Our students enjoyed hearing from a range of speakers including our own alumni at the Applied Management Industry Open Day yesterday.

Our first guest speaker was Ports of Auckland Senior Operations Manager Mick Lander. He took us through his career outlining how he made the move from trades to the New Zealand Police, to the Ministry of Justice, then into his current role.

Lisa Mulligan then talked about her path from retail and HR to her current role as Director of The Culture Ministry. This business offers diversity and inclusion consulting and support services.

Next, Jay McLaren-Harris told us about a career that has taken him around the world. Jay is the Head of Community Engagement at Swivel Careers and Education. He has also worked closely with the Right Honourable Winston Peters.

Finally, we heard from Simon Bridges. Simon’s career has taken him from lawyer to senior politician and Leader of the Opposition. He is now the CEO of Auckland Business Chambers.

The second part of our event was an alumni panel moderated by Employability Manager Dani Mao.

We heard from four Applied Management graduates who have gone on to successful careers in their chosen industries. They were Deepak Khemani, Anastasia Timoshkina, Syed Amaan Kazmi and Rashmi Acharya.

They spoke about some of their best OPAIC memories, how they landed their current jobs, and how what they learned during their student days is helping them in their current roles.

Students had the opportunity to ask our speakers questions and the event was followed by a networking session where guests and students could meet and interact. The event was well attended and enjoyed by students and staff.