Graduate Careers Australia
Graduate Grapevine - Number 8, Winter-Spring 2007
Welcome Darren, Hina, Kathy & Tess!
2007 has seen GCA’s small but dedicated team transform into an organisation of 13, working as one for better outcomes for the graduate recruitment sector! All departments of GCA have seen expansion through carefully chosen additions to the staff.
Bruce, Graeme and Anton breathed a sigh of relief when Darren Matthews arrived on the scene to ease the 24 hour a day, seven day week workloads our Research team traditionally put into producing GCA’s survey reports.
The Publications and Graduate Opportunities production department was overjoyed in April to welcome Hina Khan. For the first time in GCA’s history we have an in-house graphic designer; Graham and Jane think it’s great to finally have face to face interaction with the person working in this all important role.
Did I mention ‘24 hour a day, seven day week workloads’ before? For the Graduate Opportunities Sales department this is more like 48-hour days, 14-day weeks! So once again Cindy Tilbrook, GCA’s Executive Director, had to send in the cavalry in the form of Kathy Unger.
It would be remiss of me to not acknowledge the work of GCA’s Executive Assistant Colette Keech – as all staff at GCA agree, the only person who really knows what’s going on in this organisation! Helping Colette (and everyone else!) is Tess Whittaker whose role at GCA is Administrative Assistant (P-T).
Now to properly introduce you to these latest and greatest members of the GCA team, here are Darren, Hina, Kathy and Tess.
Darren Matthews joins us with a background in market research. He has worked with a leading Australian market research company for the past 12 years, in a variety of questionnaire design, programming and admin roles. He will bring a good grounding in research standards to the GCA team, but is a little disappointed that higher education is not the relaxed atmosphere he may have expected coming from a commercial background.
Darren is marrying Rebecca at the end of the year and so at the moment has no free time, but once upon a time, he was a sports nut, both playing and watching. He is English by birth and is looking forward to a honeymoon back in the old country.
Darren is greatly looking forward to his career at GCA and hopes he can contribute for years to come.
Hina Khanjoined the GCA team as graphic/web designer in April 2007 and is working closely with the staff in the design and production of all GCA’s publications; bringing fresh ideas and invaluable expertise to her role. Some of Hina’s major responsibilities include working on the survey reports and Graduate Opportunities, as well as many other GCA print and online projects.
Hailing from the green city in the sun (Nairobi), where she worked for several years as a graphic designer with award-winning design houses, Hina settled in Perth in 2000 to pursue a Masters in Design at Curtin University of Technology where she focused on web design and multimedia.
Having recently moved to Melbourne with her partner, Hina is missing Perth’s blue skies and a good barbie! Hina loves to visit new places where she enjoys using the local cuisine as her barometer! She also enjoys reading, art-house films and is making the most of the seemingly endless stream of festivals and cafes Melbourne has to offer and is glad to be a part of the GCA team where she can use her powers for good!
Kathy Unger recently joined the GCA team in the role of Sales Representative. Kathy will be working closely with Liz Chase and Di Rachinger promoting Graduate Opportunities to employers and industry associations nationally; Kathy’s main focus will be on new business development.
Kathy attended Southern Cross University in Lismore, and has a Bachelor of Business with a double major in Marketing and Human Resource Management.
Kathy has a broad range of experience in sales and marketing, mainly related to the recruitment industry, including: labour hire; employment of apprentices and trainees; and franchisee recruitment. Kathy has also worked in event management, advertising and administration.
Having worked as a recruiter, Kathy understands the challenges of attracting quality candidates; particularly issues relating to members of Generation Y.
Kathy has lived in Melbourne for the past two years, previously living in Brisbane. The biggest adjustment Kathy has had to make has been, of course, the weather. She was surprised to discover that a proper winter was a welcome change from the humidity of Brisbane. Before moving to Melbourne, Kathy and her partner Matt backpacked around Europe; her favourite places were Prague and the GreekIslands.
Kathy enjoys spending time with her family, particularly spoiling her two nephews and niece, cooking, designing and sewing her own clothes and watching a good romantic comedy.
Kathy is looking forward to providing a high level of customer service to GO clients and developing strong relationships with graduate recruiters.
Tess Whittakers is a recent graduate of The University of Melbourne who began working with Graduate Careers Australia this year, while embarking on her Master in Development Studies. Previously she held a position working in a local girl’s boarding school and took a year off to study in the United Kingdom. Tess has a keen interest in international politics and humanitarian aid and volunteers for the Darfur Australia Network which supports Sudanese refugees in Melbourne. Tess hails from the (mostly!) sunny seaside town of ApolloBay where her parents still own a guesthouse. Having lived in a small town and attended school in Geelong, Tess loves living in multicultural North Carlton and has enjoyed all that Melbourne has to offer over the last six years, including the coffee and arts scene. Her other interests include spending time with her family and friends, travelling to exotic and far flung places, obsessively reading Jamie Oliver cookbooks and the occasional run around Princes Park. She hopes in the future to work in the international development sector.
Welcome Darren, Hina, Kathy and Tess, from all at GCA!
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