Julia Fehrer: Navigating a circular economy

“I'm from Würzburg, the northern part of Bavaria in Germany, known for its beautiful wine regions. It was a wonderful place to grow up, with a close-knit community. As I got older, I felt the need for a change of scenery and moved to Stuttgart to pursue my undergraduate degree.

“During my studies, I had the opportunity to intern with Allianz, the largest insurance company in Germany. This allowed me to gain valuable insights into the world of sales and marketing within the insurance industry. It also led to my first full-time position with Generali Insurances Switzerland in Zurich.

“During my 10 years with Generali, I oversaw strategic projects, including the development of a company-wide Customer Relationship Management (CRM) strategy and evaluating CRM systems before I built up and led the Strategic Marketing team. It was an incredibly fascinating time, as I got to explore the intersection between innovation, IT services, and business and working with various transdisciplinary and international project teams.

“It was not always easy to work in diverse teams, but it enriched my horizon and inspired out-of-the-box thinking. I guess this experience told me that you really need to understand many different facets of a problem before you try to solve it. You need to think in systems and you need to co-create solutions together with involved stakeholders. If you don’t take the time to do that, it will backfire.

“In 2012, I started my PhD part-time near my hometown at the University of Bayreuth, while still working full-time with Generali Switzerland. However, I quickly realised that balancing leadership roles and project responsibilities made it challenging to find time for my doctoral studies. Generali kindly granted me six months of sabbatical to focus solely on my PhD, allowing me to devote myself fully to my research.

“In 2013, during my sabbatical, I connected with Professor Rod Brodie, a prominent figure in the field, who invited me to come to Auckland. My PhD was closely tied to my practical experiences in strategic marketing and the challenges posed by social media and Web 2.0 at the time. Rod had published a seminal paper on customer engagement, and he graciously invited me to join his research team. I never thought, I would stay in academia or in New Zealand, but live is an adventure.

“Initially, my intention was to return to the industry after completing my doctorate. However, at whenever I had to choose between staying in New Zealand or pursuing other opportunities, I found myself opting to stay.

“Given my industry background in CRM and digital marketing, I was approached with an offer to teach the first digital marketing course in the Business School in 2017. I embraced the opportunity to incorporate practical knowledge into my lessons.

“I continued to develop digital marketing courses for various postgraduate programmes. I was confident about the content because I had developed it in collaboration with industry partners, including AKQA, IBM, and Google. Teaching complemented my research, which focused on the intersection of strategic marketing, innovation, and service, particularly within the context of the digital and societal transformation.

“It’s been an incredible journey, filled with unexpected turns and rewarding opportunities. Each step has brought me closer to where I am today: deeply engaged in teaching, research, and contributing to the field of digital and sustainable innovation in service ecosystems.

“One of the most exciting projects I am currently involved in is the initiative to shape circular market systems, starting with the plastics industry in New Zealand.

“We work with stakeholders from the industry and local government to ensure that our research has impact and contributes to a circular economy approach.

“Through this project, we employ an action research approach, actively participating in the process rather than observing from the side-lines. This allows us to immerse ourselves in the challenges and opportunities of the plastics industry and work closely with stakeholders to co-create solutions. The project is just beginning, and I am thrilled to see where it will lead us.

“I am also the co-director of the Circular Economy in Business research beacon. This beacon brings together academics, industry stakeholders, and government representatives to explore and develop theories and methods that are relevant to New Zealand's unique context. As an island state, waste management poses distinct challenges, and we must think creatively and systemically about how to keep valuable materials in the economy.

“New Zealand's abundance of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) adds another layer of complexity to our research. Understanding the needs and perspectives of these companies, as well as Māori-owned businesses and communities, enriches our understanding of sustainability and circular economy practices. Embracing a cross-cultural approach and learning from different worldviews further expands our knowledge and opportunities for innovation.

“Being involved in these initiatives and leading the group of Innovation and Strategy allows me to push boundaries and contribute to the shaping of a research environment with high awareness for wicked problems. I am very excited to work in teams that are committed to make a positive difference, whether this is through research publications, collaborations with industry players or engagement with policy makers.”