“You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose. You're on your own. And you know what you know. And YOU are the one who'll decide where to go...” - Dr Seuss
UCE Involvement:
SDS Business Case Competition (2016/17)
MYOB IT Challenge (2017)
UCE Programme Co-ordinator (2017)
Other:
General Executive, University of Canterbury Students’ Association (2014/15)
Tax Intern, Deloitte (2014/15)
General Executive, The Investment Society (2016)
Winner, Global China Connection ‘Alibaba’ Prize (2017)
New Zealand Universities Business Case Team (2018)
Law Clerk, Chapman Tripp (2018)
How have you found the business case competitions?
I’ve absolutely loved them. Often at university, you learn a number of business frameworks and theories, but it’s totally different putting them into practice for a real life company. The challenge of having to present your solutions to a judging panel of industry professionals is both daunting and exciting!
You competed at the SDS International Case Competition in Queenstown. How was that?
It was honestly one of the highlights of my time at university! I got to know super talented students from across the globe – USA, Canada, Spain, to name a few – and made life long friends. The result was bittersweet though: we won the first round, and were leading all teams after the first two rounds, but bombed out in the last round, which meant we were one place off qualifying for the final. Definitely a learning experience!
You’ve been selected for the NZ Universities Business Case team. How’s the preparation for that going?
I’ve been very fortunate to be selected and I have some very talented team mates from Otago, Wellington and Auckland. We are competing in February 2018 in Florida, USA at the Heavener International Case Competiton and I can’t wait! Our coach, Hayden, is a consultant at Deloitte in Wellington and is sending us training material every week to help prep us.
Have these business case competitons helped with your studies and career?
Without a doubt! There has been a shift from employers to value soft skills – leadership, people skills, teamwork – almost just as much as technical skill, and business cases are a great way to develop these intangibles. Similarly, the ability to think pragmatically about a problem and come up with a number of solutions has definitely helped with my legal studies.
What was the MYOB IT Challenge like?
We were given a broad brief by MYOB to present and develop an IT solution, and we came up with a health and safety product to help SMEs manage their health and safety obligations. We qualified for the national final in Auckland, but unfortunately, I couldn’t attend as I was at another competition. My team mates were brilliant and placed 3rd at the national final.
I really enjoyed the Challenge because it required working together in a multi-disciplinary team. Our team was particularly diverse, consisting of law, accounting, information systems, software engineering and mechatronics engineering!
What advice would you give to students wanting to get involved with UCE?
Get involved! There are so many opportunities within UCE for students from all backgrounds. UCE is probably best known for its work around helping students with startups, but its so much more than that. There are a number of competitions and programmes throughout the year, like the business case competitions, which cater for a range of students.
What are your plans for next year?
I’m off to Auckland to work in the corporate law team at Chapman Tripp. I have a particular interest in mergers and acquisitions and the capital markets, so am looking forward to it.
What are your aspirations for the future?
I honestly don’t know! I’m really interested in corporate governance so would love to take on a few directorships as my skills grow. The recent rise of social enterprises has been awesome, so, at some point, I’d love to get involved in a social enterprise which aligns with my values and interests.
