Alumnews School of Business Alumni Newsletter University of Otago June 2O1O
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alumnews School of Business Alumni Newsletter University of Otago June 2O1O Dean’s Welcome CONTENTS Welcome to the second issue of Alumnews. I thank you for your very warm response to our first issue of Alumnews, 1. Dean’s Welcome and appreciate all the messages of support we received. I hope you enjoy 2. School News the selection of stories we have brought together for this issue. The Alumni Stories line-up reflects the talent of our graduates, in so many different arenas. You, our Alumni, are the embodiment of the School of Business, your 3. Student News achievements are our achievements and we look forward to sharing 5. Staff News many more of your stories. 7. Alumni Achievements Here at Otago we are in a time of change. The MBA curriculum has Obituary been reviewed and is being re-developed with a new option in the health management area. Our pilot internship programme launched this year and the first five students are half way through their year working in businesses around the country. Our next intake goes into training in July and will begin their placements from late in the year. We have welcomed several visiting executive speakers to the School in the first semester and always welcome graduates to return and share their worldly experience with our current students. Already this year, the students taking part in the Case competitions are leading the other New Zealand Business Schools in the national league. And more than 220 students entered the NBR Audacious Business Idea competition, jointly organised by the Dunedin City Council, Otago Polytechnic and the School of Business. In the next semester students are working on full business plans for the major $20,000 prize. After you leave us, we are still interested in knowing where you go and what you are doing. If I can have three minutes of your time I would be most grateful if you could complete our short Graduate Destinations Survey, further details below. Here’s to another mild winter in sunny Dunedin. professor george benwell dean, school of business Dunedin News “The All Blacks gave The House of Pain a fitting send-off with a 42-9 win over Wales in the final test match at A vision for the future, The University of Otago The Forsyth Barr Stadium is rapidly taking shape Carisbrook on Campus Master Plan. More Information. on Dunedin’s waterfront. More Information. June 19”. 1 School News Our alumni can provide useful input into ensuring the After completing his PhD in 2003, Matthias worked as Student News relevance of what the School is teaching; input into a Research Fellow and Assistant Professor at Humboldt Internship Programme research; and support for our various other programmes, University, Germany. In 2008 he was appointed Research From Dunedin to Walt Disney World The School’s Internship Programme has struck a chord including the recently launched Internship Programme. Group Leader in Bioinformatics and Systems Biology, with employers around the country. While a number of CBME, University of Algarve, Portugal. other business schools around NZ offer short (up to three Your details will remain confidential. We thank you for month) internships, the six to 14-month term for Otago your valuable input. 2008 also brought with it an impressive achievement, with Matthias being part of a team that was awarded the Erwin- interns is proving very popular. This year, our first, we This survey is open until 30 July 2010. Complete the Schrödinger Prize of the Helmholtz Society – the highest have five students who have completed their first two years survey now. of study towards a BCom, working in internships with prize awarded by the biggest scientific society in Germany (and one of the largest in Europe). Matthias’ team were In 2011, four BCom (Hons) Tourism graduates will be CRT, Ernst and Young, Escea, KPMG and the University Alumni Stories embarking on a very American adventure. Dan Gush, of Otago. From all accounts these students have dispelled awarded the prize for creating a unique ‘connection scheme’ showing for the first time how thousands of Adina Pirvu, Brooke Brodie and Briar Roberts will be any initial employer concerns that students with two years All about the people. joining fellow ‘Cast Members’ in creating magic every of study are too young - they have proved beyond doubt Catherine Taylor human proteins (the building blocks and machines of life) interact with each other. Interactions between proteins are day for their guests at the Walt Disney World Resort near that interns can be valuable, productive employees. (BCom 1983) Orlando, Florida. A Dunedin local, Catherine of great interest for understanding disease mechanisms, With approximately 15 employers already confirmed to Taylor graduated from developing new drugs and detecting disease-relevant genes. The Disney International Programs offers a once in a take on at least one intern later this year, come 2011 the Otago in 1983 with a BCom The prize jury was especially impressed that the team was lifetime opportunity to work at one of the USA’s biggest Otago Business School will have interns in a broad range in ‘Manpower Studies’ employers and the world’s leading entertainment of industries all over the country. made up of researchers from different institutions and and ‘Quantitative and disciplines, including molecular biology, biotechnology, organisation. The Walt Disney World Resort is the largest Our Internship Programme has evolved into an exciting Computer Studies’. Gaining informatics, and engineering. Just goes to show what all single-site employer in the US, with over 55,000 Cast human resource and business solution. If you are an a graduate role with the that blue-sky thinking in Dunedin can lead to! Members from all over the world at the Orlando site. employer and are considering the benefits of taking on an Reserve Bank of New Zealand, she worked her way up to Cast Members on this programme are treated like any intern, we would be delighted to hear from you. Email Personnel Manager. Since then, Catherine has compiled The Four Square Guy other employee – they are paid a wage for working in your initial enquiry to [email protected]. an impressive HR record, with employers that include Steve Anderson (MBA 1985) ‘onstage’ and ‘offstage’ roles, and live in four, off-site Mitsubishi Motors, Rudd Watts and Stone (now Minter CEO designate, Foodstuffs NZ apartment complexes exclusively for Disney internship Executive Education Update Ellison), a number of large insurance companies, Enza and In October, Otago MBA and programme participants. With a working week Executive Education is pleased Land Information New Zealand. graduate Steve Anderson typically between 30-45 hours, there will be plenty of spare to offer Alumni a discounted will take over as Managing time to explore the Walt Disney World Resort, Florida and rate on all five-day open short- In 2001 she joined the New Zealand Post banking project, Director of New Zealand’s participate in the Disney International College Program. courses. Executive Education now Kiwibank, as General Manager Human Resources, a largest retail grocery These educational programmes offer professional and specialises in providing role she still holds. A year later she and her team won the NZ organisation, Foodstuffs New leadership development courses as well networking short-course professional Wellington Region award for HR Initiative of the Year, and in Zealand. Currently CEO of opportunities. Additionally, there are other benefits that development for middle- 2003 she was named the HRINZ HR Person of the Year. Foodstuffs South Island, Steve will soon be at the helm include social activities off-site and behind the scenes senior business people from “I owe my success to the opportunities that I have been given, of a company whose brands include PAK’nSAVE, New chances to get a glimpse of what goes into creating the around New Zealand. Courses are delivered mainly in my comfort level being challenged and the ‘bar being raised’, World, Four Square, Henry’s Beer, Wine and Spirits and magic of the Walt Disney World Resort. Dunedin, however this year we are delivering the General as well as very supportive leadership placing a lot of trust in Liquourland. Management Concepts course from the University of me, including my current CEO,” says Catherine. “However, I Steve was not a typical MBA recruit. After completing The Apprentice – Irish Style Otago Auckland Centre, as well as in Dunedin. have also worked with a lot of great people, there have been an Honours degree in Geology at Otago he was drawn Damian Kearns (current BCom student) some late nights, and a lot of fun along the way too!” • Dunedin Residential Short Courses alumni rate (all to neither exploration nor academia, but instead felt that open courses): $4000+gst (includes accommodation A busy mother of two, Catherine is also co-National business was the direction in which he wanted to head. His and all meals for the week) Vice-President of the Human Resource Institute of New MBA was a hugely significant experience, and he was lucky • Auckland (General Management Concepts course only) Zealand. She uses this role to share her experiences to enough to study in a particularly strong cohort of students alumni rate: $3500+gst help other organisations and raise the overall quality of with a good balance of capabilities and a willingness to people practices. “After all, organisations are their people, collaborate for the benefit of the group. Visit our website www.otagoshortcourses.co.nz for more therefore helping the HR profession to be more successful During his leadership of Foodstuffs South Island, Steve information on courses available, or contact the Executive can only be positive for New Zealand.” Education team for more information on the above has nurtured the company’s community focus and has discounted alumni rate: Computers and Proteins? developed a number of interesting initiatives.