Education	B. Arts (Psychology), LLB, Dip LegPrac
Institute	University of Newcastle
Joined Programme	January, 1999
Current Position	Finance Project Manager
Favorite Beer	Tooheys Extra Dry

"It’s been an opportunity to meet motivated, like-minded people who are as eager to share their skills and knowledge as they are to head out for a beer after work!"

On the Graduate Programme:
Having done no ‘business’ related degree, I applied for this program to see how businesses really worked. No time was wasted getting underway!

After a couple of weeks of induction I was straight into a Corporate Planning project, and from there into a project seeking to optimise our logistic network. There was no doubt from the start it was a ‘real’ job, and the work you did really affected the outcomes for the team.

After a year in Corporate Planning it was time to ‘rotate’ to a new role and Marketing was the next stop. Working to implement a new consumer information database, we started gaining a real understanding of what consumers want, and use that to conduct targeted campaigns and build consumer loyalty. These insights were used for development of promotional strategies and campaigns, and for management of a consumer rewards club.

After that system went live, the Graduate Program was officially over, and from then to now I’ve been in Finance, working in the Continuous Improvement team on an amazing variety of projects. Among other things we’ve implemented a web-based procurement and purchasing system, optimised the org structure of the Finance function, and created an internal web portal for the company. Many of these projects have involved Management Consultants; this offers a great exposure to ‘best practice’ ideas and different styles of working.

True to their claim, Lion does “challenge and support,” so that your capabilities are pushed but there is always somewhere to turn for guidance in unfamiliar areas. The tagline of the Graduate Program was “We don’t care what degree you have, we’re just looking for people like us.” That’s true too.

So far, this job has allowed me to see a great cross-section of the business world. It’s been an opportunity to meet motivated, like-minded people who are as eager to share their skills and knowledge as they are to head out for a beer after work!