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What drew you to study engineering?
It promised the opportunity to make things, solve problems, and use my maths and physics skills. I hoped I could excel through creativity and technical skills, and at my best do work that would make things better for other people and the environment.
You have had an incredibly varied career since graduating and now call yourself a general specialist can you elaborate on that concept?
Yes, its been eclectically varied I love solving problems and facing a big challenge, those passions have led to me jumping across different industries and roles so I can keep learning and solving new problems.
Overall I like to think strategically about the big picture when approaching any problem. However, to do a good job with any plan or strategy I believe you need to understand the subject matter(s) well and have a level of technical mastery. Plus I love learning, and the combo has led to me continually wanting to develop my skills, whether thats been engineering, sustainability, business, project management, or marketing. Im working out that Im a better specialist at some things than others, however the overall package definitely helps my big picture thinking.
Something that stands out on your CV is your work with a program which inspires youth to get into adventure sports. How did this organisation come to be and how does it function?
Gritts a passion project started by myself and four great friends. Wed skied, biked, and done all sorts of adventures together and been fortunate enough to make careers out of our sporting passions through professional athletics and product development. We all felt wed been incredibly lucky in the level of support wed had from family, friends, and mentors, but could see that for most kids that wasnt their reality. So Gritt is the result of us wanting to fill the gaps we experienced and observed when we were coming up in sport, such as lack of coaching, safety and avalanche education, funding, and role models to look up too. Plus its an attempt to counter the increasing costs and barriers to access for kids getting into the outdoors, which we do by keeping our programs as cheap and unique as possible.
It started with just one camp at Mt Olympus club skifield seven years ago, then two years ago we decided to step things up with way more events and impact and set Gritt up as a business to do that. Now with an eye to longevity for Gritt were working towards charity status for 2025 onwards. You can see more about Gritt on our , and our 2024 impact .
What could a work day in your life look like?
Its been incredibly varied between working in-person and remotely across North America, New Zealand, and Australia. My aim for a workday is to have one main task Im working on which could range from developing skis or another product to sustainability strategy or engineering calculations. Then I support that with one to two ongoing personal projects such as Gritt, telling stories, or planning an adventure. I find variety maximises my motivation for everything Im doing, its just a careful balance to not become overcommitted.
What memories or experiences stand out when reflecting on your time at UC?
The main one is the incredible network of friends I developed. The friends I made through engineering, sports, halls, flatting, and socialising are my best mates to this day. For me, UC was particularly good at bringing together like-minded people and giving them a chance to get to know each other. The clubs scene when I was at university was a special example of that. In the wake of the Canterbury earthquakes the city was still a mess and the social and sporting clubs stepped into the void to put on events where we could all come together.
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