One and done

7 November 2011

I was in Sydney over the last week finalsing the ending of my project with BDO and Robert Skeffington. It has been a truly learning opportunity and I thanked Robert for all the help and support her had given me over the last few months.

Unbeknown to me, it was also the time of the Melbourne Cup and it was great to see how the city comes to a standstill over a horse race. We had a few tables at the local pub booked out for the event and from around 1pm everyone ended up watching the pub. There were quite a few keen punters wondering if Americain (the favourite) could make it two in a row. While Americain didnt end up winning, one of the people from work did put in $10 for a trifecta and ended up getting a whopping $7995 for it! A very happy Melbourne Cup to him!!

It was an enjoyable afternoon and it was a great way to complete my project in Sydney.

With the APN crew watching the races, Sydney 2011

I will now be focussed solely on the APN Online part of the project and keep working on that till my leave at the end of November.

Been a while

5 October 2011

It has been a while since i last penned er typed my thoughts on here.
Two main reasons for that really: Workload and laziness.

I have been working on two projects for the last few months. Spending my time between the Business Development Office in Sydney (reporting into Robert Skeffington) and the other half, working in APN Online (reporting into Spencer Bailey)

These two projects are quite different from each other and i am not at liberty to discuss in detail about either of them so no more info on that front.
Safe to say that they are both very challenging in their own rights and deadline driven which is proving to be a handful.

On the social front, New Zealand is going crazy with the Rugby World Cup and it really is very festive here. The crunch time is upon us with the quarterfiinals slated for this weekend.

Dan Carter is now out of the tournament with a groin injury and the whole nation has suddenly been brought back down to earth to consider the unthinkable, "what if we DONT win the cup?"

I must banish these thoughts as quickly as i have had them!

Best of luck to all the other nations still in the running, may the best team win! *coughAllBlackscough*

What is this Corporate Strategy all about?

24 August 2011

So I have now started work with Robert Skeffington and it has been quite challenging. I feel that i'm being asked to look at facts and issues in a whole new light.
Robert has a favourite "SO WHAT?" rule which is a really good gauge of whether a fact or an issue is relevant or not. This one rule alone has really made me reconsider a lot of facts and its usefulness for our business.

As part of this corporate strategy piece, also in the team are Brooke Krumbeck and Tash Meinertzhagen who are both Sydney based. I am learning how to work efficiently in a virtual team environment with me being the only one based in Auckland and so it is not without its challenges. We start the day with a quick email outlining what we are working on for the day. Then I log into skype and keep in touch with Brooke through IM and depending on what's going on, Robert usually checks in with a Video call.

The issues I am dealing with are both macro and micro (to a certain extent) and my understanding of the business so far does hold me in good stead as there are a lot of insights that can be gained when one has working knowledge of the department or good relationships with key people in those areas.

On a seperate topic, the new fast track group has also started after their week long induction with Danielle and Gabe posted to NZ Magazines and NZ Herald respectively. Sid too has just started his new project with NZ Media and is also in the building. We're taking over this place...!!

ps. the Rugby World Cup is now just a little over a fortnight away and i can't wait. Go the ALL BLACKS!

Overlap - comes with the territory

27 July 2011

Apologies for not penning er typing my thoughts down earlier but the last fortnight has been quite manic.

While my project for Jeremy (APN Online NZ) continues, I have also been in talks with Robert Skeffington (APN Director of Strategy) and David McGrath (APN Director of Content) about my next project.

I am in an enviable position where there are a lot of opportunities available to get involved in different projects and after much discussion it was decided that I would try and juggle my responsibilites with Robert's Corporate Strategy team  while I'm wrapping things up at Online.

I am very excited about being a part of this team as it will give me an insight of how Corporate Strategy is created in a methodical fashion rather than the usual gut feel that appears in most businesses.

I have also decided to continue my Master's study by picking up a paper for the semester. This means that I cannot be based in Sydney for the duration of this semester of study.

On the other front, the new fast track group start their induction from Aug 1 before they move into different areas of the business.

Last week I got a chance to watch my very first Ice Hockey game live when Canada took on the USA in an exhibtion match at Auckland's Vector Arena. It was an exciting night with a sold out of crowd of over 10,000; 90% of which were Canadian supporters (yours truly included)

Canada went on the offence early, taking a 2-0 lead before the americans hit back hard and looked in charge at 3-2. Canadians scored in the dying moments of full time and the game had to be decided on sudden death which saw Canada win it!

Dad and I supporting Canada at the sold out Vector Arena, Auckland