The Face of Swinburne - June 2023

?Meet Kristy Horne?

We caught up with Kristy to learn about the exciting, busy and fast-paced work she’s doing across the Centre for Social Impact and The Customer Experience and Insights Research Group.?

Can you describe your role at Swinburne and what you do??

My role at Swinburne is interesting, challenging, and diverse! It is divided across two teams, The Centre for Social Impact (CSI) and The Customer Experience and Insights Research Group (CXI) in the School of Business, Law and Entrepreneurship, so it keeps me very busy.?

My role is a combination of CSI (3 days a week) and CXI (2 days a week) and includes a variety of interesting tasks including:?

• Industry engagement and research translation and dissemination?
• Internal communication within Swinburne, CSI Swinburne and the CSI National Office and CXI network of international business and marketing professionals?
• Event marketing and management which includes many industry research webinars including the annual CSI Showcase and CSI Commencement Lecture, and CXI Thought Leadership Seminars?
• Creating content for external communications, generating new ideas to promote and share the important work being conducted at Swinburne. Coordination of the CXI suite of Executive Education programs designed specifically to build specialised knowledge and skills of industry professionals.?

In addition to my role, I actively participate in the Swinburne Professional Staff Network (SPSN) and the Swinburne Events Community of Practice. Over the past three years, I have had the pleasure of co-producing a podcast with my manager, Ash Carden, called "The Podcast Professionals with Kristy and Ash." We have had many engaging conversations with incredible Swinburne staff members. If you're interested, you can listen to it here (shameless plug). It's been an amazing experience and truly the best!?

How long have you worked here??

I’ve worked at Swinburne for about 6 years now. During this time, I have had the opportunity to grow both personally and professionally. Swinburne has provided me with a stimulating and supportive environment that has allowed me to make great contributions and develop my role and skills.?

What do you enjoy about working at Swinburne??

What I love about working at Swinburne is the opportunity for continual development and the unwavering support I receive. Despite the many challenges of the COVID years, I've been fortunate to have a strong network of colleagues who have provided learning and growth opportunities. Their support has been invaluable in helping me thrive.?

What makes Swinburne different??

What sets Swinburne apart for me is the community of people and the opportunities offered. During my time here, I have formed lifelong friendships with genuinely kind colleagues who are always ready to lend a hand and provide the support and encouragement needed. Their support has made my journey at Swinburne really special.?

What are some of your best memories of Swinburne or some of your greatest achievements here??

Some of my best memories at Swinburne revolve around my early days when I transitioned from an incredibly stressful role to the university. The feeling of working in a university environment again was incredibly rewarding, and Swinburne has a unique community and culture that still resonates with me today.?

Among my proudest accomplishments is the podcast - The Podcast Professionals with Kristy & Ash. This emerged during the COVID lockdowns. Together with Ash Carden and Nicola Howard, we embarked on this venture to stay connected with our awesome professional colleagues. With the encouragement of wonderful individuals like Narelle Lemon, Tash Hobbs, and Clare Dyson, we took the leap and started the podcast. It turned out to be an amazing decision. The podcast has grown in popularity, with remarkable download numbers. We are able to highlight some of the incredible staff at Swinburne and discuss their roles and what makes them tick! It’s a wonderful platform and I feel incredibly grateful to be a part of this journey.?

Listen in here to the Podcast Professionals with Kristy & Ash?

What are you most excited about going into 2023??

I am thrilled to be working with the awesome individuals at CSI and CXI. Also, we have a number of podcasts to record this year and have been approached by several staff to be a part of the series next year.?

I was hoping for things to calm down this year, but it has turned out to be quite the opposite! The workload remains hectic, with plenty of exciting projects and activities happening. However, I do have something to look forward to—a well-earned holiday in July/August. It will be a great break and is a road trip from Broome to Perth!?

What moon shot do you feel most aligns to you and your work? Why??

The moon shot that aligns most with me personally and my work is number 5: ‘Swinburne is the prototype of global best practice’ because I always strive to make sure that my work is the best it can possibly be and to lead the way with the work I'm involved in where possible.?

How do you see Horizon 2025 coming alive for you and your work??

Both CSI and CXI contribute to Swinburne's Horizon 2025 strategy. CSI works towards a better, more sustainable and equitable world through social entrepreneurship and technology, and CXI through the study of human experience and technology to achieve real value. So, in my work with both groups, Horizon 2025 (in all moon shots in varying degrees) comes alive for me in all I do to contribute to both teams.?

Horizon 2025 is an ambitious plan to help us be a global leader in education, technology, and innovation – which part of the strategy inspires you the most? Strong industry engagement inspires me the most as it brings real-world relevance and practicality to my work. The opportunity to collaborate closely with industry leaders, understand their challenges, and work together towards solving problems and identifying innovative solutions is invigorating.?

We have five new values: one Swinburne, future-focused, engaged, empowered, accountable. What value resonates most for your team??

All five values resonate with me, but empowered stands out. It aligns with my belief in autonomy, responsibility, and making a meaningful impact. Being empowered allows me to contribute to organisations, explore innovative ideas, and share the positive outcomes of important research.?

How does the team put these values into action??

In summary, the teams at CSI and CXI put these values into action by prioritising empowerment. We consider ourselves fortunate to have the freedom and support to make a difference through our research, and we use this empowerment to drive positive change and deliver exceptional results for our Swinburne and our community of staff, students, and partners.?

What are you doing outside of work that we might also enjoy??

Outside of work I try to have a good balance of exercise which includes another passion of mine, cycling and the annual Tour de France. The month of July means late nights watching the cycling and enjoying the French countryside too!?

Either Side of Nhill is a personal podcast I produce with my cousin Ben. Ben lives in Adelaide and I’m in Melbourne and Nhill is the halfway point, so it had to be Either Side of Nhill! The podcast captures what is happening in our hometowns and of course Nhill, plus we have the opportunity to chat with a range of artists, the local?mayor, and international guests such as crime authors Rachel Lynch, and in exciting news we have just spoken with forme SBS Legend and TDF aficionado Michael Tomalaris NOM who spoke with us about the upcoming Tour de France, and some of his important charity work.?

Listen in here to ESON!?

I am also finishing up watching Ted Lasso on Apple TV and I loved his positivity and encouragement of others, and the show is constantly giving me inspiration to be better and to do better.?

Thanks for the opportunity to be the Face of Swinburne, I am really honoured!?