Alumni Profile: Denise Hall
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Degree: Training & Development 1997 Current Position: Owner and executive director, aCE talentNET Self-described 'lifelong learner' Denise Hall was one of the first students to study Training and Development at the University of Melbourne. She went on to build a career as a training and development consultant, working on projects around Australia and overseas. Denise's entrepreneurial spirit led her to establish her own business as a talent agent for consultants in her field of expertise. She has also begun to share her experiences as a mother and businesswoman through her contributions to an online community and to a recent book. |
How would you describe yourself?
Mother; entrepreneur; counsellor; consultant; opportunist; decision-maker; mistake-maker; action-taker; lifelong learner; traveller; adventurer; innovator; designer (of life)!
When was your time at the University of Melbourne, and what did you study?
I originally started at the Hawthorn Institute of Education, where I completed the Associate Diploma in Training and Development in 1993. In 1994 or thereabouts, Hawthorn amalgamated with the University of Melbourne. I became part of the first-ever intake for the newly formed Bachelor of Training and Development, which was created to meet the needs of training and development practitioners in the business community. I graduated with my BTD in 1997.
How were your studies beneficial to you?
During my career with the ANZ Bank, I was a member of the Australian Training Unit, which serviced all training needs for the bank. By the time I left the bank, I was part of a team doing large-scale organisational development projects. Then, once I had left ANZ, I worked as a skills trainer and implementation specialist with the international management consultancy Proudfoot Consulting.
Both these career moves created a platform for my current role as owner and executive director (business) of aCE talentNET, which is a corporate talent agent focusing on organisational development. We engage consultants and contractors for all stages of projects. The business continues to grow and thrive nationally and internationally, resulting in growth of just under 200 per cent in 2006-07.
As a consultant and entrepreneur I’ve had the opportunity to work in all states of Australia and in New Zealand, Malaysia and the USA. My experience has ranged from installing management operating systems in an underground coal mine in Mudgee, NSW, to establishing resource planning for a convenience store chain in the American Mid West.
What does the future hold?
My philosophy is to take full advantage of opportunities that present themselves - the most recent being as a contributor to the book Secrets of Inspiring Women Exposed, launched in May 2007. I also have a blog and online community, The Entrepreneurial Mother, designed to help working women maximise their productivity while at the same time creating a better quality of life.
I read a lot and I love to travel. I’ve also recently returned to formal education, commencing the Masters of Entrepreneurship and Innovation at Swinburne.
