TUNRA called on for insight and leadership

The University of Newcastle Research Associates (TUNRA) is committed to collaborating and translating creativity into services and products that will contribute to the development of the Hunter Region as a global leader in industry, commerce and innovation. With this business ethos in play, our General Manager, Mal Coble was able to lead by example when he agreed to mentor a group of six of the Hunter region’s best and brightest in this year’s HunterNet Future Leaders Program.

The HunterNet Future Leaders program offers participants a unique multidisciplinary program targetting collaborative engagement across multiple industries. Participants share their experiences from industry with each other and the lecturers. This fosters an information-sharing environment that has the potential to benefit all involved. At the end of the 12-week program, participants are introduced to the year’s project. They are grouped into teams and begin to work together to identify ways in which they, as the leaders of tomorrow, can leverage the investments made today to build Newcastle and the Hunter Region into a global city of growth, prosperity and preparedness. Each team is assigned a leadership mentor who possesses a range of invaluable skills to contribute to the growth and development of Newcastle and the Hunter on a national and global scale. Mal accepted HunterNet’s request to mentor Team Watagan. The aim of this year’s project was to develop means for meeting the region’s demands, opportunities and challenges over the next 20 years to 2037.

“This project was designed to encourage each team to collaborate, pool resources and contribute their skills to conceptualise and develop the best approach to maximising the Hunter’s bright future,” said Mal.

Team Watagan takes the grand prize!

The winning Team Watagan lead by Mal was made up of (L-R) Ryan Fox, Tim Browne, Trish Heagney, Allis Strickland, Dave Wheatley and Petr Klima. The group steered away from product or service development, focusing instead on the overall strategic approach that would position the region and capitalise on the opportunities in investment, infrastructure and industrial excellence that was present in the region today.

“My team came from diverse business and industry backgrounds. Each had something unique and valuable to bring to the table,” said Mal.

“We identified the strategies which are important to sustaining the growth that is occurring in our region. we also developed a strong plan to diversify and respond to new and emerging technologies that may replace more traditional regional approaches.”

“I’m thrilled with the performance of Team Watagan. They approached the challenge with professionalism, a spirit of collaboration, and most importantly, kept a sense of humour,” said Mal.

“They donned grey wigs to give their presentation a dash more authenticity – as a 2037 look ahead.”

Read more about the HunterNet Future Leaders Program for 2017.

Read the Newcastle Herald’s public announcement of the HunterNet program winners.

TUNRA has a strong history of supporting research projects as they develop into larger scale innovations and industry solutions. We are well-placed to play a part in your growth strategy by providing a range of bureau and consultancy services to support your growth – leaving your team to focus on research and development. To learn more about how TUNRA can assist your business or industry in research and development of innovative solutions that will contribute to the future of the region, contact TUNRA today.