Alumni Breakfast Series: Creative Futures – Design & Creative Tech Alumni Perspectives
| Date: | Wednesday 30 Oct, 8:30am - 10:30am |
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| Location: | AUT City Campus WZ Building, WZ1 Foyer Auckland New Zealand |
Join us for a special event featuring insightful presentations from our alumni at the Faculty of Design and Creative Technologies, Te Ara Auaha, at AUT. Our faculty brings together five distinct discipline areas: architecture and built environment, creative technologies, art and design, communication studies, and engineering, computer and mathematical sciences.
This series welcomes back alumni from our faculty who will share their experiences, reflecting on their unique journeys, pathways and futures.
This event is an excellent opportunity for AUT staff, students, and industry professionals to be inspired by the diverse and impactful avenues that design and creative technologies can open. It also provides a platform to connect with industry experts.
8.30am
Arrival
9am
Mihi/ Welcome Dr Yvonne Chan Cashmore, Associate Dean & Director, External Engagement Office of the Faculty of Design and Creative Technologies - Te Ara Auaha
9.05am
Introductions by Dr Yvonne Chan Cashmore, Associate Dean & Director, External Engagement Office of the Faculty of Design and Creative Technologies - Te Ara Auaha
9.10am
Philip Palfreyman – Project Manager, Miles Construction
Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) in Construction Engineering (First Class)
I graduated from AUT in 2018 with a Bachelor of Engineering (Honours) in Construction Engineering (First Class) and also delivered the joint student speech at the 2018 Graduation Ceremony.
Since graduating, I have worked for Miles Construction in Auckland, working as a project manager in their construction team, while also being a member of their systems and innovation team. Miles Construction works with innovative and sustainable construction products such as cross-laminated timber (CLT), prefabricated timber, structural steel, and innovative cladding materials. We specialise in 3 to 5-level community housing and apartment block projects of varying sizes.
9.25am
Sheila Ye – Workplace Specialist, Strategy & Solutions Thought Leader, Smart Space
Bachelor’s Degree in Design
Sheila is a 37-year-old Kiwi-Asian changemaker. She has been the co-owner of Smart Space Workplace Solutions for the past 11 years and has built the team from 4 to approx. 25 staff. Specialising in workplace strategy, furniture and local manufacture, with a NZ factory in Onehunga and a showroom in Grafton. Employing staff of all diversity in sales, design, manufacturing, delivery, and installation. She has helped over 300 companies create innovative and inspiring workplaces and continues to grow the brand, people, and technology into the new ways of working. She has an amazing network of clients, through her relationships and is known to create an amazing culture for its people for the long-term future. She is hugely ambitious, influential and an amazing role model to the younger generation.
Sheila is also a shareholder of Agile Workspace. Agile was founded in 2016 with technology developers based in Auckland, NZ. They specialise in technology solutions in the workplace, such as smart lockers, desk booking, sensors and occupancy counters. She is the only female shareholder among 4 men, which makes her push the boundaries of ideas, creativity, and artificial intelligence of the future. Their products were the first of their kind in the world, and they export globally. They continue to develop their amazing products and push the limits of the future.
Sheila's goal is to really push the property industry in how we do business. She has paved the way for Asian women to make an impact in the property sector. She wants to use her voice and advocate that change starts from within.
She is dedicated to helping the younger generation find who they are and their place in this ever-challenging world. She has had a phenomenal life for such a young woman and is ready to share and help others through all her life lessons and journey so far. She is highly ambitious, positive, confident and the voice we need to hear from for a completely different perspective.
9.40am
Patricia Trieu – Senior Interior Designer & Senior Associate at Jasmax
Bachelor of Art and Design (Honours) in Spatial Design
9.55am
Andy Alagappan - Director at Strategic Planning Co. : Data-driven Project Control Specialist : Podcast Host - "Yarns with Andy" : Helping construction companies deliver with confidence : Planning intelligence
Master of Design
I'm the director and founder of Strategic Planning Co., where we're focused on helping construction companies and clients produce smarter and better tenders at fixed pricing.
Our tender programmes allow clients and main contractors to streamline their project and set themselves up to better manage change. We accomplish this through detailed analyses of blueprints, accurately quantifying materials, mapping project pathways and revolutionary 4D planning.
I'm also the host of Yarns with Andy, New Zealand's first construction-based podcast, where I meet with other industry faces, highlight the challenges we face and discuss how to bring our work into the digital age.
I've developed strong leadership skills and commercial acumen in my 15 years as a planner, across a diverse range of industries, including construction, oil and gas, iron/steel manufacturing and baggage handling systems.
My career has been built on managing change over days to monitor the delivery risk of a project, which means effectively capturing the change and communicating it to everyone involved, from the project managers right down to the labourers on site.
My skillset in project planning and management has received industry recognition; I was honoured to receive Special Recognition at the 2019 Fletcher Building Excellence Awards for Outstanding Contribution to a Business Outcome.
10.10am
Q&A