ConnectHer #9 — From Networking to Meaningful Professional Relationships

From Networking to Meaningful Professional Relationships with Rana MWNZ202611A Networking isn’t about collecting contacts. It’s about building authentic relationships, creating trust and having meaningful conversations. For this ConnectHer session, we’re joined by Rana Stephan, Generalist Business Development Manager at Spark New Zealand, for a practical conversation about how to build professional relationships with confidence. Through her career in business development, Rana has learned how to approach people, start conversations, build trust and turn an initial connection into a long-term professional relationship. As a migrant herself, she also understands how challenging it can feel to build a new professional network in New Zealand. Rana will share practical tips and personal experiences to help make networking feel more natural, purposeful and genuine. What we’ll talk about • How to approach someone you don’t know • Starting and keeping a meaningful conversation going • Building confidence when networking • Creating trust and authentic professional relationships • Following up without feeling awkward • Turning a new connection into a longer-term relationship • Building your professional network in New Zealand What to expect 40 minutes — Rana’s insights & Q&A An informal conversation with practical ideas and real experiences from Rana’s career in business development. 20 minutes — Small-group networking Put some of those ideas into practice while meeting other migrant women and building new connections. ConnectHer sessions are intentionally small, with a maximum of 15 attendees, so everyone has the opportunity to participate and have genuine conversations. ☕ Free to attend. Please grab your own coffee or drink on arrival.