Natalie is one of the many OBs who now live and work in Sydney, Australia. She has called Sydney home for the past 15 years and lives there with her husband and two daughters. 

She is the Events Manager at Pymble Ladies College, one of the leading independent girls’ schools in Australia.  Natalie has been managing events for over 30 years, ranging from small VIP dinners and board meetings, to large pharmaceutical congresses and international exhibitions.

Her event experience has taken her around the world, from Asia to the USA and many European countries in between.  

What are your best memories of BGS?

One of my best memories was the French trip back in April 1986 when I was in Year 8. I was so keen to go but my parents had been unsure they could afford the cost.  When they surprised me by letting me know they had booked my spot, I was so excited. We had such great fun and so many laughs. I recall all of us being unsure how to eat a whole artichoke that we were served for one dinner and also remember Mr Burns encouraging lots of slow dances at the end of the disco evening!

Can you remember any teachers at BGS who had an impact on you?

I remember many of my teachers from BGS but Mr Cox as my housemaster was someone I remember well. He was a great teacher and instilled a love of Geography in me. It’s my favourite topic in a game of Trivial Pursuits! Mr Ransome was also an inspirational teacher and encouraged my love of languages. I had mostly focused on French and German but he persuaded me to do a GSCE in Russian as a one year crash course when I was in the Lower Sixth.

⁠How did you get into the conference and events business?

I saw a documentary whilst at university about an exhibition organiser and was really inspired to get into planning exhibitions. I thought it would be fun and exciting to organise events and travel the world at the same time whilst using my language skills. I wrote letters to several exhibition companies before graduating and was lucky enough that one of them offered me a role. I learnt on the job, loved it and have never looked back!

⁠Could you have chosen another path?

The world of events is huge and varied so there are lots of pathways within in. I did move from exhibitions to corporate events (meetings, conferences, dinners) but I think “Events” was always right for me so ultimately this was the right path.

What has been the most significant highlight of your career?

There have been many incredible events in my career however I have two events which stand out the most to me. The first was a dinner for 850 people in Prague Castle which I organised for a large pharmaceutical company. It was a stunning venue and the evening was magical. The other one was a large exhibition for the educational sector called Edutech, with over 10,000 attendees and 280 exhibitors.  As the Operations Director, I was responsible for all logistical and operational aspects of the event. It was a lot of hard work but all worth it when you feel the buzz of a successful event.

What’s next for you?

I am sure I will be organising events until the day I retire! I am very happy with my chosen career and have no plans to change. The wonderful thing with events is that you can change the type of events you organise which gives variety and means each day is never the same as the previous day. I am currently really enjoying planning school events ranging from the Careers Expo to the Autumn Family Festival and the Valedictory Dinner.

What motivates you?

I love being busy and having lots of things on the go. I am also very motivated when I have great colleagues and a good team around me. It takes a village to plan an event (especially a large one) and you need good people to support all aspects of the event from the catering staff, to the AV crew, to the front of house team.

⁠How do you relax?

I enjoy the Australian lifestyle, being outdoors and at the beach as well as relaxing by our pool with a good book! I love spending time with my grown-up daughters (we love a good shopping trip) and my husband and I enjoy socialising with our friends. 

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What advice would you give to your younger self?

I would tell myself to embrace adventures and take each opportunity that is given to you.