Business School award-winner gets flying start

23 May 2007

Unitec Business School award-winner gets flying start

A top business student is putting her marketing skills to good use working for one of New Zealand’s export success stories.

Kristy Birch is studying Unitec’s Bachelor of Business (BBus) part-time, majoring in marketing, and is receiving a sales and marketing award at the Unitec Business School‘s Awards for Excellence this week.

Kristy’s career is already off to a great start after starting in December last year as the marketing co-ordinator for Glidepath, a New Zealand-owned exporter of airport baggage handling systems.

BBus students complete an Industry-Based Learning (IBL) project in the final year of the degree, and Kristy says that the Glidepath marketing role is a useful way for her to combine her job with her IBL project.

“I have to complete weekly reflective journals and look at my professional and learning goals, and have regular meetings with my manager and lecturer to check in on my progress. At the end of the placement I will produce a portfolio and give a presentation.”

So far she has managed to maintain an A- average over all of her BBus courses and her hard work is being recognised with the Unitec excellence award, worth $500. Twenty other students and graduates from the Unitec Business School are receiving prizes at the awards ceremony held at the Mt Albert campus.

With Glidepath currently planning a new phase in its marketing strategy, Kristy says that she is getting opportunities to put all of her skills to use.

“Glidepath designs and manufactures baggage handling systems for clients all over the world, so I am responsible for the website, preparing for international trade shows, producing a whole range of marketing materials and working with the sales teams.”

The Auckland-based exporter is one of the leaders in the global airport services market, with eight offices worldwide, and Kristy says that she needs to have a good understanding of marketing to international audiences.

“I’m doing an international marketing course next semester to finish the degree, so that’s timely. China, India and the Middle East have been booming, with airports being built and expanded, and that’s a real growth market for us.”

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