Monash Business Awards has kicked off the new year with an eventful networking breakfast.
Former Chair, Nikki Braybrook (pictured right: top right), officially handed over the role to new Chair, Nic Bolto (pictured below with nominees), who MC’d the event for the first time. The MBA also farewelled Executive Director, Lisa Christensen, with Karen Casey stepping into the role.
Nic introduced four new nominees to our business community, presenting them with certificates. Pictured below with Nic, left to right, are representatives from Concierge Buyers Advocates, nominated in the Professional Services category; StorageX, nominated in Micro Business; and GMAN IT, nominated for Innovation and Technology. Our fourth nominee, Miana, nominated in the Micro Business category, was unable to attend.
The first guest speaker of the year was LinkedIn expert Karen Hollenbach, who gave an interactive presentation on the platform’s company and personal pages. Karen said effective use of LinkedIn required time, thought and the ability to optimise the tools available on the platform.
‘LinkedIn, I believe, is not social media,’ Karen said. ‘The world has changed and if you want to achieve results in your business and market, then why you do what you do is becoming as important as what you do. You ultimately need to have a strategy for your LinkedIn profile. Why are you there and what is it helping you achieve for the deeper, longer-term aspects of your life and business?’
Karen highlighted the ‘low-hanging fruit’ of LinkedIn that allowed users to link websites, showcase their team and control their personal brand through posts, likes and comments.
‘I have spent a lot of time thinking about who I am and how I show up in the world,’ Karen said. ‘We are human and we need to make sure as much as possible that our intent and sentiment comes through strongly.
‘Make no mistake: people are researching you.’
Karen is the founder of Think Bespoke, providers of LinkedIn education.
Look out for our next networking event and guest speaker, coming soon.