Ms Clark, who is completing a master’s degree in marketing this year, has established the university’s first-ever Women in Business Club and discussion around succession was part of its formation.
It was last year when she decided she wanted to get involved with some more activities. Other large universities had business clubs for women and she assumed Otago had one.
When she found that it did not, she decided to do something about it and WIB was launched several weeks ago. It now boasted membership of about 180 and she was the inaugural president, Ms Clark said.
She hoped the club would become a lasting platform for networking, professional development and empowerment. The aim was to provide a space for women either studying business, or generally interested, to learn how to get into the workforce and the skills required, gain confidence and hear from others in the industry.
Already a calendar of events was planned including a function early next month with Lee Tan, owner of Well+Being, who would talk about holistic wellbeing. Other events included a Pink Ribbon brunch and an investment night.
Applications for next year’s committee would open in October and she hoped the club would ‘‘still be a thing’’ in another 20 years, Ms Clark said. A keen seamstress, her own big dream ultimately was to be involved in marketing for a luxury fashion brand such as Chanel, or for Vogue magazine, she said.
sally.rae@odt.co.nz
