This week’s Meeting of the Minds sees Ngaia Calder and Nana Kawaura from insight agency TRA reveal their leadership heroes, current streaming binge, and career goals.
The Mediaweek series showcases diverse perspectives, thoughts and opinions by bringing together two different points of view from an industry rookie and an experienced expert.
Ngaia Calder, Business Director – TRA (Sydney)
Favourite podcast/read: It has to be Mamamia Outloud because, as the tagline says, it keeps your finger on the pulse of what women are talking about.
Current streaming binge: Only murders in the building because the suspense, the story, the witty dialogue and the cross generational trio. It’s refreshingly different.
Guilty pleasure content: Selling Sunset and Love it or list it Australia. The house, the heels, the will they or won’t they…
What do you have on repeat: Taylor Swift back catalogue, naturally.
Best career advice: If you fuck up, fess up.
Leadership hero: I’ve been lucky enough to have a few leadership heroes. First off, the one and only Terri Hall. Then there’s Vanessa Riedl, Ali Dexter, Roz Calder and Andrea Wilson!
Best training course/session: Has to be Mark Ritson’s Mini MBA. I did it in 2018.
I wish someone had told me: Write down every project / category / client I have worked on (you do forget)!
Favourite place to network: The conference circuit, there’s always somebody new to meet and something to talk about.
Something that’s surprised you about the industry: People and consumers are always evolving. They’re constantly innovating and inspiring. But often, there’s a lack of belief in this.
What is your hot take on the industry?: We need to keep championing people; we need to hero the human impact. The narrative of getting insights faster, cheaper, easier is distracting – and often not well thought through.
Career goal for 2025: Continue growing our dream team!
Nana Kawaura, Account Lead – TRA (Sydney)
Favourite podcast/read: The Henna Artist by Alka Joshi – a young Indian woman’s independence and identity
Current streaming binge: Nobody Wants This (Netflix). A few people in the office recommended it – it did not disappoint!
Guilty pleasure content: Dog videos, I’m obsessed
What do you have on repeat: See Her Out by Francis and the Lights
Best career advice: I wish someone had told me not to be afraid to try something new. Don’t think just because you started your career in one industry, you have to stay in that industry forever. Bounce around and try new things! There’s so much value in the soft skills we learn along the way. Good employers will see the value you can bring to the team.
Leadership hero: So many mentors both past and present. The best mentors want you to grow and develop. To be the best version of you. Even if that means leaving them to find a different mentor that can help you grow even more!
Best training course/session: A grad segmentation session, I still remember it to this day!
Favourite place to network: Industry events – they’re a lot of fun and a great way to meet like-minded people. Even better if you can adventure off on your own to different sessions, it gives you the chance to meet new people.
Something that’s surprised you about the industry: How important it is to understand different cultures when we look at data from an international quant study. E.g., for a 5-pt scale question, some countries will skew to selecting strongly agree/disagree, whilst countries like the Nordics will select somewhat agree/disagree or neither – this is reflective of their cultural context as opposed to the performance of the concept itself.
What is your hot take on the industry: It’s going to be interesting to see how AI shapes the industry over time. It will distinguish some of the best businesses from the rest and it’ll be incredible to see its potential unfold.
Career goal for 2024: To embrace change. I started at TRA earlier this year, so I’ve been focusing on settling in, supporting the team and finding out what I want to focus on developing in my career.
–
To take part in future editions of Meeting of the Minds, please email: [email protected]
Past editions of Meeting of the Minds.
–
Top image: Ngaia Calder and Nana Kawaura