At Business Development Company we are committed to making organisations more successful by creating great teams where people flourish.
By listening to our customers and supplying creative and innovative solutions to their problems, we have been helping businesses to flourish since 1960. Since that time we've built a strong record of delivering on our promise to create cultures of engagement and lift productivity in organisations.
We’re proud of the way we do business. We aim to keep ourselves at the learning edge of our field of expertise but we also uphold traditional values of honesty, integrity and respect. We think it’s cool to be an ethically and socially responsible company. And although we definitely enjoy having fun, we understand what it’s like for organisations facing change and uncertainty because we were once there ourselves.
It makes us even better at what we do.
Julie Varney, Managing Director
I began my working life as an occupational therapist and it’s only now that I fully appreciate how well this equipped me for working life. Relating to others, collaborating and assertive communication are great skills to have in any industry.
I am a certified practitioner of the Herrmann Whole Brain Thinking tool and hold a Bachelor of Commerce. Through my academic studies and ongoing learning, I have focused on what sets great teams apart. I’ve held leadership roles myself, from the front line to business manager and board chair. I know at a personal level how challenging leadership can be. I also know how great it is when you get it right.
When I'm not strategising over the next project, I'm lying on a beach reading a good book, or cycling on a remote forest trail. Family are close by.
Julie’s outstanding skills were apparent in an induction programme that she designed and piloted.
This included a workshop that built strong cross-team collaboration and modeled the desired culture of speaking up and being proactively productive from day one. In the workshop, new recruits and leaders had a free and frank discussion, capitalising on the fresh insights that the new staff brought when they walked in the door. Julie was able to skillfully create a safe space and to prepare both recruits and leaders in such a way that this generated an unprecedented level of engagement and connection between these parties.
This did more than just exceed the leaders’ expectations: it led them to enquire more deeply into how they could continue connecting and building the relationship with the new recruits.
Wendy Kale, Winner NZATD Supreme L&D Initiative 2016