Honours degree and returned to London. Working first as an emergency planning officer and then Deputy Head of Emergency Management, Kieran helped plan for emergencies such as pandemics, severe weather and terrorism, as well as being a lead tactical responder for emergencies that included flooding, fires, large-scale evacuations and more.
Deciding to try something new, Kieran became one of only 24 successful applicants selected to join a prestigious international master’s degree programme at the United Nations University. At the UN campus in Bonn, Germany, he studied for a degree in Environmental Risk and Human Security. Within this time Kieran spent six months in Geneva, Switzerland for a United Nations organization, using his knowledge to consult and provide guidance on reducing the risk of disasters globally.
Following his degree, Kieran accepted an offer to join Allianz at their headquarters in Munich where he became Senior Crisis Management Expert, preparing the company to handle any crisis, including cyber-attacks, IT outages, terror attacks and any other event that could lead to significant reputational, operational, legal or even financial impacts. He is currently the lead tactical responder for coordinating the worldwide organizational response to the COVID-19 crisis.
Loughborough College Public Services lead Tim Turner said: “The BTEC in Public Services exposes students to a very wide range of career choices and Kieran is testament to how the experience we offer can help shape your future. Having the benefit of the course and particularly being introduced to the Major Incidents and Resilience Planning components opened his eyes to a path he hadn’t even been aware existed. From that foundation he has seized and created opportunities and gone from strength to strength. We are very proud of his achievements. “