Trinity Farewell for Sue Uda
Family and friends will gather in The Dining Hall of Trinity College, Dublin at 2pm on Monday 12th May to celebrate the life of Sue Uda who passed away on 17th April.
Sue, who founded the Ireland Chapter of SITE in the late 1990s, is deeply mourned by her beloved son David, daughter-in-law Sophie, treasured grandchildren Ollie and Daisy, and her much-loved dogs Teddy and Willow. She will also be greatly missed by her extended family and the devoted team at her business, ‘A Touch of Ireland’.
In a tribute posted on the “Padraicino” blog, Padraig Gilligan, co-founder, Soolnua Consulting, described her as “a quiet visionary” and “someone who shunned the spotlight but led with sharp intelligence and unwavering determination. She dedicated herself to building strong, lasting businesses and partnerships, always with purpose and integrity at the core”.
Sue approached Patrick Delaney and Padraig Gilligan at the EIBTM in Geneva in the mid-nineties with a proposal to establish an Irish chapter of SITE. Ireland had hosted SITE’s Global Conference back in 1992, but in the years that followed, momentum had been lost and, despite a strong awareness of SITE in Ireland, no chapter had formed.
A committee headed by Sue laid the foundations for what would become one of the strongest SITE chapters in the world. She remained as treasurer for SITE Ireland for many years.
Sue’s company, ‘A Touch of Ireland’, focused on European source markets and included both tour and travel as well as business events, all serviced by a multi-lingual team. Her entrepreneurial spirit led her into several partnerships. She was an early investor in Conference Partners, now one of Europe’s leading PCOs, and in Global Teamwork.
Though less present at industry events in recent years, Sue was given well-deserved recognition by both SITE and AIPCO (the Association of Irish Professional Conference Organisers) for her immense contribution to the business events industry in Ireland.
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