Fiona Reyerink’s soothing Scottish tones will be known to many at Macquarie – as Executive Manager and Director of Engagement in the Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Engagement) portfolio, Fiona works closely with stakeholders around the University, to drive collaborations that advance Macquarie’s standing.

One of Macquarie’s most respected emerging leaders, Fiona recently participated in Harvard Business School’s prestigious High Potentials Leadership Program, where she says her most important lesson was to ‘listen like you are wrong’.

(1) In a nutshell, my job is to…
Drive collaboration across the DVC Engagement portfolio and to help us work effectively and efficiently to recruit students, build Macquarie’s brand, raise money and work with industry.

(2) The question/ phrase I hear most often in my work is…
Do you have a minute?
Can I grab you when you get a sec?
I just need a minute.
This will only take a couple of minutes.

(3) The thing I find most rewarding in my role is…
Helping people navigate the tough stuff.

 (4) This year I want to…
See my nephew.

 (5) The bravest thing I’ve done is…
 Try and be a leader.

(6) A place that’s special to me is…
The edge of a field on the west of Edinburgh where you can sit alone on the gate and gaze out at the hills, the city and the sea in complete peace. 

(7) My father always told me…
If you don’t have anything sensible to say, then don’t say anything at all. (Harsh, but he had a point!)

(8) My guilty pleasure is…
…not something I feel guilty about. A good life is all about balance. 

(9) My hidden talent is…
Creating something from nothing: cooking up a meal from a seemingly empty kitchen.

(10) A moment I’ll always remember is…
My graduation day when I saw my Dad, who four years earlier had tried to talk me out of “this whole posh uni nonsense”, crying with pride