Queen’s Management School students join BDO NI Mentorship Programme

(L-R): Fidelma Murphy, mother of Micéal Murphy; winners of the The BDO Award in Memory of Micéal Murphy 2023: Katie McAuley and Thomas Jordan; and Lisa McAleer of BDO NI. Note: Leah Doherty was also a joint winner in absentia.

Three high-achieving first year students from Queen’s University’s Management School are to receive expert mentorship from local business advisory firm BDO Northern Ireland  as part of the prestigious Micéal Murphy Award.

Leah Doherty, Thomas Jordan, and Katie McAuley achieved the highest mark in their Introductory Financial Accounting module to secure a place on the programme, which is now in its tenth year. Going forward, the trio will be supported in their studies and offered one-to-one guidance.

Running in parallel with their classroom activities, they will develop their skillset in accountancy and gain insight into the business world more generally through various internships and placements with BDO NI.

Welcoming the three students to the BDO NI team, Lisa McAleer, Human Resources Manager with BDO NI said,

“I would like to congratulate Katie, Leah, and Thomas on achieving such an impressive set of exam results. Their hard work has earned them a place in BDO NI’s unique mentoring programme which I know will add real value to their university studies and give them a unique perspective into the business world.

“BDO NI is proud to support the award in memory of Micéal Murphy, with Micéal’s family and Queen’s Management School, knowing the real difference it makes to the careers and lives of those students involved in it each year.”

Back in 2016, the Award was renamed in honour of previous recipient Micéal Murphy to mark the contribution he made to the programme, and the enthusiasm and passion he showed towards it. Micéal sadly passed away the previous year, just one day after a fundraiser was organised for him.

Speaking about the importance of the Micéal Murphy Award to first year accountancy students, Professor Ciaran Connolly of Queen’s University Management School said,

“Micéal – who was one of the top three performing Level Two Accounting students in Financial Accounting in 2014-15 – made a positive and lasting impact on staff and students in Queen’s Management School. Through this prestigious BDO NI award, his legacy lives on – and he continues to help students each year.”

A former recipient of the award, Philip Hamill went on to work with BDO NI part time before joining the company as a graduate trainee and was successful in winning three awards at the recent Queens University prizegiving.

(L-R): Brian Murphy, Philip Hamill, and Fidelma Murphy.

Micéal’s mother Fidelma Murphy added,

"I want to take this opportunity to thank BDO NI for including our family in the Prize Giving Ceremony. It is an immense honour to present the Award in memory of our son Micéal. We are truly grateful to meet the award winners each year and feel privileged to be part of their journey."