Madison Rennie

What's your job about?

Auckland City Toyota is a car dealership network owned by Armstrong’s Group. There are three locations within Central Auckland, Mt Wellington, Greenlane and Grey Lynn, where I am based. My areas of expertise are marketing, communications and project management.

My daily tasks include reporting directly to the CEO, updating him on my progress and executing the projects he assigns me. This involves contacting necessary personnel and drafting proposals based on the information and figures retrieved. I also work closely with our marketing executive to ensure all social media and marketing campaigns are running smoothly.

A recent project I worked on was a campaign with Toyota NZ and the olympic committee to support the Great Olympic Skateboard Roadshow. This required social media content and designs to distribute to all three parties platforms.

What's your background?

I grew up in Tauranga, so I am not used to the hussle of the big city. I went to Bethlehem College from year 7-13 and moved to Hamilton to begin my business degree at the University of Waikato.

I lived in Hamilton for four year, studying full time and working part time. I was a marketing intern for Good George Brewery in my third and fourth year at Uni and am grateful for the experience this gave me. I curated a 12 month marketing campaign for Good George, equipping me with ‘real-life’ work experience and the importance of strategy and communication.

I sourced my current role with Toyota via the NZGraduate platform. Toyota is a brand I resonate with, as I drive an ‘02 Corolla, so I thought it would be fitting to apply. The recruitment process was fairly intense, but I met some great people along the way, we still keep in touch! I have currently been working at Auckland City Toyota for 3 months now.

Could someone with a different background do your job?

Yes, someone with a different background, would be able to fulfill this role. From a communicative perspective, but would need to be open to learning and understanding the design and marketing approach of the projects involved. My role requires communication, design skills, time management and problem solving.

What's the coolest thing about your job?

What I love most about my job is working with a brand I personally feel passionate about. Toyota are the epitome of reliability within the automotive industry and are always looking for new initiatives from an environmental perspective. These are values I resonate with and I enjoy seeing them unfold successfully.

What are the limitations of your job?

The automotive industry is fairly male-driven, therefore I do not work with many other female colleagues.

Working as a graduate, I do not specifically have a ‘team’, I solely report to my CEO.

Therefore, I can find myself jumping from quiet to hectic in a matter of hours, but this keeps me on my toes.

3 pieces of advice for yourself when you were a student...

• Keep your CV short and sweet.
• Be your number one fan in interviews. No one else knows the journey you have been on, so be confident in yourself and your endeavours.
• Balance is key.