Bianca Jones, Country Manager, Talent New Zealand, will be transitioning into a newly created role of Managing Director, Projects New Zealand. In her new role, Bianca will be responsible for implementing new revenue streams across NZ, as well as growing the Talent RISE and Avec brands in market.

Kara Smith, Managing Director, Talent Auckland, will be stepping into to the role of Country Manager, Talent New Zealand. In this role, she will be overseeing all day-to-day operations for both the Auckland and Wellington Talent branches.

Nik King-Turner, Senior Consultant, Talent Wellington, will be transitioning into the role of Managing Director, Talent Wellington. In this new role, he will be responsible for running the day-to-day operations for the Wellington branch.

Bianca, Kara and Nik will work closely with Talent’s Global CEO, Mark Nielsen, and the wider Talent team, focusing on the growth of the New Zealand company.

On the announce, Bianca Jones, Managing Director, Projects New Zealand, said, “It is an absolute privilege to watch Kara and Nik transition to the next phase of their careers. They are both incredibly passionate about what they do and work hard every day to make Talent Aotearoa an awe-inspiring business. I am confident under their leadership the recruitment business will continue to grow and thrive. As I pivot into a new phase of my career, I look forward to working closely with them both as we tackle some exciting and ambitious growth initiatives in 2023 and beyond.”

On the transition, Kara Smith, Country Manager, Talent New Zealand commented, “I’m thrilled to be taking my next step with Talent! I’m very passionate about creating safe and inspiring spaces where our diverse team can be challenged, achieve their dreams and of course have loads of fun along the way. In this role I have the privilege of building on our amazing foundation and helping to take our Aotearoa business to the next level – harnessing success for our colleagues, clients, contractors and community.”

Nik King-Turner, Managing Director, Wellington, said, “I am super excited to be leading the Wellington team. We have an awesome group of people with amazing skills and potential. Our business has a great platform to launch from with amazing clients and contractors. I am really looking forward to watching it grow and being part of the team’s successes and triumphs.”

Welcome to another instalment of Leading the way. Today we are joined by Jamaine Naicker, Digital Engineering Manager at Watercare Services Limited NZ, who talks us through her career journey, the biggest shifts that the technology industry has gone through, and the importance of mentorship. Let’s get into it.

Tell us a bit about how you started your career in tech and the journey that led you to your current role.

I started my career as an analyst programmer and worked my way through a lot of different roles in IT. I always had a passion for software delivery but as my career grew, I realised my real strength was leadership.  I enjoyed growing and mentoring people.  My thirst for continuous improvement and growing high performing teams was a key contributor to my career success.

What does a day in the life look like for you?

No two days are the same. I find my day filled with context switching, problem solving and mostly helping technical people focus on delivering strategic outcomes that offer customer value. The diversity of my role really energises me and allows me to bring alignment across the key pillars of delivery.

You have been in the tech and digital sector for quite a few years. What do you feel has been the biggest shift in that industry?

Having the right people with the right attitude in my team, is way more beneficial and successful.  Early on the focus was mainly hiring based on skillset. These days, having a culture of continuous improvement and challenging the norm with a growth mindset are invaluable.

Do you have any mentors? If so, why would you recommend having one?

Yes, I have had a few mentors over the years and would highly recommend it.  As you go through your career you always have people you aspire to become, who seem perfect and far out of your reach.  Having a mentor reminds you that everyone has challenges, and the people that succeed have only done so because of their resilience and tenacity to overcome their obstacles.

What is your biggest learning that you would want to tell someone starting out in your industry?

Self-doubt or imposter syndrome.  Too often the high expectations we set for ourselves, are the very thing that trips us up.  Failure is all part of growing as an individual. Set small achievable goals and never let anyone tell you that you can’t achieve something. In fact, for me it is the very trigger that motivates me. The more I am told I can’t do something, the more I want to prove them wrong.  It has made me stronger and in the process a lot more confident.

Read more Leading the way and industry insight blogs here.

1. Tell us about your career and how you got started? 

When I left law and business school, I wanted to do something entrepreneurial with law and technology.  There was no clear role or path to that at the time. I started in tech, then worked as a lawyer in a law firm, then found my way building a legal-AI startup which we successfully exited.

Today, I’m a co-founder and VP of Onit’s AI Center of Excellence. We are growing our global team and are working with some great clients to transform how they deliver legal services.  I love that we are about transforming a conservative but really important industry, and get to innovate everyday. It’s easy to connect obvious dotted lines in my career when I look back. The reality is that I was figuring it out as I went, but I made sure to refine a strong sense of what I wanted.

I started my career like many of us do: being a sponge in the environments we find ourselves in. However, my career truly started transforming when I began to do something about my frustrations (for me it was trying to automate the parts of my job I didn’t like).

2. What are the best leadership qualities you look for in other leaders? 

There are some essential qualities you have to nail as a leader. These are often talked about.

In my world, I also have a special appreciation for leaders who have an amazing ability to see things from other perspectives, and thrive on it. They seek thought diversity in their teams even if it makes them uncomfortable. They want to be challenged. They are adaptive enough to hear or speak different “languages”. They are mindful of blind spots and are inclusive. These leaders make better decisions, are effective across the business, and can lead change on interesting multi-disciplinary problems.

3. What are the daily ways you keep your team on track with the mission and vision of the organisation? 

In fast paced environments like a startup, it’s so easy to find yourself just being really busy without staying laser focused on your vision and strategy. A few things we try to do:

• Measurement & transparency: We are really honest with ourselves about what we should measure. Then it’s about being disciplined in assessing our progress against our objectives and transparent with sharing it.
• We involve everyone in the bigger picture and help them understand why their part is important. An easy example would be bringing back the client stories so everyone can see the impact and have a share in the success.
• We encourage and cherish people who ask the right questions: Does this really matter? Does this actually solve the problem? Have we defined the goal well or at all? How does this align to our strategic objectives?

4. Is there anything you do in your personal time that helps you be a leader in your career? 

I perform the best when I’m happy and having fun. I keep up with sleep, hobbies, loved ones, and my health so that I’m able to give my team the best version of me each day. Part of that is making sure that I’m not leading a life that is inauthentic and destroying my soul.

I also keep working on myself.  On top of coaching your team, don’t forget to hold yourself to as high (if not higher) of a standard.

5. Are there any great resources you would suggest for new leaders? 

Your peers. They say your most important team isn’t necessarily your immediate team. Perhaps you should connect with leaders in other functions of the business or even other industries?

As a female founder in New Zealand, I often felt lonely with certain challenges I was facing. I wished I asked my friends for introductions earlier, for example to other women who had exited a start-up, raised capital etc. They are out there, but you may need to take the first step in creating that circle of camaraderie and support.