With Auckland Pride Festival in full swing, and because we’re a proud Rainbow Tick employer, we’ve asked some of our LGBTTI employees to share their career stories with us. Over the next few weeks, they’ll help us play our part in celebrating diversity and inclusion in our community! Meet Mary Sullivan-King, Business Solutions Specialist within SKYCITY Auckland's ICT team. Mary’s been part in our team since 2004, joining us as a contractor to help set up the telephone system at SKYCITY Grand Hotel prior to its opening.
In her current role, Mary’s part of a four person team who support over 30 software products that underpin the operations of various areas of our business, including our hotels, food & beverage businesses, property solutions and car parks. They’re a busy team who play a really big part in making sure our customers’ experiences are second to none, which sometimes means being ‘on call’ 24-7 in case of outages. Being such an integral part of our ICT team, it might surprise you to know that Mary started out at SKYCITY with no formal IT qualification or experience. “After I cut short my tertiary studies, I took up a job as a Special Needs Teacher Aide for a few years. I then decided to apply to Teachers College but missed the application deadline. Needing a job, I was offered the contract to programme the telephones at the Grand Hotel... and the rest is history!” Since then, Mary’s worked on our IT Service Desk, has been a Technical Specialist, and moved into the Business Solutions Specialist role in 2010. “I feel quite lucky that SKYCITY saw my potential despite not having a formal IT qualification. They’ve invested in me and given me some great opportunities to advance my career.” As a member of our LGBTTI employee community, we asked Mary what SKYCITY’s Rainbow Tick certification means to her. “For me, the Rainbow Tick reaffirms that SKYCITY is a place where I can be open about who I am, that I’m supported, and my relationship with my wife is treated equally. “ “When we first received The Rainbow Tick, some colleagues openly wondered why we needed a certificate to confirm what they felt was already accepted and true. My response to them was that there are still many identities within the LGBTTI community who don’t feel as accepted as others. So, when SKYCITY openly states its support and encouragement for everyone, it reassures those people that they’re accepted and free to be themselves while they’re at work.” When we asked about some of the other ‘positives’ about working here, Mary mentioned the free Southern Cross Healthcare, the employee discounts at our restaurants and the $2.50 meals at the employee cafeteria. “I have to say, however, that the best thing about SKYCITY is the people, both my immediate team and the wide range of people across the business. My team are great, we feel like a family and we work hard to put in place solutions that make everyone’s job a bit easier. We feel like we’re all in it together.” Thanks for sharing your story, Mary. Stayed tuned for more to come!
