THE
WILLISNEWS Bi-annual newsletter for the Management Consulting program Connecting past and present alumni, students and clients ISSUE 2, JANUARY 2015
WELCOME to the second edition of The Willis News. Once again we had a stellar group of students and clients – 95 students and 19 projects kept us very busy in semester 2, 2014! Thank you once again to everyone for making this program the success that it is. 2015 brings a number of changes. As a result of a University-wide restructure, there are significant changes to the program administration. In addition, we will introduce improvements to the academic curriculum to enhance the experience for both students and industry partners. I will be leaving the Faculty of Business and Economics and the Management Consulting program to take up a role in the School of Engineering. I have thoroughly enjoyed working with such a wide variety of stakeholders over the past five years and I really appreciate
the support and commitment everyone shows to the program – seeing the students grow and learn as they spend 10 weeks with their clients on their projects has been such a rewarding outcome each semester. I’d like to take this opportunity to introduce you to my colleagues Hayley Wolfert and Amanda Hamilton who will be your new contacts. Hayley will be focusing on industry and employer engagement across a broad range of programs, with Amanda focusing on the Management Consulting program in particular.
Once again, thank you for a wonderful five years. As you also face changes in 2015 I’ll leave you with some wise words from Alan W. Watts: “The only way to make sense out of change is to plunge into it, move with it, and join the dance.” Jacqueline Hoare, Capstone Studies Coordinator P.S. Please do keep in touch on LinkedIn: https://au.linkedin.com/ pub/jacqueline-hoare/20/b31/783
PAST STUDENT REFLECTION: DANIEL SIA It’s been over a year now since I completed the subject, but the Management Consulting experience is still vivid as if I had only done my final presentation yesterday. The skills I learned in dealing with ambiguity, the friends and connections I made throughout the project, and the confidence I gained in delivering presentations are still with me today; and growing. The time I spent in the subject has also influenced my plans for the future. It allowed me to have a ‘try-before-you-buy’ experience for a career in consultancy, and it confirmed that it is the path that I wanted to take. I was quite fortunate that I was given the opportunity to intern at the client company in their consultancy arm, and am looking forward to joining them after graduation to build a career in management consulting.
inside this issue
An alternative to the Fair Trade label: WithOneBean
2-3
Stepping out of the comfort zone
4
Where are they now? Su-Kim Macdonald and Amied Shadmaan
5
The year ahead
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