AMBER MCNAMARA
Director | Business Process Expert.
Kia Ora, I’m Amber and I'm a Business Process Expert.
A little about me; I am a multipotentialite, a strategic thinker, an innovator, and I'm hugely practical.
I am passionate about helping people, I'm a youth mentor, a dog mum, I play netball with a group of amazing women and I love spending time in the stunning environment which is our outdoor playground.
I grew up in a small town called Oamaru, famous for its Whitestone buildings, little blue penguins, and Ritchie McCaw.
I LOVED sport when I was younger (still do!), I was a gymnast, a climber, a trampolinist, a netballer and I loved aerobics.
After my final year of high school, I had no clue what I wanted to do, in fact, still to this day, if you ask me “what I want to do when I grow up” or some variation of that question, it still causes instant sweaty palms.
As I have grown, I have learnt, that not knowing is actually a superpower, I learnt that I love working in business and the fact that I didn’t have a particular focus or label, opened the doors to so many more opportunities.
When I left high school, I decided to spend a gap year doing a Mountain Recreation course in the stunning town of Wanaka. I spent a year climbing, kayaking, mountaineering, and skiing (amazing – right?).
The problem was, after that year, I had no qualification.
So, I jumped straight into the workforce and became a sponge, I learnt everything I could in every position I had within whatever business or industry I was in.
I asked for opportunities, asked loads of questions, I worked hard and managed to learn about every facet of business, how each department works and how each department links with another.
Because of this, when I implement change in one area of a business, I know what impacts it will have on another and how that may challenge those involved.
It wasn’t until years later that I realised what that gap year gave me, it wasn’t just a year clowning around, it was a year of huge personal growth.
It taught me how to live in that uncomfortable and sometimes scary space and how to push through it to achieve amazing things. I learnt to “Feel the fear and do it anyway”.
This skill has been critical in my life and the experience taught me that education and learning comes from anywhere and everywhere.
In recent years, I have gravitated towards implementing new systems and processes to create efficiencies, in the businesses I have worked in.
So, when it came to starting my business (which was scary), the natural fit was to help other companies create efficiencies too.
I love helping people!
I have a wealth of knowledge across various software products.
I pride myself on using language that is easy to understand instead of jargon, because I know change and software are both scary prospects to most and I want to make the process as stress free as possible.
Perhaps even exciting!
I’m always keen for a coffee, so if you want to have a chat, give me a call.
VANESSA JONES
Trainer
Greetings! I'm Vanessa.
I am a Blenheim local; I was born in Nelson but have lived here for 95% of my life. I grew up just around the corner from where I live now with my husband, 4 teenage children and 2 fur-babies.
I spent a good part of the last 20 years raising my family and learning to navigate all the many stages that involved. I was lucky enough to be a stay-at-home parent for a good portion of my children being pre-schoolers and then I decided that I needed to engage my brain again; learn more than nursery rhymes.
This began my journey of MORE. I wanted to learn more, be more, do more. I started off with an entry level computing and business administration course and it just snowballed from there. In my second year of study, I completed 2 courses to have a double graduation and I was awarded Student of the Year.
Since then, I have been like a sponge and have this desire to learn, which is where jumping into this industry is right on point for me!
At the end of 2022, my family and I decided that we wanted to give back to the community and we put our hands up to volunteer with a local animal shelter, fast forward 9 months and I currently manage the volunteer intake for the charity, my husband is one of the many handymen that help take care of the site, and we all have a couple of shifts a week helping clean, feed, cuddle & play with the animals.
When I am not studying, organizing volunteers and admin for MFP, or spending time with my children and fur-babies – I am at the gym, I am an avid Cross fitter and have just recently started competing in local, national on online competitions. My most recent one was held over the Easter break, and I got first in my division, which was amazing! I also play social netball with an amazing group of women, I am on my 7th year with the team and enjoy it so much – not the winter weather, but the team make it worth it.
With my desire to learn, my ability to be organised, being a people person and having such a range of skills across many different industries – I look forward to helping people achieve their goals and expanding their knowledge.
GUS
Chief Support Officer.
Hi, I'm Gus!
I am a Soft Coated Wheaten Terrier; I love cuddles and I am what they call a hypoallergenic pupster. This means I don't shed my fur all over the place and if you have allergies, I shouldn't make you sneeze.
I come to the office sometimes, to ensure nobody is getting too stressed with the work that's being done.
I do have my crate in the office so if you are scared of doggos, please let Amber know as I can be very welcoming upon arrival, us Wheaties do what is called a "Wheaten Greeting", it's in our breading, we can't help it, we just love to see people.
Catch you later!