Programme Director, Auckland Transport

After more than eight years experience working in the property industry, and part-way through his term as an elected local board member in Auckland, Graeme Gunthorp was looking to make a change.

“I’ve always been really interested in transport and urban design – that’s how I decided to run for local office,” Graeme says.

He had previously toyed with the idea of pursuing an MBA degree while living in the UK, but the timing wasn’t quite right then. After moving back to New Zealand, ready to explore his long-held interest in the transport side, Graeme decided it was now or never.

“The reason I did the MBA was because I wanted to explore a career change. The property industry’s been wonderful, I’ve always enjoyed it, however I would hate to get to my deathbed having done only one thing for my entire life. There was always this little thought in the back of my head: how am I going to keep advancing?”

That leap forward in his career took the shape of a brand-new role as Programme Director at Auckland Transport, where Graeme works with multiple council agencies to deliver results in the city centre.

With no previous experience in the transport industry, Graeme says it was the combination of his MBA studies and his time on the local board that clinched the role for him.

“My role is very senior in an industry I’ve never worked in before. It’s an industry I’ve been very passionate about, but I’ve always been an enthusiastic amateur,” he says.

“So the fact that my employer has taken what is effectively a chance on me, I think, is a reflection of some choices that I’ve made, some luck that I’ve had, and in no small part the experiences that I’ve had through education and politics.”

Graeme cites the lessons in change management as the most valuable learning he took away from the programme, as well as the enriching experience of studying alongside an enthusiastic cohort.

“The people that I went through it with have helped me grow professionally and personally. You learn just as much from the others in the room as you do from the lecturers,” he says.

For anyone else considering the MBA, Graeme’s advice is simple: “Be organised, be disciplined and be curious. This is an opportunity to become a better person and a better professional.”