Tanvi Narayan
Brand Team Coordinator, NZ Wine
Bachelor of Arts in Event Management & Bachelor of Business in Finance conjoint programmes
She loves her role in the brand team of NZ Wine, says Tanvi Narayan who studied both event management and finance, and graduated from AUT in 2023.
“I’m coordinating global PR related to any media visits, including arranging the trip, organising press kits, monitoring the media reach, updating the website with our global PR manager and providing education resources for our members. I’m coordinating tasks with our international market managers in the US, UK, Canada, China and Australia, while also assisting our events team.
“I enjoy the diversity of my role and being able to work with multiple managers and coordinating multiple projects as the skills and knowledge from each project requires slightly different avenues of coordination.”
She loves the amazing events and trips she can experience as part of her role.
“I get to go on amazing trips like the Blind Tasting in Napier where 20 sommeliers blind tasted 948 wines over two days, and then revealed their findings at a more public tasting event on the next day. Another amazing event I get to be part of is the annual conference and dinner, which is hosted by us at NZ Wine in Christchurch, inviting our members to attend, gain knowledge and network.”
Memories of AUT
She has always been interested in event management, says Tanvi who first studied law at another university before she decided to move to AUT to start a business degree, which eventually turned into conjoint programmes with majors in finance and event management.
“I couldn’t be prouder of taking the leap of faith and changing over to AUT. I kept my parents happy by studying finance while also keeping myself happy by studying events; something that is definitely my passion. My studies even motivated my dad to also come to AUT and study his Master of Business Administration here, which is something very special for me.”
There were plenty of highlights for Tanvi throughout her time at AUT.
“The two introductory courses I took on entrepreneurship and innovation, led by the amazing Dr Smita Singh, were honestly life-changing as they taught me how to think outside the box. This is something I’ll always carry with me. It sparked the idea for a not-for-profit company, which is something I’m really passionate about and would like to make a reality one day.
“My biggest highlights would be being offered a number of roles to support other students, including as senior student ambassador, AUTSA wellbeing officer and a member of the Student Connect team. I loved being part of all the events put on by AUT and these are memories I take back with me. The student ambassador programme has been the start of many amazing avenues for me, and I want to thank Andy Feau who always supported us, and Hans Tommy, Renee Lotasoso and Maddy Jahnke are doing an amazing job on the programmes for new students.”
Advice for other students
Tanvi’s advice for other students is simple: don’t be afraid.
“Don’t be afraid to study something that matches your interests, rather than what looks good on paper because that is where you’ll struggle and won’t be happy. Don’t be afraid to ask for help because AUT has amazing services that you can utilise to the fullest during your time of study and that you might struggle to find outside of uni. Don’t be afraid to say yes to opportunities you like and don’t think about what other people think.“
Her other piece of advice is to make the most of all the events students can attend.
“Be part of the many different events at AUT because there’s so much to offer and it’s a great way to enjoy your uni life.”
