• "Initially, you're a bit of a sponge while figuring out technical things, but over time, what becomes more interesting and rewarding is how effectively you work as a team and get the best out of people."

  • "Moving from the other side of the world teaches you a lot about yourself and how to adapt to new ways of working. I also found that once you make one move, the next one isn’t as difficult as you build that internal confidence."

  • "I’ve been fortunate enough to not really focus on pointing towards the next job. Instead, I focus on the task at hand and do the best I can with what’s in front of me. I trust that people around me will recognise if somebody is doing a good job."

  • "Career progression is rarely in a straight line. I believe that things such as a bigger job will sort themselves out if you just focus on what’s in front of you."

  • "The experience of negotiating a funding agreement with the government, which included strict parameters and obligations for emissions reduction, was immense and will stick with me for the rest of my career."

  • "As an engineer and operations person who had run a business, I had been involved with customers but hadn't directly managed the sales and marketing function. It put me right outside my comfort zone, and was a great lesson that you don't have to know everything to be the leader of the team."

  • "You want to be thought of as a person with a new skill set rather than just the person people remember from 10 years ago."

  • "This ability to recognise attributes in others is something I now strive to do with team members I lead, trying to build and develop them and stretch them along the way, just as people did for me. That is the most rewarding part of the job."

  • "However, the biggest highlight has been seeing people grow and develop. Ultimately, while the big milestones are very cool and rewarding, I think it’s probably the people aspect that is the most rewarding."

  • "You need to be looking up and out - understanding what is going on in the news, the energy sector, the building sector, and globally. I spend a couple of hours a day reading news about the New Zealand and global economy."

  • "I would encourage young professionals to contemplate international exposure at the right point in their career. It is important that you do your homework on where and who you will be working for and the types of opportunities that exist. Kiwis have a lot to offer international businesses; they are generally self-starters, innovative, and good culturally."

  • "I wouldn't be overly focused or frugal in the early stages of your career. You want to live and experience as much as the world can offer. If you focus on gaining those experiences, many of those financial things will resolve themselves as time goes on."

  • "You need to push yourself into spaces that are a bit uncomfortable because that is where growth comes from."