Executive Director, Ember Innovations
New Zealand
This conversation was originally published in 2018 as part of the original Careering Conversations series.
We've lightly edited it for readability while preserving the original conversation and advice, and added an update on what Anya has been doing since we first spoke.
Anya Satyanand finished high school without a clear career plan. Rather than rushing into university, she took a gap year working in hospitality while trying to figure out what came next. By the end of the year she still wasn't certain, so she enrolled in Gender and Media Studies at the University of Auckland, trusting that clarity would come with time.
It was a conversation with a friend that changed everything.
Someone suggested she'd make a great teacher. Anya hadn't considered it before, but she decided to give it a go—and quickly realised she'd found work she genuinely loved.
Teaching also opened unexpected doors.
Before joining Wellington High School, she spent several years teaching in England, gaining experience across different schools and cultures. Those experiences strengthened her belief that education isn't simply about delivering knowledge. It's about helping young people believe in themselves and recognise opportunities they may never have considered otherwise.
As her career evolved, Anya moved into leadership roles where she could influence education and youth development on a broader scale. Throughout our conversation, one idea kept resurfacing: careers don't need to be perfectly planned. Sometimes the next step only becomes obvious once you've taken the one in front of you.
Anya also spoke about the importance of surrounding yourself with people who challenge and support you. Great mentors, trusted colleagues and lifelong learning have all played an important role throughout her career, reminding her that leadership isn't something you achieve once—it's something you continue developing every day.
Since we first spoke
Anya moved on from The Prince’s Trust New Zealand and went on to become Chief Executive of Leadership New Zealand, before taking on her current role as Executive Director of Ember Innovations, where she works on mental wellbeing initiatives across Aotearoa. Her career has continued to centre on youth development, leadership and community wellbeing, though in different organisations to when this Career Conversation was first published.
What Anya taught us
Not knowing what comes next isn't failure—it's often the beginning of discovering what really matters. Careers are built one decision at a time, and sometimes the best opportunities come from being willing to try something you never expected.
