2483 days ago

Amanda Santos talks to Rotary

Rhondda Sweetman from Plimmerton Rotary

Amanda Santos, recently CEO of Lower Hutt high-tech firm Tekron, treated the club to a wide-ranging tour around innovation and company culture, as seen through the eyes of a young woman change manager.

Her background is in Sales, from which she believes most CEOs should be recruited, (as opposed to Finance, for example). She especially relishes turnaround situations and has insights on how small firms grow.

Changing a firm’s culture, especially when the founder is still in place, is tricky, but Amanda has some rules of thumb. It needs staff to take more risks, and for the CEO to demonstrate his or her values in a consistent way. The workplace should be made irresistible to new recruits. And of course, the work team should be involved in decision-making.

Amanda encouraged questions from the floor and discussions flowed about workforce diversity, the calibre of today’s youth, and the sale of NZ firms to multinationals.

Amanda is also an enthusiastic supporter of Innovative Young Minds, which is a Rotary-sponsored programme encouraging young women to take up careers in science and technology.

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More messages from your neighbours
14 days ago

Scam Alert: Fake information regarding December Bonuses from MSD

The Team from Neighbourly.co.nz

The Ministry of Social Development is reporting that fake information is circulating about new ‘December bonuses’ or ‘benefit increases’

If you get suspicious communication, please contact Netsafe.

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1 day ago

Poll: Do you set New Year’s resolutions?

The Team from Neighbourly.co.nz

🎉 2026 is almost here!

We’re curious ... how do you welcome it?
Do you set resolutions, follow special traditions, or just go with the flow?

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Do you set New Year’s resolutions?
  • 9.6% Yes! New Year, New Me
    9.6% Complete
  • 20.9% Yes - but I rarely stick to them
    20.9% Complete
  • 69.5% Nah - not for me
    69.5% Complete
564 votes
7 days ago

Today’s Mind-Bender is the Last of the Year! Can You Guess It Before Everyone Else? 🌟🎁🌲

The Riddler from The Neighbourly Riddler

I dance in the sky with green and gold, a spectacle few are lucky to behold; I’m best seen in the south, a celestial sight—what am I, lighting up the New Zealand night?

Do you think you know the answer? Simply 'Like' this post and we'll post the answer in the comments below at 2pm on the day!

Want to stop seeing these in your newsfeed? No worries! Simply head here and click once on the Following button.

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