Finding her nicheChiara was drawn to Transformation Assurance. It seemed the perfect fit for the variety of skills she had gathered over her time at university and her love of both project management and experience design.
"I studied in Hong Kong, graduating with a degree in Global Business. It was a broad degree, so I found my interests through the extracurriculars I did: internships, managing the university's TEDx events program, exchanges in Germany and Canada, and founding my sustainability social enterprise.
During one of my internships, I joined an experience design team where I was exposed to concepts like design thinking, agile, and customer experience, which really piqued my interest. So I tried to continue to apply those ideas throughout my studies and in other areas like managing our TEDx events and my social enterprise. As I learnt more and determined my strong suits, I realised that everything I enjoyed fell within the project space. I decided to look for roles that would allow me to continue to grow in an area I had developed so much passion for.
Then I came across Transformation Assurance. I loved the idea of helping businesses transition from where they are to where they need to be and had some experience doing so on a micro-level at university. The potential to create change on a larger scale was what really drew me into the role.
The Power of Transformation
Chiara says her favourite thing about Transformation Assurance is the variety of projects and skills, so she is constantly learning and trying something new.
"It sounds cliche, but there really aren't two days that are the same in our team. Our projects and clients vary a lot - each with unique problems to solve. Some days we are interviewing and researching; others, we collaborate, brainstorm, or present to our clients. There's always an opportunity for us to think outside the box and try to do something different for each client we work with, so with every project, I get the chance to be creative with the solutions our team provides.
My favourite project that I've worked on is designing a client's strategic portfolio framework from scratch. We got to create and implement the entire process from start to finish. Seeing my ideas and contributions come to life throughout this engagement and how much my expertise in the area had developed was really rewarding.
It's also a very collaborative role - I'm always meeting new people with varied expertise. When I go into a meeting, I look forward to it because I know I will leave having learnt something new or gaining a new perspective on an issue."
Life in Adelaide
Not only was Chiara looking to launch her career, but also for a new place to call home as she transitioned from student to young professional. She decided Adelaide was the perfect place to get the peace and quiet she desired for this stage of her life.
"After finishing my degree in Hong Kong, I knew I wanted to move to start my career as a young professional. It was 2019, and Hong Kong was going through a challenging political, social, and economic time, making it almost impossible for graduates to find work. Having a PR in Australia, I wanted to explore the possibility of a life here. I was lucky to be offered a role that was not only perfect for the next step in my career, but was in a city where I already had family. Choosing the correct city was important because this wasn't only about work for me; it was a huge life transition too. I went from living at home with my family to complete independence, so I needed to do that in a place where I felt at home.
After living in Hong Kong and India, a quieter place like Adelaide is what I need in my life right now. It's provided me with the peace and quiet I've required to focus on myself and my career."
