Gareth Hunt had always known he would end up in some kind of IT role. However, a 17 year career in the Construction Industry (and at Manteena) was not exactly where he anticipated that career would take him.
How did you end up at Manteena?
I started in IT straight out of school. My first role was managing a small network and day to day IT for a company in Newcastle. Given that this was relatively small at the time, I also worked in the Sales and Dispatch areas. From here I was able to learn about other areas of the business and help to develop tools and processes to help other people in the company.
My next role was working with a time clock company, helping to build physical time clocks and help to develop the time sheet applications.
After this I worked for a large IT support company, providing support to a large Australian organisation.
In 2006 I started with Manteena, as IT Support, dealing with the day-to-day issues. As the company continued to grow, I moved into an IT Manager role and the IT Team grew to 2. In 2011, I became a member of the Australian Computer Society, where I am now recognised as a certified professional. More recently I have moved away from the day-to-day IT and more focusing on processes and improvements across all areas in the business as the Business Systems Manager.
Why IT?
I have always had an interest in technology and making things work better and more efficiently. This interest has enabled me to help the business continue to innovate and improve.
The skills I have learnt either on the job or through formal studies, have allowed me to look at problems / processes with an analytical approach to determine the best way to either improve the process or implement an effective solution.
How would you describe Manteena’s offering and approach?
The variety of projects and clients that Manteena works for presents several unique opportunities for employees. This variety makes every project different requiring the organisation to be adaptive in its systems, processes, and people.
Every day is different. There’s always plenty to do and plenty of challenges / opportunities to learn something new.
Did you always think this was an area you would end up working in?
I have always had an interest in working in the IT space, and in more recent years in the Business Analysis space, however at the time, I didn’t think it would have been in the Construction Industry.
However I have now been with Manteena for most of my working life (17 years).
What advice do you have for anyone considering a career in IT?
IT and Systems are constantly changing and evolving, so no days are the same. This provides opportunities to always be learning and improving.
