A 'Rising Star' in Cork: 'Award win means the world to me'

“BEING awarded the Network Ireland Cork Businesswoman of the Year Award – Employee Rising Star category means the world to me.”

So said Lorna Horgan, Manager for Cork’s 96FM & C103, who judges described as “a woman who stands out from the rest and has excelled in her career”.

And some more!

Originally from Kilcorney, in north-west Cork, Lorna, 29, said she came from “humble beginnings”.

“I grew up in rural North Cork as an only child in a single parent family. My parents separated when I was three and seeing my mom work so hard when I was growing up really instilled a strong work ethic in me from a young age. I’m also very close to my Nana Peggy, who is like another parent to me,” she said.

As well as a having a strong work ethic, Lorna said she’s also always had a ion for learning, from primary school, secondary school and through her undergraduate and postgraduate studies in university.

“I achieved a 2.1 degree in New Media and English with a Certificate in TESOL (Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages) from University of Limerick, but a large component of my undergraduate degree was my voluntary and part-time professional roles.

“I was elected Class Representative for each of my four years of studies and elected Department Representative alongside this in my final year. The pastoral care element of ing my classmates in academic and social issues was a real ion for me and still exists today with my internal and external voluntary roles on committees,” she said.

Within the company, she’s co-chair of the Disability Network for News UK and sits on the DE&I Committee for News Ireland. Outside of work, she is one of the social media officers for Network Ireland Cork and also sits on the Marketing Institute of Ireland, Cork Committee.

And there’s more: she achieved a 1.1 in her Level 9 Postgraduate Professional Diploma in Marketing Management during the pandemic, while working full-time and maintaining a voluntary role as well, which is probably one of her proudest achievements.

She worked as a Business Development and Marketing Manager at UL but left this role on completion of her postgraduate studies and during the lockdown.

“My initial goal was to take a break and enjoy my volunteer role with Network Ireland Limerick at the time, however, three months later, I organically fell into freelancing with there being such a demand for digital skills among the connections I made via the virtual events with of Network Ireland Limerick. I spent a year and a half managing social s and delivering consultations for marketing strategies,” she said.

The workload was busy, and ultimately Lorna realised she was suffering from burn-out and was over-committing herself.

“I wasn’t leaving anything in my cup,” she said.

She recalls how, typically, her brain would be constantly churning, she’d have trouble sleeping, leading to exhaustion, while still being busy during the day, which caused physical, emotional and physiological burn out.

Around this time, friends of hers had received an ADHD diagnosis which led Lorna to some dots herself. She was diagnosed with ADHD (Combined Type), which means she has inattentive and hyperactive-impulsive symptoms.

“Why have one type when you can have both?” she laughs.

“Getting the diagnosis two years ago was a long process – it took two years, as it was such a holistic approach, but it was a huge learning journey for me and worth it.”

She now has a rigorous recovery plan in place and nurtures self-awareness around her behaviour, but says she still faces “internal battles every minute of the day”.

“This is something I was born with – it’s my brain chemistry. But with awareness and learning it becomes less of a battle and something I can manage. Getting the diagnosis was the best thing I ever did.”

Winning the Network Ireland Cork award meant so much, she said.

“I took a moment with my mother, Marion, and boyfriend, Saidas, to decompress and take it in and I realised that even though I’m putting myself first now, I’m still achieving things, just at a balanced pace.”

Lorna ed Network Ireland Cork as a member in October, 2022.

“Despite being from Cork, I spent the first eight years of my adult professional life in Limerick and a subsequent two years in the Netherlands, so it created an opportunity to create a professional network in a city that was new to me as a working professional.

“I have been on the committee since 2023 and have had roles such as Podcast Officer and social media officer to-date. The experience has been incredibly inspiring, ive and collaborative.”

What’s next for this ambitious young woman?

“I’m just really happy for now – and that’s something I’ve never been able to say before.”

Lorna will go on to the national finals in September.

We will continue our series of interviews with the winners of the Network Cork and Network West Cork Businesswoman of the Year awards in WoW! in the weeks ahead.