Francesco
Finance Graduate
I was born in Auckland and spent most of my life there until first year of university where I ventured south to study at Otago University. I am half Italian and can’t wait to return back there to visit family.
My studies
I studied a double degree in Law and Commerce majoring in Finance at Otago University.
My pathway
I applied for the Graduate Programme as advertised on LinkedIn. I am currently working in the Finance division under funding and analysis.
Why Auckland Transport
I had heard great things about the graduate programme and was excited about the opportunity to explore different pathways. I am currently sitting in Finance, but I am looking forward to immersing myself and gaining skillsets in teams like procurement or our in-house legal team. Over above this, the culture at AT is amazing and they genuinely care about unlocking your true potential.
My favourite part of Nga Kaihoe
I love how flexible the programme is with the opportunity to gain exposure in different fields. You have the chance to build your own journey and the organisation is so supportive of this.
My opportunities
I have been given the unique opportunity to research new and interesting ways for AT to increase revenue under already tight budget constraints. By diving deeper into how funding works as a Council Controlled Organisation it has given me a great understanding of how the organisation works as a whole and how different teams interact on different projects.
My advice for graduates to Ngā Kaihoe
Be open to new opportunities, you could end up loving something completely different to what you studied at university – other graduate programmes don’t always allow such flexibility.