Amanda Santos talks to 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.
Poll: Do you think NZ should ban social media for youth?
The Australian Prime Minister has expressed plans to ban social media use for children.
This would make it illegal for under 16-year-olds to have accounts on platforms including TikTok, Instagram, Facebook and X.
Social media platforms would be tasked with ensuring children have no access (under-age children and their parents wouldn’t be penalised for breaching the age limit)
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Do you think NZ should follow suit? Vote in our poll and share your thoughts below.
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85.6% Yes
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13.2% No
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1.1% Other - I'll share below
What's your favourite recipe for courgettes?
Kia ora neighbours. If you've got a family recipe for courgettes, we'd love to see it and maybe publish it in our magazine. Send your recipe to mailbox@nzgardener.co.nz, and if we use it in the mag, you will receive a free copy of our January 2025 issue.
Railing planters
To gain extra growing space, make and hang these easy-to-build planters on almost any wooden fence or deck railing. Use Resene FX Blackboard Paint so you can easily identify what plants are in each. Find out how to create your own with these easy step by step instructions.
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