Academic profile
Dr Sarah M. Dillon is a research-active educator publishing in the field of international business and entrepreneurship. This means she is interested in behaviours and activities within international, entrepreneurial businesses. Sarah’s doctoral research looked at how international entrepreneurs manage their emotions for better opportunity evaluation and exploitation, with implications for firm-level internationalisation. Previously, her research has examined the adoption of work-specific technologies by internationally-oriented knowledge workers, and the ways international entrepreneurs accumulate and leverage international experience within innovative online businesses.
As an emerging academic, Dr Dillon contributes to teaching and learning in a range of roles in higher education in Ireland and Australia. She holds a PhD in International Entrepreneurship and Master of Business (Research) in International Business from Queensland University of Technology, Australia; a Master of Arts in Technical and Specialised Translation (German, French, & Spanish) from the University of Westminster, London; and a Bachelor of Arts (Hons) in Applied Languages (Spanish, French, & German) from the University of Limerick, Ireland. She also holds a Cambridge English Certificate in Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (CELTA) (EQF Level 5), and a Diploma in Business Coaching (AQF Level 5).
Her ORCID is 0000-0002-2961-452X.
Business experience
After completing her training in the UK as a professional translator in 2005, Dr Dillon used emerging technologies to build a niche language services firm which served a range of clients across Europe, South America, and central and western Africa. By 2006 she was running a completely location-independent, cloud-based business, and was recognised within the industry for the strength of her online marketing expertise.
During this time, Sarah helped many businesses strategically leverage the digital-human divide to successfully launch and grow into international markets. For example, in 2011, she helped establish one of the first online training providers for professional linguists. Within months, that business was serving small businesses and larger institutions across almost 100 countries in Europe, North America, South America and Australasia.
Dr Dillon has been fortunate to work with some incredible founders and business owners over her career, motivating her to ensure her academic work gives back to businesses in a tangible way. Sarah achieves this by actively maintaining her connections with interesting, smart and engaged business leaders of all shapes and sizes, as a research-oriented academic with active teaching, speaking, and leadership responsibilities. Sarah has also brought her business experience to bear as a consultant and advisor to a number of high-growth international start-ups, and is currently seeking opportunities to contribute to internationally-oriented organisations at a strategic and governance level, as a non-executive director.
Personal life
On a more personal note, Sarah lives with her partner and daughter in south west of Ireland, where she recently relocated after over 15 years in Australia. In my spare time, she likes to…
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