When did you first hear about Rare Birds?
It was first brought to my attention in early 2020 when I was doing research into diversity and inclusions in the Australian workplace. That’s when I found the Rare Birds website.
What made you decide to be an Ambassador for our mission and grow our community in your local area?
Being one of the few successful female leaders in a male-dominated industry, I believe that I can positively influence a change in the cardboard manufacturing industry.
For me, both personally and professionally I see a clear alignment in the ethnics, values and mission of both Pakko and Rare Birds – we are both advocates for equality, diversity and inclusion in the workplace and the community.
I consider myself to be extremely fortunate to have a beautifully diverse team and I am committed to ensuring that we continue to reach out and include a diverse workforce in the packaging and manufacturing industry.
What do you hope to achieve during your time as a Rare Birds Ambassador?
I see my own success as an opportunity to inspire and motivate other young women to reach for their dreams.
In my role as a Rare Birds Ambassador, I hope to encourage and motivate young women to follow their passion and become thoughtful leaders who will go on the continue our cycle of creating meaningful change for future generations of women.
Why is diversity and inclusion important to you?
My approach to leadership is one of inclusion, I believe that people in organisations can only be successful when they are valued, and their individual voice is heard. Diversity means we appreciate what makes us different and we encourage conversations, we share our stories, and we include everyone without barriers.
Growing up as the daughter of Vietnamese Australians, my parent’s cultural heritage, views and work ethics influenced how I work. It’s critical for leaders to acknowledge that our teams consist of people from all backgrounds and are like me, influenced by the culture that surrounded them growing up.
Who is someone in your life who has been a positive influence on you?
My parents have been the biggest positive influence in my life. They migrated to Australia in the late 1980’s with no understanding of the English language, no family, no support and no money.
That’s a lot of “no’s” to start a new life with. Yet they survived.
They struggled to fit in with Australian culture and eventually, slowly they found their feet. As a child, watching your parents overcome difficulty and struggle is extremely powerful and empowering. It has given me the courage to follow my dreams, because deep down in my soul I believe that with hard work and determination you will find your success.
What was the best piece of advice they gave you?
If you let the “No’s” stop you, you have put a barrier up on yourself and you have limited yourself to what could be and the opportunities that might be.
My parents always pressed me on how much I really wanted something – and I was always passionate enough to make a go of it!
What goals have you set yourself for 2021?
I am constantly seeking out new goals for my own personal and professional growth.
My personal goals include increasing presence within organisations where I can share my experiences. Setting time aside, and committing to mentoring, advising and working with young women to share my business journey so far. It’s really important to me to keep the cycle going – learn, lead and share!
From a professional perspective, at Pakko, our goal for this year is to release the 2nd version of the Interactive Design Platform (IDP). The IDP is an easy to use platform for customers to custom design their own packaging on our website and an innovation we created and developed in-house here at Pakko.
Interactive Design Process (IDP) a simple platform for creating and designing tailored, branded packaging on the Pakko website. This tech-savvy innovation allows customers to: (1) Design online (2) Brand their design (3) Review a sample (4) Receive an instant quote and finally, place an order online. Within 10-12 days the order is ready; a process that demystifies the previously complicated concept of custom packaging.
In my role as a Rare Birds Ambassador, I hope to encourage and motivate young women to follow their passion and become thoughtful leaders who will go on the continue our cycle of creating meaningful change for future generations of women.
If you would like to join us as a Rare Birds Ambassador and make an impact on economic equality, we would love to hear from you! We are looking for champions of change who will advocate for us, amplify our message and help us reach more female founders, innovators and leaders. Get in touch HERE.
