Martin Molloy

Q: Can you tell us about yourself and your career journey up to this point?

A: I studied Business and Economics at Trinity College Dublin, followed by a Master’s in Finance at HEC Paris, which led me into investment banking. I spent six years in The City focusing on mergers and acquisitions, then moved into private equity in Dublin, supporting Irish SMEs. A couple of years ago, I joined HH Global, a US$2 billion global marketing services company, as Corporate Development Director, where I lead mergers and acquisitions for the group.

Q: What led you to the LSE Executive Education Negotiation course?

A: Throughout my career, I’ve worked on deals, but my early roles were more analytical –financial models, valuations, presentations. In private equity, I negotiated more directly, but always as part of a team. Now, as the sole corporate development person at HH Global, I negotiate one-on-one with business owners and executives. I’d never had formal negotiation training, so I suggested this course to my boss, and he was fully supportive.

Q: What three words would you use to describe the course?

A: Empowering – It’s provided me with a solid structure for preparing for and acting in negotiations. I feel more confident and empowered to craft proposals knowing that I'm following a well-established, well-researched process.

Comprehensive – The course covers a wide range of tools and techniques, including psychology and how to manage emotions. The professors have designed it to not only explore negotiating structures and tactics, but we also learned about psychology and how to manage the emotions of yourself and your counterparts.

Fun – The role-plays and negotiation scenarios really encourage you to get into character and get involved.

Q: What learnings from the programme will you be applying in your day-to-day job?

A: When you start negotiating with another party, it can feel overwhelming – there’s a lot of different ways of coming to an agreement. The course provided a clear framework for structuring negotiations. Now, I break down issues, identify options, and prioritise what matters most to both sides, leaving me feeling confident there are no gaps in my approach.

Q: Do you have any advice for professionals considering this course?

A: I highly recommend the course. The tools I've learned will be very practically beneficial. All you need is for the course to help you achieve a better outcome in one deal, and it pays for itself.