About Jacqueline Robinson

Originally from the Fermanagh countryside near Newtownbutler, Jacqueline Robinson traces her interest in hospital operations to early in her career. Working in the NHS in London, she was exposed to broader patient pathways and hospital operations.

“I saw systems that worked really well, and that gave me an appetite for the entire healthcare pathway instead of just the drug aspect of it.”

She returned to Ireland, taking up a pure pharmacy role with the HSE at St James’s Hospital in Dublin. Seeking involvement in broader hospital projects, she began working on a prescribing app – which ended up marking a turning point. “It was a good example of linking teams and using technology to make processes more efficient.”

Having enjoyed the project, she was encouraged by her mentor, the hospital’s then-CEO and UCD Smurfit School graduate Brian Fitzgerald, to pursue an MBA rather than a healthcare-specific masters. “He really pushed me, saying, ‘If you're serious about getting into hospital management, you need to learn the financial side’.”

That conversation happened in spring 2013, and come the following September, Jacqueline was starting the course.

A new path, and a baptism of fire

Jacqueline chose the mid-week option so she could balance her career with lectures, completing project work at the weekend. And then midway through the course, she made the leap from pharmacy to management.

“I looked into it and saw it opened so many doors. Even if I wanted to go into the pharmaceutical industry – setting up a community pharmacy business or chain, or going down the entrepreneurship route and developing a product – I saw the MBA could feed into all those paths.”

While on the course, she took a role as the operations manager in cancer services at St James's Hospital. “I was busy with the course and really had to step up into this role and manage 70 people from a variety of disciplines. It was a baptism of fire in some ways.”

At the same time, she prized gaining such a well-rounded qualification. “You’re learning everything from negotiations and HR to IT and finance. It was a great opportunity to round out my skill set.”

Gaining invaluable ethical frameworks

Leaders in all industries find they must make decisions on ethical grounds at times, but none more so than in healthcare. “We had a fantastic module with Eleanor O'Higgins on Business Ethics,” says Jacqueline. “She provided a strong framework for assessing situations and making decisions, along with numerous case studies.

These skills have stood to her, as so much of her day-to-day work now involves decision-making and negotiation. Robinson consciously refers back to these decision-making frameworks, saying they have become part of her “professional DNA”.

“These frameworks seep into you by osmosis. We were introduced to different thinkers, and we would look at scenarios and assess them according to the theory. That really stuck with me.”

Rapid progress in management

After graduating from UCD Smurfit School and gaining a couple years’ more experience as an operations manager at St James’s, Jacqueline’s next step was to general manager of St Luke’s Radiation Oncology Network, operating from three HSE hospitals. Five years later, she was appointed COO of Ireland’s largest private hospital, The Beacon.

There, she is responsible for operational efficiency, patient safety and quality improvement across the Beacon Hospital organisation. Day to day, that means being concerned with the pathway flow of patients through the organisation, and the quality of the patient experience.

Last year alone, over 200,000 patients accessed the Beacon Hospital’s service across medicine and surgery. “You’re making decisions about volume, how much you treat, what you treat and who can treat what. It’s really every element of how you use the infrastructure to deliver best-in-class patient care in both the hospital’s outpatient and inpatient services.”

She adds: “We have 1,900 staff and 350 consultants who work with us – they’re our medical experts, so there’s a lot of liaison with them”.

Stewardship over a growing campus

Along with figuring out how to use the hospital’s infrastructure to deliver best-in-class patient experiences and care, Jacqueline contributes to decisions about growing that infrastructure.

“This involves decisions about capital projects – what capacity you add, and when,” she explains. “There's a financial stewardship element to my role, so making sure we're using the resources the right way – and keeping an eye on patient experience at the centre of all of that.”

“In 2025, we're embarking on the next phase of our expansion plan, with inpatient care increasing by over 40%. This will allow us to meet the growing healthcare needs in Ireland, and it will include 70 additional inpatient beds, a new oncology day unit, four new day theatres and a new state-of-the-art emergency department.”

Future expansion plans include extending to a medical campus – the next phase of which is the development of a 2.7 acre site adjacent to the hospital.

Reflecting on her leadership style

A recent change at the Beacon gave Jacqueline a new perspective on her approach to managing teams.

In early 2024, the Beacon Hospital announced its acquisition by Macquarie Asset Management (MAM), a global asset manager in the public and private markets. Jacqueline has recently completed Executive coaching facilitated by Beacon and MAM which has provided her with some useful insights.

“One thing they said about me was that I lead with a sense of urgency,” she says, adding, “That's accurate. I like to get things done and have the drive to do it. The teams who work with me have to come with me on that journey or it's not going to work.”

Jacqueline credits her Smurfit MBA for helping her develop a high-trust leadership style. This required a mindshift from her pharmacist days, which entailed a lot of working on her own.

“With the MBA, you’re pushed to work in a team. And when you're a team, whether you're leading or part of one, it’s important to trust people and to empower them rather than micromanaging.”

With several directors reporting to her, Jaqueline says this approach is especially important at scale: “You have to trust people are looking after their piece of the puzzle and let them run with that.”

Leading the expansion has meant working with people whose expertise was entirely outside her own – trusting them has been vital as well. “I didn't have a lot of expertise in relation to some of those projects so I had to trust the architect would do his bit well, knowing that's going to impact on all of our results, and roll with that. And it turns out that works.”

Panel

Are there any leaders you look up to from your career?

There's a fantastic guy who I did the MBA with, Michael O’Dwyer. He was originally in Dublin City Council but founded his own business, Swift Comply, which has recently been bought out. We meet up regularly to bounce ideas around. I find him to be a really good sounding board and really trust his judgement on leadership issues.

What gets you up in the morning?

My three kids, who are eight, seven and five! Professionally, though, I’m motivated by working with people and transforming systems. That's what attracted me to Beacon. Things change and evolve quickly, and I’m energised by that.

Outside work, what do you enjoy doing?

For Mother's Day this year I was given a certificate that had ‘three things mum is very good at’ and mine showed horse riding, drawing and singing. I love horse riding – I have a horse called Heather – and I sing in the local church in Kilternan, where I’m a vestry board member.

What do you think makes people successful?

When you're around successful people and the more senior you get, you wonder “What’s the secret?” Is it brilliance or pure talent, even luck? It's really just hard work. Opportunities open up just by putting your hand up and saying “Yeah, I'm up for that”.

What advice would you give to someone thinking about doing an MBA?

I’m mentoring a few people at the moment, trying to encourage them to do the MBA. I’ve noticed women in particular can overthink the commitment required. I just think, ‘Get stuck in!’. Apply yourself and be prepared to work, and then the opportunities open up.

June 2025