Michael Houlihan launched Generation in the UK in July 2018, and Generation Ireland in 2020, and has led the growth of both charities as CEO since. In the UK Generation has established itself as a key organisation in the skills-to-employment space, with sector-leading levels of impact.

Across the UK & Ireland, Generation has now supported close to 5,000 people, enabled by a number of central and local government contracts, as well as significant private sector philanthropic support. Moreover, over 1,000 employers have now recruited from Generation’s programmes across the UK & Ireland. Prior to Generation, he was COO and Director of the Board at two award-winning, VC-backed technology start-ups, helping both Reevoo and Quill scale. Prior to that, Michael worked as a Strategy Consultant with OC&C. Michael holds a BA in Economics & Mathematics from Edinburgh University, and an MA in Economics from New York University, completed as a St Andrew’s Society scholar.