4 minute read
Introducing Ian Walker
Diocesan’s motivational call to action – to help girls to be ‘more than they ever imagined’ – was the icing on the cake for new Director of Business and Planning,
Ian Walker. Already impressed by the quality of the Dio brand, Heather’s leadership within the independent schools’ sector, and by the vision of the
Board for the facilities at Dio, the new role is a dream job for Ian.
With more than a decade at Air New
Zealand in senior roles, most recently as GM Business Transformation, Ian is a versatile leader in a number of different disciplines with the proven agility to move easily between them. He is also a chartered accountant with a strong background in delivering technology projects and automation. His diverse background will be of value in his new role that encompasses property planning and development, health and safety risk management, finance and the delivery of technology and business information.
With a passion for building highly effective teams and for coaching and developing future leaders, Ian says his career outside the education sector is an advantage, allowing him to bring an outside-in view to how Dio approaches challenges and opportunities.
He says providing people with a sense of purpose is key to great work, a philosophy he learnt when working in the aviation industry in 2001 when the events of 9/11 threatened the viability of airlines worldwide and created an uncertain future for workers.
“As a leader at the time, I learnt the importance of visible leadership and communicating often, trying to bring some clarity to the ambiguity that surrounds those types of events. I also came to see the power of giving people a sense of purpose during crisis events, making them feel that they are part of the solution and then watching them rise to the challenge and go on to do some great work.”
His best work story, however, has little to do with aviation. While attending a course at renowned Stanford University’s d.school, Ian took part in a visit to the Circus Centre in San Francisco where everyone in the cohort was to attempt to master the flying trapeze. He still remembers the fear and anxiety of climbing the ladder to the impossibly small (and very high) platform and waiting to step out into nothingness. While the video shows him swinging at a somewhat pedestrian pace and manoeuvring clumsily to hang upside down before eventually somersaulting to the safety of the net, his own recollection is of something much more graceful and elegant – but an exhilarating achievement, nonetheless.
Ian lives with his family on a lifestyle property in Puhoi, along with a small menagerie of animals including a mad cat called Riley, Archie the Smithfield dog, and a number of horses.
He started his role at Dio in November and is looking forward to playing his part in helping girls to be ‘more than they ever imagined’. As he says, why wouldn’t you want to come to work every day and be a part of that?
Ian Walker
Sustainability superhero
Melissa Brady’s water conservation initiatives at Diocesan School were featured in the June issue of Dio Today. But her efforts to promote and practise sustainability at the School don’t stop there.
Melissa, who’s been the School’s Property Development Manager for the past year and a half, is working with members of the Executive Team to draw up plans to introduce more alternative power sources at school. There are already solar panels on the roof of the swimming pool, which Melissa says generate enough power to heat the showers. Other solar options are being investigated.
Awareness of environmental waste within the grounds is another point on her sustainability checklist.
“This involves looking at how we treat leaves and branches, dead trees and landscaping,” says Melissa. “We’re currently looking at how we transform the area around the back of Patteson Block to turn it into a working recycling space. This area flows down into the recent transformation of the ‘woodland’ where our younger students can study and play.” Over the course of the next few months, water meter monitors will be installed in every building at the School to alert to an excessive use of water, such as taps left running or leaks.
Food waste is also in her sights, and she points to the work currently being done by the Food Tech Department to reduce excess food waste and recycle coffee grounds. The department has instigated the use of green waste bins that go off-site for composting and Melissa is looking to increase this into using bigger bins for the green waste from throughout the rest of the School. She adds: “Many of our staff are organising composting in their department kitchens – everyone is getting on board!”
Diocesan’s student-led Environmental Council has started a school-wide initiative for waste-free days and Melissa says she hopes it’ll eventually lead to the eradication of litter at school.
They’re also growing the school bus network (trying to reduce the number of students who take private buses), introducing cycle training with the Junior School and working with Auckland Transport on workshops around scooter training and safety.
“The Enviro Councils in both the Junior and Senior Schools are getting everyone involved and sending a clear message that we can do things together that will help make a difference,” says Melissa. “Sustainability is a key element of our strategic direction and we’re constantly asking ourselves: what more can we do?
“It’s a huge team effort and I’m really proud of the work our students and staff have done across all areas of the School.”
Melissa Brady
