Catching up with... Dr David P Doyle

This month we catch up with Ambassador Dr David Doyle, who is a long-serving diplomat who has been based in Paris for over 40 years, spanning the Irish trade mission (Enterprise Ireland), OECD and UNESCO.

David was awarded an Honorary Doctorate in Business Administration at Kingston University in January 2004, when he was recognised for his contribution to EU policy for the growth and sustainability of small businesses.

What have you been up to since?

Back in 2006, I was nominated Permanent Delegate of the Small Island Developing State, St. Christopher (St. Kitts) and Nevis to UNESCO, and in 2013, raised to the rank of Ambassador.

What three words come to mind when you think of Kingston University?

Very inspiring faculty.

Have you been back to Kingston since being awarded your degree? If so, what for?

A few years ago, I was invited to deliver some lectures on the EU financial services regulatory agenda, with special reference to SME policy. I regularly contribute to the Kingston University Annual Fund to assist talented young graduates to continue to higher levels of learning and research.

What's your greatest achievement?

Aside from receiving the doctorate honoris causa from Kingston University, the opportunity to serve a Small Island Developing State at UNESCO and in France as its diplomatic envoy. Additionally, I was delighted to have my first book, Cost Control – A Strategic Guide (CIMA/Elsevier: London) published in foreign editions in South Korea (2007) and in China (2013).

What advice would you give to your 18-year-old self?

Do not forgo the opportunity to continue studying beyond high school and remember the old axiom "you earn what you learn", in other words, one improves one's earnings capacity with increased educational achievement.

What last made you laugh?

The movie The Intern, about a 70-year-old (Robert De Niro) discovering that retirement isn't all it's cracked up to be and seizes an opportunity to get back in the game as a senior intern at an online fashion site; never say never!

What's your ideal weekend?

A great time to catch up reading, playing golf (weather permitting) and enjoying the French gastronomic and cultural lifestyle (I live near Paris). Spending time with my wife, and our two wonderful grown-up daughters, our son-in-law over a Sunday lunch is as best as you can get!

You are to live out your final days on a desert island ...

a.           Who would you take with you and why? (one person only)

My Belgian Francophone wife, bien sûr!

b.           What book would you take and why?

The Honourable Schoolboy (1977), the first of John le Carré's intriguing spy novels I read.

Tell us something no one would guess about you

I'm a big fan of Pink Floyd, the iconic rock group spanning the past five decades. Proud owner of all their albums and still in awe of David Gilmore's performance at Château de Chantilly in July 2016 – "The child is grown, the dream is gone".

Catch up with other alumni >