Full circle from graduate to graduate mentor

During a recent trip back home to visit my family, I unexpectedly ran into my old high school business studies teacher. We hadn’t seen each other in over a decade. After a moment of recognition (minus the braces!), he smiled and asked, “So, where did you end up?”

I gave him a quick rundown of my university journey and career path so far. He nodded and said, “You know, I always thought you’d end up in HR or something similar. You were always curious about how people and businesses interact—you studied both business and society & culture, remember?” He was right. Looking back, that curiosity shaped everything that came next.

I completed a Bachelor of Commerce, majoring in Human Resources and International Business. I loved the experience, but as graduation approached, I found myself wondering, "How do I really know HR is the right path for me?"

Rather than diving straight into a full-time role in a specific field of study, like many of my friends, I spent countless hours applying for graduate programs. I’m naturally curious, and the opportunity to explore different parts of a business and collaborate with a variety of teams truly excited me.

That’s what led me to Ampol’s graduate program—one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.

Over the course of the program, I rotated through departments like Marketing, Risk and Operations, Training, social media and Partnerships, HR Advisory, and Recruitment. It was an incredible journey. I gained deep insights into how a business runs, formed a strong professional network, and had access to mentorship and development opportunities that shaped both my career and personal growth.

While I enjoyed every rotation, I felt a strong pull towards HR—now known as People & Culture (P&C). After the program, I joined our corporate recruitment team for a year. Then, driven by a desire to keep learning and building breadth, I moved laterally into the employment relations team for about 18 months.

Those experiences, combined with the foundation from the graduate program, gave me the confidence and skills to step into my current role as a P&C Business Partner.

Some highlights from my grad journey were

• Helping to roll out a campaign across our retail sites and seeing it come to life in-store.

• Participating in the unveiling of the Ampol brand with CEO Matt Halliday on national television in 2020.

• Joining Women Inspiring Fresh Ideas (WIFI) as a committee member—empowering women across the organisation and supporting meaningful networking (I am now a co-chair of this group which is pretty cool).

More recently I have become a mentor to one of our graduates, which has been especially rewarding. It's a full-circle moment to offer the same kind of support that helped me grow during my own graduate days.

My advice to recent graduates? Stay curious. Be open to new experiences. Say yes to the unexpected. You never know where a conversation, a project, or even a sideways career move might lead. Ask questions, absorb everything you can, and most importantly—build strong relationships. Because you never know when you’ll run into someone again… braces or not.