The Soroptimist Ireland Girls’ Public Speaking Competition has been running for over 40 years.

 

On 6th November 2025, European Regulatory Affairs Limited (ERA) had the honour of sponsoring, again, the local heat in Dungarvan.

 

The Competition is a three-stage event with local and regional heats leading to a national final. The participants present a 6-minute speech on the topic of their choice (from a list circulated in advance to schools) and is adjudicated by a panel of 3 judges.

The competition encourages girls (4th, 5th or 6th year in a second-level school) to develop the skills to speak effectively and articulately with clarity and conviction. This enables them to improve their self-confidence which in turn will enhance their career opportunities. This year in Dungarvan, 18 girls from 7 schools participated. I had the honour of being one of the adjudicators this year in this local heat.

 

To say I was inspired by these young women is an understatement. They presented on poignant topics such as Social Media impacts, Burnout, Fast Fashion, Voting apathy, Female Leadership and Mentoring. The quality of their research and the passion they demonstrated for the topics was impactful.

I am so proud to be in a position to sponsor such an event locally. The values of the Soroptimists align with my own; to transform the lives and status of women and girls through education, empowerment and enabling opportunities.

In order to achieve the best outcomes for our society in the future men and women need to work together as a team. When we do the results are transformative. To facilitate this, women need to be able to obtain positions of authority so that as a team men and women can work together at the highest levels of government to make the changes needed for us all to thrive and prosper in the decades to come.

 

My own team in ERA are amazing. They are dedicated, professional and enthusiastic. We value and support one another so we can do our best work together. We trust one another and treat each other with respect and dignity. This is part of our company culture and keeps us connected.

We all have a passion for ‘the details’, for problem solving and finding a solution that works best for our clients. We have vast years of experience in the pharmaceutical industry and our ultimate goal is to help our clients sell the safest and most beneficial medicines to enhance patient care.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Written by Alice D’Alton