CEO, Animation Research Ltd
An experienced CEO, Project and Business Manager Cheryl's career has spanned hydro dam engineering, animation, and technology solution design with some of NZ's biggest companies.
She is passionate about increasing more diverse participation of girls into STEAM subjects and career paths, and started her career studying Engineering at the University of Canterbury.
By all accounts, Cheryl Adams has had a very successful career so far. Starting out as a Mechanical Engineer at Manapouri Power Station, she pivoted a couple of times until she landed at Animation Research Ltd for a time as GM.
According to Sir Ian Taylor, she left after 7 years because he kept changing everything on her - which surprises no-one! But after being away for 7 years, he thought it was time to get, in his words, a “proper” CEO so he head-hunted her back - and now she’s running the show.
So how did she navigate from Mechanical Engineering to consulting to tech and on to leadership of Dunedin’s most prominent tech company, especially as a woman in such male-dominated industries?
Join Cheryl as she shares some of her trials and tribulations along the way and her secrets to getting ahead in tech.