Tara Finn – Head of Business Development at Cork Airport Strives for More with MSc in Aviation Management

Tara Finn is Head of Aviation Business Development at Cork Airport and is currently studying for her MSc in Aviation Management at Portobello Institute.

Tara always wanted to be a pilot. She started out by doing a degree in Biological and Chemical Sciences and pursued her Commercial Pilot’s License from 2016-2019. She went travelling for six weeks at the start of 2020 to make sure she was back on time for the summer intake of pilots.

Unfortunately, Tara landed back into a lockdown and almost two years of a global pandemic. She was working in security at Cork Airport, working directly with the Managing Director, when the opportunity to join the Business Development Team came up. She jumped at the chance, joined the team and became Head of the Department in May 2022.

Tara felt like the MSc in Aviation Management could help her in her new role and so far, it is already paying off.

“Due to having very limited experience in this role and in a managerial role in general, I felt pursuing a master’s was the best way forward to gain more experience and to be able to stand over my own decisions that I make for the business.

“So far, it has even helped give me a broader understanding as my educational background until now was in science. 

“While being a pilot was always the plan, this particular role has given me the opportunity to travel regularly and be centred around all things aviation. This course is giving me the skills to keep pursuing this passion and advance my career,” she said.

Tara has huge ambitions for her career in aviation and she believes that this Master’s will help to get her there.

“My career progression led me to this course, and I would hope that in the future it could lead to new opportunities in bigger airports or airlines. 

“I am working in the career I want. I’ve always wanted to work within aviation, so this course is the perfect fit,” she said. 

Tara finds the flexibility of the course delivery at Portobello helpful as she continues to work internationally and study at the same time.

“The best thing about studying at Portobello is the flexibility to do the course notes/lectures at times that work around my schedule.

“I spend a lot of time travelling, so on layovers or when I have some downtime, it’s great to be able to log in and catch up on college work. Flexibility is a huge thing for me and Portobello has it perfected.  

“I’m really enjoying the experience. Everyone I have met so far has been great and really helpful. My classmates have also been really nice and easy to work with.

“The tutors and lecturers are so helpful, especially Derek and understanding which automatically makes everything easier and the whole experience more enjoyable,” she said.

If you want to learn more about any of our Travel & Tourism degrees and qualifications, you can visit our department page here.

If you are interested in any of our Travel & Tourism degrees or qualifications you can book a consultation call with our expert advisor Brandon McLean here, email brandon.mclean@portobelloinstitute.com or call 01 892 0035.