Session summary
How do you plan your career when so much of it feels out of your control?
How do you decide whether to stay in a role or take the leap into something new?
And how can you maximise your chances of success along the way?
Join this practical, discussion-driven workshop to explore these questions and more, and start taking a more intentional approach to shaping your career.
In these workshops, Natalie Downing (USyd) and Karen Perkins (UQ) will share practical tips, tools and perspectives to help you reflect on your career path and make more confident decisions about your future.
Together, we’ll explore:
- approaches to navigating uncertainty in career planning
- how to assess when it’s time to stay, stretch or move on
- practical ways to strengthen your positioning for future opportunities
- tools and strategies to help you actively curate a meaningful and intentional career.
This session is designed to be engaging, reflective and immediately useful, with ideas you can apply straight away.
Time and location
Date: Tuesday, 25 August 2026
Time: 12:00 noon to 1:30 pm
Location: TBC ** (In-person only)
** Members should look out for our invitation to this session in late July, which will include all relevant details. This page will be updated with full details once known.
Facilitators
Natalie Downing | Head of Executive Services and Interim Head, Operations, Facilities and Remote Sites, Faculty of Science, The University of Sydney | LinkedIn
Natalie has held leadership positions in higher education for over 20 years with experience across faculty, general management, strategic business development, international strategy, stakeholder engagement and university alliances.
Most recently, Natalie has been working with the Faculty of Science at the University of Sydney as Head, Executive Services, delivering multiple strategic projects. Previously, she held the positions of Faculty General Manager (interim) at the University of Sydney Business School, Faculty General Manager, Science, at UTS, and Director of Operations for the NUW Alliance at UNSW. Prior to this, Natalie was the Associate Director, Faculty of Engineering and Built Environment at the University of Newcastle.
Karen Perkins | Faculty Executive Manager, Faculty of Engineering, Architecture and Information Technology, The University of Queensland | LinkedIn
Karen has over 25 years’ experience working as a manager at leading universities in Australia and the UK, across a range of functions and disciplines. She joined UQ in April 2012 as School Manager in Psychology and has been Faculty Executive Manager in EAIT since December 2017, where she provides strategic management advice and support to senior leadership.
Karen has a strong interest in professional development for professional staff in higher education, having served on the organising committee of the General Managers’ Community of Practice and establishing the EAIT-LEAD professional development program in the EAIT Faculty.
Who should attend?
This workshop is ideal for anyone wanting to:
- take stock of their current career direction
- navigate career decisions with greater clarity
- build confidence in planning next steps
- be more proactive in shaping their professional future.
