Dean's Leadership Programme

The Dean’s Leadership Programme was a pivotal experience in my undergraduate life that has not only shaped my approach to leadership but also my perspective on growth, resilience, and authenticity. The DLP’s focus on real-world challenges, communication, teamwork, and self-reflection provided me with a foundation of service leadership and a sense of purpose that has guided me through every step of both my career journey and personal life.

Since graduating from the University of Auckland, I’ve built my career as a Product Manager at Atlassian, Australia, helping teams do their best work together. My journey here has been defined by curiosity, fun, and a willingness to embrace the unknown - qualities that were nurtured during my time in the DLP. At Atlassian, I see my role as a leader, steering and motivating teams to move forward, exploring problems, and collaborating to find creative solutions.

I’ve learned that leadership is about creating a safe space for ideas, learning from others, and not being afraid to share unpolished thoughts. The DLP’s encouragement to step outside my comfort zone and its emphasis on authentic leadership have been invaluable, especially in a fast-paced, ever-evolving tech environment where teams, requirements, and business goals can change any day.

The DLP also taught me the importance of community and giving back. Whether I’m mentoring new graduates, collaborating across disciplines, or volunteering to care for wildlife, I strive to create spaces where everyone can thrive and do their best in a team. Looking back, the DLP didn’t just prepare me for a career - it inspired me to lead with purpose, empathy, and a sense of adventure, and to help bring out the best in my people and environment.

To any student considering the Dean’s Leadership Programme, the DLP is more than a credential. If you put your heart and passion into learning from New Zealand's top engineering leaders, it will be the start and foundation of a journey of discovering who you are as a leader and as a person. I’m truly grateful for the experience, the lifelong network and most importantly, the community and friends it has given me.

- Michelle Tan
 

The Dean’s Leadership Programme was a formative part of my undergraduate experience.

The breakfast breakout sessions helped me understand the breadth of opportunities available for an engineer willing to embrace people expertise alongside technical expertise. I recall one talk with a leader who had played a key role in establishing Te Papa and the Auckland City Rail Link. They were grounded, humble, reflective, obviously keenly intelligent, and had walked a fascinating and diverse professional pathway. I wanted to be like that, I decided.

The DLP also gave me the opportunity to learn from my peers. I recall a student in my year, and a good friend, advancing the theory that demonstrating vulnerability and encouraging others to do the same is the single most useful leadership skill. This theory has been thoroughly tested in my brief career, and I am increasingly convinced it is absolutely correct.

On a practical note, I remember the immense value of the internship application services provided through the DLP. Thanks to the invaluable attention of DLP staff, I was able to upgrade my abominable undergraduate resume into a clean document that opened doors to incredible opportunities, including research work in NZ and Taiwan, and an internship at top NZ cleantech startup Mint Innovation.

Finally, I learned a lot from mentoring a DLP student in the following year. This student was an incredible talent, but was motivated by completely different things than I was. I learned valuable lessons in connecting with and inspiring those who are very different to me.

After DLP, I went on to found an environmental monitoring startup while wrapping up my undergraduate degree. As a graduate, I worked at Boston Consulting Group for two years, helping advise executives in Australia and New Zealand’s top companies. Since the beginning of 2025, I have worked with rising-star New Zealand cleantech startup Zincovery as a Business Development Manager.

I now work closely with Zincovery’s CEO and leadership team to make their commercial dreams a reality. Though I have not worked a typical technical engineering role since graduating, the skills I learned in engineering have been valuable every step of the way. The DLP showed me that this path was possible, and equipped me with some essential tools for making it happen. I would recommend the DLP to any student who wants to broaden their horizons and explore the full breadth of what is possible in an engineer’s career.

- Morgan Dolfing