Lauren Waring joined the Sustineo team remotely in August. She has since moved to Canberra and is knee deep in a variety of desk assessment and qualitative analysis tasks for a range of projects. So, we thought it was timely to get to know a bit more about her hopes and dreams and hobbies! Read on below…
What drew you to Sustineo?
My academic background is in international development studies and Southeast Asia and my professional background is in humanitarianism and development policy. From this I am acutely aware of the need to ensure projects empower people to continue making improvements in their own communities. So, I was drawn to Sustineo’s commitment to positive change and focus on tackling difficult problems both in Australia and across the Asia-Pacific region.
What do you hope to achieve during your time at Sustineo?
On broad level, I hope to be able to use my research and management skills to contribute to deeper understandings and impactful outcomes for our clients. On a personal level, in my time with Sustineo I hope to expand my knowledge of and experience in the Pacific. I also hope to gain more experience in the application of different research and writing techniques.
What has been your biggest learning experience from your career so far?
In my career, my biggest lesson has been the importance of knowing your strengths and knowing when it is best to get others involved. Keeping this in mind helps ensure both the success of projects and the wellbeing of yourself and the whole team.
But my most interesting learning experience was when I organised security training for humanitarian workers. I learned more about surviving gunfire, grenades, and kidnappings than I ever thought I would know. Plus, I got to set off dummy explosives and fake kidnap people (with their consent – it was part of the training).
Tell us something we don’t know about you.
Since I was a teenager, I have been curating a collection of vintage clothing. With no preference for any one style, my collection is eclectic and spans decades and continents. Over time I have become a little more practical in my choices, but I look forward to wearing my most recent addition, a 1970s Spanish knee-length leather jacket, in Canberra.
Outside of work, what are you passionate about?
I am a passionate crafter. Being in lockdown in London when COVID started, I had plenty of time to fill in. I taught myself to crochet, knit, embroider, cross-stitch, macrame, and weave, all of which I’ve used to make clothes (I made the sweater in my picture!), homewares, and pieces of art. This year I also learned how to hand dye material and wool with Australian botanicals. I now have about three years’ worth of projects waiting to be started.
What was the last book you read?
I am about to finish reading ‘The Museum of Whales You Will Never See: Travels Among the Collectors of Iceland’ by A. Kendra Greene. As a collector myself and a lover of Iceland, I have thoroughly enjoyed visiting new collections and revisiting collections I’ve been to through the pages.