Our top student shares how PEP helped his career

We spoke to Grant Deeney, one of our top students from the first semester of the 2022 Professional Education Programme, about how this course gave him a holistic picture of governance, business operations, strategy —and how that's helped in his career as a project manager.

Why did you decide to study with Governance NZ?

I wanted to educate myself on the world of governance as I have found that the theme has featured as I have progressed in my career as a project manager. I considered doing a course with IoD however I found that the GNZ course was better suited to someone who is at an entry level to governance. It also suited me from a flexibility perspective.

You’ve previously mentioned that your primary reason for taking the course was to round off knowledge in areas which you have not formally studied, can you elaborate on how the course has helped you get that understanding in your role?

I have studied as a civil engineer and worked primarily in infrastructure project management to date. In engineering and project management work there is a lot of exposure and development of technical, people and commercial skills and knowledge. However the work doesn't generally provide exposure to the high level aspects of governance, corporate law, company finances, strategy and the like.

The course has given me a good grounding in these themes and I have found that as I have progressed through the course, having a better understanding of these additional aspects has helped me to understand why organisations are operating in a certain way, why certain decisions are made and how I can deliver projects more effectively.

What were your key takeaways from the course?

The course was generally quite enjoyable. I do think that it has helped to round off my knowledge. Having the course completed also gives me the option to contribute more through governance positions in the community or to diversify a little in terms of career path.

What advice would you give someone who is considering the course?

Don't jump in. Have a think about what you want at the end of your study before deciding on your course. This course is good for people who are new to governance or to certain aspects of governance. You won't get a masters qualification but it provides a decent foundation upon which you can build further if you want to. There are also options to just take on specific modules if you don't want to do the full course.

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