About Edel Walsh

Background & Professional Experience

I have been the accountancy & tax student, the lecturer and the examiner. I have sat these papers, taught them, and marked them. I have seen professional exams from every side, and that's where everything I do starts.

My career began at KPMG, where I qualified as a Chartered Accountant (ACA) and Chartered Tax Adviser (CTA) after a Finance degree at University College Cork. From practice, I moved into professional education, holding senior lecturer and examiner roles within the professional accountancy bodies. I lectured advanced Taxation and Finance papers across ACCA, CPA, ACA and IATI programmes at undergraduate, postgraduate and Master's level.

Over a twelve-year academic career I taught and mentored every kind of learner: school leavers, mature students, international cohorts and qualified professionals. I also lectured in China, working with international students in accounting, tax and finance.

Thousands of students and thousands of scripts later, I know exactly why capable people underperform in professional exams and what it takes to turn that around.

About Edel

Edel graduated with a degree in Finance from UCC. Her corporate career started in KPMG where qualified as a Chartered Accountant (ACA) and Chartered Tax Adviser (CTA). From there, Edel moved into Academia and professional education where she held senior lecturer and examinership roles within the professional accountancy bodies.
She lectured the advanced papers of Taxation and Finance for the ACCA, CPA, ACA and IATI. She lectured at an Undergraduate, Post-Graduate and Masters level.

Edel worked as a lecturer for ten years primarily in the areas of finance, accounting, and taxation. Throughout this period, she taught and mentored a diverse range of students from school leavers to mature students, to international students and professional accountancy students. She has spent time in China lecturing international students in the areas of accounting, tax, and finance.

Exam Expertise & Assessment Insight

I have not only sat and marked professional exams, I have studied how they work. My postgraduate research in Higher Education examined the impact of closed-book assessment on professional accountants: how the format itself shapes who passes and who doesn't.

That research, alongside my years inside the assessment process, gives me a rare understanding of how exams are designed, marked and experienced from within. It's the insight that underpins everything I do today.

Talent, Leadership & Coaching

In 2017 I joined EY in a senior leadership development role and trained as a personal leadership and executive coach. EY is where I first started coaching students through their professional exams and where I also coached managers through the steepest career jumps there are: graduate to manager, manager to senior leader.

Across all of it, one pattern held: technical ability is rarely what holds people back. Confidence, pressure and burnout are.

Specific Experience in Coaching

Qualifications & Accreditations

Approach & Philosophy

My approach is calm, evidence based and direct. I lead people to think clearly, build confidence and meet pressure without being overwhelmed by it, not by doing more, but by doing the right things.

What drives me is building the structures that let people perform at their best professionally while staying grounded and well personally.

I attended virtual study coaching sessions with Edel this year. I was sitting part 3 tax exams with the Irish Tax Institute and was really struggling to study effectively and efficiently. After sessions with Edel, I had a much clearer view on how to succeed with these exams. Edel worked with me to figure out what study methods worked best for me. I found that her sessions were so effective once I implemented her suggestions between sessions as I was then able to discuss with her what did and/or did not work for me. Edel is a highly motivating person and she changed my perspective from thinking that I was never going to pass these exams to believing I could achieve anything.

- Mairead Clifford

I worked with Edel to prepare for professional accounting exams. This was a good experience. Edel is very pleasant to talk to. We went over some areas which involved study frequency and recall methods. I found Edel’s techniques very helpful. To get the most out of every session you really need to implement her advice and do regular sessions. It also involves looking at your own strengths and weaknesses and using the sessions to fix any problem areas that you might need advice on. It was great to get an examiners perspective and made me think more about approach and layout. Overall I would recommend Edel

- Gillian Lee

I recently had a mentoring session with Edel through the Network Ireland Mentoring for Success programme. I was struck by Edel's expertise and her generosity in sharing her knowledge and resources. Edel's coaching skills also shone through, as she was fully present and asked powerful questions during the session. This gave me the space to create a meaningful plan for my upcoming studies. I would highly recommend Edel as a mentor for anyone returning to education.

- Marina Branigan

I started with Edel a few months ago, due to poor performance in exams. Over the sessions that I have done with Edel, the strategies for both exam and mental management have been such a great help. What Edel provided has allowed me to easier navigate professional exam questions and manage my stress much better, in ways that I would have never considered. Would highly recommend Edel and thank you so much for your help.

- David

I went to edel for Coaching, I was really struggling with putting a routine together, and struggling with my focus and concentration on how to retain information. Edel worked with me on some really simple strategies and now I feel much more confident to proceed with my studies. I would highly recommend Edel. She’s excellent at what she does. Thanks again Edel, you were brilliant!

- Louise Dennison-OShaughnessy

Edel is an excellent exam and study coach. She has real empathy and gets to the root of the issue very quickly. We worked on changing my mindset and my study environment which really helped me. I would highly recommend Edel to support students going through tax and accounting exams.

- Lynn Graham

I would highly recommend working with Edel to anyone looking for support and guidance in managing the challenges of working and studying for professional exams. Edel’s expertise and experience in the industry, along with her deep understanding of professional exams, allow her to offer well-rounded advice, backed by a genuine care for her clients. When I found myself at a crossroads and uncertain about the next steps in my career, Edel offered the support and guidance I needed to move forward successfully. The tools and insights I gained from working with Edel are now invaluable, allowing me to apply them whenever I encounter challenging situations moving forward. Overall, I could not recommend Edel enough to anyone striving to achieve their goals.

- Nicola Coffey

Edel completed her module: Mastery Learning and Study Techniques for Success for a group of employees today and it was a great experience for all. Our employees got great hints and tips that they can now put into practice to help them achieve their qualifications. I would highly recommend Edel to any organisation looking for support in this area for their employees.

- Jane Barlow

Highly recommend Edel, great CV & interview advice which got me my new role! Edel’s knowledge and experience was so valuable to me in regards to finding a new role as a graduate accountant. Will definitely be back for my study tips and exam advice in the new year!

- Caitlin Purcell

I first went to Edel 6 months prior to my Chartered Accounting exams. Edel worked with me to highlight what my main concerns were & how to tackle them.

There was no pressure to do X amount of sessions. It was all up to me & how I was feeling. I went for about 1 a month and found that ideal time to apply practice the techniques I discussed with Edel in the previous sessions and reflect on how they worked in the following appointment.

Not only did Edel provide great advice but also a listening ear. I felt completely at ease and that I could completely trust her when discussing any of my concerns.

I found that I managed my exams a lot better having gone to Edel and would highly recommend.

- Lydia K

I worked with Edel in order to help reduce my stress levels during exam sittings. Edel was extremely helpful and showed me how to do breathing exercises in order to calm my mind when I began to feel anxious during the exam which really benefitted me on exam day. We also spoke about my goals and personal issues which could effect my exam performance. She provided me with very beneficial information and it was great to have an ear to listen and someone to trust. I would highly recommend Edel and would return to her for future help. Thanks Edel!

- eimear G

I got in touch with Edel following an unfortunate exam result which left me feeling deflated and lacking motivation. Edel was quick to respond and got the ball rolling with a coaching session. Before that I filled in a questionnaire which was really helpful in self-reflecting. The coaching session was brilliant! Edel was approachable, kind, and she really took the time to understand my thought process and where I was getting stuck in my study plan. She also helped me deal with negative thoughts gave great advice on how to bounce back from exam failure. I am really glad I did the coaching as it made a huge difference in my mindset and I was able to effectively manage my revision plan in a way that suited me. I highly recommend Edel's coaching to anyone!

- Anna Paul

I found working with Edel great. From our first session, I felt comfortable and was able to talk to her honestly. With a main focus on well being not only from an exam perspective but in general. Her guidance and knowledge helped me massively. I couldn't recommend her more as a coach. Richard.

- Richard Cassidy

Edel’s coaching and guidance had massive impact over the six months that I worked with her preparing for my accountacy exams. Edel went above and beyond to help me and remained in contact after sessions to check in. I couldn’t recommend Edel more to anyone who needs help with exam preparation/confidence. Edel made the exams a lot more manageable than what they were six months ago. Thank you so much Edel.

- Sarah Moynihan

I have worked with Edel Walsh Coaching and Consultancy for over 18 months for professional development and workplace wellbeing coaching. Her approach was very personalised to my needs and flexible, depending on the challenges/opportunities I needed to address.

Together we tackled lots of different areas, such as career progression, decision making, stress management, understanding my value, through working on my strengths, core values, addressing blind spots & limiting beliefs and untapped potential. Edel was a fantastic support, bringing new perspectives, strategies, and practical tools.

Overall, Edel’s expert perspective & support was a game-changer for me. I highly recommend Edel’s coaching services to anyone looking for unbiased, expert guidance to Unravel Your Potential.

Thank you so much!

Amanda (Ryan) Collins :)

- Amanda Ryan

I was delighted to have worked with Edel and used her coaching service in the past year. I always found Edel to be open, approachable and warm yet knowledgeable and professional. I found her coaching advice and techniques to be very effective and helpful and her coaching sessions were a great help to me. I would have no problem recommending Edel Walsh Coaching and Consultancy to students or to fellow professionals and business people.

- Maria McHugh

I was heading into my final semester in college and I wasn't performing well in exams. I was referred to Edel from a friend and I'm so glad I was because I have learnt so much especially around study techniques and study environments. I will keep trying to apply those study techniques for future exams and I will also definitely undertake more sessions with Edel down the line. I would strongly recommend Edel to anyone.

- Ciarán Hunt

I recently had a one to one session with Edel. I was at a crossroads in my career and unsure of how to proceed. Eden listened attentively to my concerns and set out clear guidelines for me to follow which ultimately helped me to make my decision. I would definitely book another session in the future.

- Aisling Fitzgerald

Let's Talk!

Whether your firm's pass rates need improving, you are student struggling through professional exams, or you are contemplating your next career move, I would like to hear about it.

Send me a message or book a 15-minute call below, and we will map out where to go from here.