Professor Colette Henry, Head of Department of Business Studies at Dundalk Institute of Technology (DkIT), has been named as a member of the judging panel for the Education Awards 2026, bringing a research career defined by entrepreneurship, gender equity, and the policy frameworks that shape participation in education and enterprise.

Henry is one of the most internationally networked figures in her discipline. Alongside her role at DkIT, she holds concurrent appointments as Adjunct Professor at Griffith University, Queensland, and Visiting Professor at Oxford Brookes University — academic relationships that keep her research embedded in live conversations about education and enterprise across multiple national contexts.

Earlier in her career she occupied the Norbrook Chair of Business and Enterprise at the Royal Veterinary College in London and held an Adjunct Professorship at the Arctic University of Norway, a breadth of institutional affiliation that speaks to the reach of her scholarly reputation.

Her leadership of the Global Women's Entrepreneurship Policy Research Network, combined with a term as President of the Institute for Small Business and Entrepreneurship, signals a commitment to moving research findings into practical policy outcomes.

As Editor in Chief of the International Journal of Gender and Entrepreneurship, she has shaped the intellectual agenda of a field that sits directly at the intersection of education access, economic participation, and systemic equity.

Entries before the panel will benefit from a judging perspective that is simultaneously evidence-driven and policy-literate — attentive to what interventions actually shift outcomes for learners and entrepreneurs, and for whom.

The Education Awards 2026 ceremony takes place on 16 April at the Johnstown Estate, Enfield, Co. Meath.

For the complete judging panel, category criteria, and finalists shortlist, visit the Education Awards website and subscribe to the newsletter for updates and insights.