Leading with passion: Emma Paul's story of sports and success

This month, we are celebrating the amazing women who are an integral part of Crowe Ireland. We are shining a spotlight on their outstanding accomplishments and recognising their commitment to accelerating action in their daily lives.

Emma Paul, a Graduate Consultant at Crowe and UCD Ladies Hockey Club player and previous captain, shares insights from her career and personal experiences. She discusses the importance of embracing failure, her commitment to accelerating action for women's equality, and the evolution of women's sports.

Tell us about yourself.

My name is Emma Paul and I am a Graduate Consultant at Crowe. Outside of work, my main hobby is hockey. I represented Leinster and Ireland up until U21 level and got the opportunity to play in the U21 Junior World Cup and European Championships. I had the privilege of captaining the U21 team at the European Championships in Belgium in 2023 and I currently captain the UCD Ladies 1 team, who compete in the EYHL.

As a woman, what would you tell your younger self?

Not to be so afraid of failure. I have always been competitive and somewhat of a perfectionist so learning how to take the positives from failing at a younger age would have had its benefits.

Who is a woman who inspires you?

Billie Jean King – she is a tennis legend and is one of the main reasons all Grand Slam tournaments now have equal pay for men and women.

What does the theme “Accelerate Action” mean to you?

The theme “Accelerate Action” means to me “less talk and more action.” It is very easy to sit down and have conversations about changing culture, but actually putting actions and initiatives into place is difficult. Ultimately, this theme highlights the need for further effort to act in a more proactive way in order to create more opportunities and equality for women.

In my personal life, I show my commitment to action through my dedication to sports. Sadly, one in five girls in Ireland drops out of sports between primary and post-primary school, often due to fear of judgment, lack of confidence, and lack of motivation.

Sports are a huge part of my life, offering undeniable mental and physical health benefits. Even though there's more support for women in sports now, we still need to keep pushing for more. As a captain, I encourage my team to always give their best, whether it's during training or in a league final. By creating a supportive environment, I hope to inspire more girls to stay involved in sports and enjoy its many benefits.

What has captaining a team of young women taught you?

Being given the opportunity to captain teams of young women has taught me a lot of skills I don’t think I would have learned elsewhere. I have learned all the cliché things like how to effectively communicate in high-pressure situations, how to motivate people, how to empathise and how to hold myself and others accountable.

The most important thing I learned throughout the years is that to be a successful team you have to have a great team dynamic and culture. A team is made up of lots of different characters, all with different personalities, opinions, strengths and weaknesses. If you’re able to bring them together and get them to work in harmony, success is likely to follow in one form or another.

How do you think women’s sport has evolved over the years, and what changes would you like to see in the future?

The evolution of women’s sport has been rapid in recent years, mainly due to the increase in coverage on social media and TV channels. It has been recorded that media coverage for women’s sport has tripled over the last five years. When I turned on the TV as a kid it was very unlikely that any women’s sport was being broadcast. Now you turn on Sky Sports and the Women’s Super League is being streamed, or the WNBA, or even the LPGA Tour. This shows the considerable progress that has been made in the sporting world.

In the future I would like to see more support for women to develop full-time careers in sport. It is very common for women who represent Ireland to have a professional career side by side with their sporting career. For example, the current Irish women’s hockey team is made up of doctors, accountants, teachers, consultants and much more. This then results in them having to battle to take annual leave or unpaid leave for major competitions such as World Cups, European Championships and even the Olympics. Further investment and financial support are needed to help more women pursue careers as full-time professional athletes.

How do you feel the theme “Accelerate Action” is visible in the workplace?

The theme of accelerating action is evident throughout Crowe. A prime example of the firm’s commitment to driving cultural change for women is the incredible campaign created for International Women’s Day. Additionally, there are lots of women in leadership roles in Crowe which is often not seen and is encouraging as a graduate in the firm.