Committee Profile: Batur Changez

Batur Changez

Professional Development Officer - Golden Key Swinburne Chapter

What are you doing currently?

I am doing a Bachelors of Business, majoring in Human Resource Management (International Business minor) at Swinburne University and working as a Human Resource Associate at GlaxoSmithKline Australia (GSK) as part of my IBL (Industry Based Learning) program and as a Professional Development Officer at Golden Key International Honours Society Swinburne Chapter.

Have Business and HR always been your areas of interest?

Not really, I always wanted to be a doctor, Cardiologist, as a high school student. I even applied for Medical Schools back in Pakistan (my country of origin) after completing year 12 and got an offer from a private medical school but I never ended up taking it as I had planned to study overseas. I was very keen on my passion for becoming a doctor even when I came to Australia but it did not take me long to realise the potentials of having a career in business and human resources.

How I got into business and HR is another story but I have had a very interesting time studying it and I am loving my current job in HR.

What are you most passionate about?

I am and have always been very passionate about Leadership. Taking charge of a group of people, small or large, and making sure that everyone is achieving their objectives, having a nice time being part of the group, developing personally and professionally, receiving the right amount of support, autonomy & opportunity, being recognised for their contributions and more importantly taking pride in being part of the group is quite challenging for most of the people but it is always the leadership capabilities of an individual which makes this whole experience rewarding and which makes me passionate for these capabilities to develop from this starting phase of my career as I think leadership qualities will be the most important thing to have for my long term career.

What are you doing to develop your leadership qualities?

For the starters, I am observing people around me who are in leadership positions. These include the managers at my workplace (including my direct manager) and business leaders. I try to observe the way they attend to their responsibility towards their people and their management styles. Apart from this, I like reading about leaders and leadership, trying to attend as many leadership development workshops as I can and taking any feedback/advice from my manager and mentor at work.

What has been the best piece of advice you have been given?

The best advice I have been given has been to never be afraid of making mistakes and not doing something/resisting something only because you think that you would do it wrong or you won’t be capable of doing it. It is only after trying that a person learns and those mistakes that come along the way always help you to be better prepared for the next time and learn properly.

Any advice for the other students who are starting their careers like yourself?

The advice that I always give to myself and would also like to give to other people is to always have self-confidence and belief in yourself as I have found that these are 2 of the most important things to have for a new starter and help you a long way in a new setting. Also, take any and every opportunity that comes your way as it is through these opportunities that you will learn and develop both personally and professionally.