Learning to lead
by
Michèle Nardelli
Adelaide-born Nicholas Ridis has taken to Sydney like a duck
to water.
Growing up in surroundings steeped in real estate and property interests, it was kind of natural for him to pursue studies in the field, so while working full-time he did an Associate Diploma in Built Environment at UniSA.
After graduating he moved into roles with construction companies, but the on-site life was not for him.
“It was a valuable experience, but I really didn’t enjoy some aspects of the on-site work and found myself drawn to strategy, marketing and management,” Ridis said.
So it was back to the books and UniSA for a degree in management and marketing and he hasn’t looked back – or stopped learning.
“I realised when I went back to university that I needed to take a proactive approach to get the most out of my studies and my life,” he said.
“I volunteered as a subject representative for numerous subjects, attended workshops and was voted onto the Students’ Association Board.”
Ridis said he took the same approach at the University of Technology Sydney where he now lectures.
“I reached the Australian national finals in 2003 and 2004 of the Boston Consulting Group Strategy Competition.”
Regarded as the world’s premier strategy consulting competition, Ridis says the BCG experience was invaluable.
Today Ridis is the Managing Director of AVODKA Pty Ltd, a strategic consulting firm. He lectures in marketing and management at the University of Technology Sydney, and serves as a director on the National Board and NSW Councillor of the Australian Marketing Institute. He is also a Fellow of the Australian Marketing Institute and the Australian Institute of Management, a Certified Practising Marketer, a Certified Professional Manager and a Certified Real Estate Agent.
A seasoned presenter on the speaker’s circuit, he chairs national conferences for the AMI, IQPC, IBC and is a regular contributor to The Sydney Morning Herald, B&T Weekly and Professional Marketing.
“For the past five years I’ve really been enjoying lecturing at university. I’ve seen the landscape of tertiary institutions change as we now cater to a global student base. Many Australian-born graduates will end up working in Asia and their counterparts are here studying concurrently – that is both exciting and challenging for educators,” Ridis says.
And international experience may well be Ridis’ own next step. As a director of The Australian Marketing Institute, he is keen to establish an agreed set of marketing metrics and selection methodology for Australian enterprises so will tackle postgraduate study in finance in Australia with the goal of a scholarship to Harvard to complete his MBA.