"To me, integrity is the most important characteristic of people. Finding the right people to work with plays the biggest part of success."
UCE Involvement:
MYOB IT Challenge (2017)
Other:
Bachelor of Mechatronics Engineering (Honours) (2016)
President, OpSoc (2016)
Winner, Fonterra’s ‘Product to the People’ Competition (2016)
Marketing Manager, The Gentlemen’s Club (2017)
How did you get involved with the UC Centre for Entrepreneurship (UCE)?
I’ve been involved with many of the different social clubs on campus, like the Gentlemen’s Club and OpSoc (the Op Shopping Society) but wanted to get involved in more business competitions. Last year, I found a team to enter Entré and Fonterra’s ‘Product to the People’ Competition which was held at UCE.
How did you go in the competition?
Myself and two others (Michael McRae and Daniel Chan) ended up winning! Our idea was for Fonterra to produce new flavours of ice cream with a strategic two-pronged marketing plan to roll it out.
Sounds delicious. What did Fonterra say?
They were really impressed and they are looking to roll out the concept with their Tip Top branding soon. It will be cool to see our crazy idea come to life!
What did you have to do for the MYOB IT Challenge?
We were tasked to develop a new software product or service that MYOB would be able to roll out to its customers. Our team chose to create a new software product that would help small businesses manage their health and safety obligations in order to meet recent changes in New Zealand’s health and safety legislation.
After progressing through the regional qualifying round in Christchurch, we were flown to Auckland to compete in the National Finals. Day One in Auckland saw us present a proposal of our developed product and provide a demonstration of how a user would interact with the software. On Day Two, we presented our business analysis, giving insights into the product’s implementation, marketing and financial viability.
The judges praised us on how our product responded to a new and emerging gap in the market, awarding us third place in the competition. Spending two days in Auckland, all-expenses paid, was an exciting opportunity. It was a great feeling being able to represent the University of Canterbury and it was fun to network with the other competitors and industry guests.
How has UCE helped you?
I have been to a lot of the speakers and seminars that UCE holds and have learnt heaps. Listening to industry professionals has given me great insights into the professional world and has hugely complemented my studies in business management. A particular highlight would be attending an Institute of Directors workshop on Governance earlier this year.
What piece of advice would you give to students wanting to get involved with UCE?
Don’t be afraid - just do it! Even if you don’t have a team for a competition, don’t let that hold you back. UCE are very welcoming and often help facilitate putting teams together for competitions so everyone can get involved.
What are your aspirations for the future?
I want to get into project design and management, tackling problems and using a combination of my technical engineering and business skills to achieve new things.
