MaryKate is head of EMEA Communications at Coinbase.

She studied French and Italian in Trinity College Dublin, after having received a bi-lingual diploma in the International Baccalaureate. She studied in France during her teens and developed a love for the country, culture, history and language. In TCD, MaryKate majored in French and wrote her thesis on the French Resistance, receiving a First Class Hons. The political origins of the European Union caught her interest and she decided to pursue a Masters in Political Communication, with a view to working in Brussels for the EU.

That plan worked and she trained in the Communication unit of the Council of the European Union initially, before being hired full time as an External Relations Adviser for the American Chamber of Commerce to the European Union. She then led relations with the European Parliament and the rotating Presidency, travelling all over Europe spreading the message of the benefits of industry to all parts of an economy. From there, MaryKate was headhunted to take over as Head of Office for an Irish public affairs agency, based in Brussels. She did this for four years, developing the business, winning clients, growing a team and honing her skills in advocacy. Then the pandemic hit and MaryKate reassessed and decided she wanted to move back to Dublin. A job in Coinbase came up, leading on Communications across the EMEA region. It felt like a natural next step, to go in-house and hold an EMEA role.

She loves her job and she’s challenged every day to think-big! She wouldn't be where she is today in her career without some seriously fierce women behind her, encouraging her, challenging her and mentoring her.