30 Years Rolls Around Quickly!

None of my family had been to University but all my friends were going so it seemed the right thing to do. The woman I liked at the time was going to Canterbury University so I thought that is where I should go (she actually ended up going to Massey) and I ended up in a liberal arts first year and psychology resonated with me. I was fascinated by what motivated people so organisational psychology seemed a natural fit. While I was finishing my thesis the head of the organisational psychology programme was asked by an alumni for a student to work on a project evaluating the effectiveness of the alcohol and drug rehabilitation programme at Queen Mary Hospital in Hanmer. That was the start of two years of projects in health evaluating and trying to enhance performance.

The RHA and CHE reforms and a wife encouraged me to look for a more permanent arrangement, and we decided we would take the first role I was offered – which was a Consultant role with Deloitte in Hamilton. Completing assignments in Rotorua expanded my bi-cultural awareness substantially! A fellow alumni headhunted me to open an SHL office in Wellington. It seemed like a great opportunity to get closer to family in the top of the South Island. SHL was a firm of organisational psychologists and I credit this role with honing my organisational psychology and relationship building skills. I also was fortunate enough to travel with the role, delivering projects in New York, Hong Kong, Chicago and London. I also had my first experience in governance, serving for two years as Director of Professional Development on the Psychological Society Executive.

In my first deliberate career move, I thought I should try a corporate role (as opposed to consulting) and joined Airways NZ as an HR Manager. I learnt a lot about organisational life and the realities of leadership and change management. During this time I also served on a school Board of Trustees. Airways drive to grow created opportunities to deliver projects in Oman, Vanuatu, Papau New Guinea, South Africa, Hong Kong, and Australia. In the last few years at Airways, while developing leadership development programmes, I discovered positive psychology which has been a game changer for me personally and professionally.

For the last 12 years I have gone back to consulting in organisational psychology with a heavy injection of positive psychology and worked mainly in the leadership development space.  I love the win/win in this – organisations are more effective and productive and the people who work in them are happier and more resilient. I love hearing the wins from people being better leaders/human beings at work and how this also spills over into their personal lives. Delivering projects in Vietnam, Australia and Dubai has been a real bonus. I’ve also done more in the governance space serving as Director of Professional Issues with the Psychological Society, Deputy Chair of Keep New Zealand Beautiful, Treasurer of the Health and Safety Association of NZ, the Psychologists Board and Deputy Chair of the Queen Charlotte Land Cooperative.

I feel very fortunate to have had a wonderful career in this great field that has so much to contribute!