How to build a strong student leadership team

2025 Velocity team

Velocity is New Zealand’s leading university entrepreneurship development programme with a 22-year legacy. Each year’s programme includes seminars, start-up competitions and workshops. Its impact on New Zealand’s start-up ecosystem is exponential, with alumni creating hundreds of start-ups, thousands of jobs and raising billions in capital.

Over its history, Velocity has supported the development of thousands of students’ entrepreneurial potential. Enabled by the University of Auckland Business School’s Centre for Innovation and Entrepreneurship (CIE), an organising committee of up to 30 students’ partner with CIE to lead delivery of the year’s offerings.

Since Velocity’s inception, over 400 students have had the opportunity to develop project management, community building and leadership skills through being part of the Velocity organising committee. Alumni of the programme say that their experience was formative. Will Lockie was a Velocity CEO and became GM of Woop at an early age. He is now an International Director in London. “The value I got out of leading the Velocity team was super powerful. It put me on this path to understanding that I really enjoy working with people. I saw the change that can come when you motivate, inspire, lead, develop, and grow an awesome team and the results that you can get by doing that.”

For many students, being a part of Velocity is their first experience in developing leadership skills. Applicants to the Velocity committee are interviewed and selected based on demonstrated strength of interest and motivation and their perceived potential. The way the committee is organised, students might apply to take a project leadership role in a subcommittee in areas ranging from outreach to marketing to events and challenges (competitions). After a year contributing to project management, they may then apply to lead a subcommittee in the future. Leadership teams change each year, as students graduate.

Velocity CEO Cullen Tran, a current Bachelor of Commerce/Bachelor of Science student designed this year’s professional development programme for Velocity, alongside Programme Advisor Liudmyla Beraud, a certified coach and facilitator. Liudmyla and Cullen developed an interactive and thoughtful professional development programme for the Velocity team. Liudmyla says “Velocity is an intense, outcomes-focused programme that involves a considerable amount of responsibility for its student leaders. I’m incredibly proud of our Velocity committee and the effort they put into delivering this varied year-long programme on top of their other university study and work commitments.”

Professional development days are designed to induct and support its Velocity leadership team through a two-day professional development programme that includes sessions run by the Velocity student CEO and COO Annie Pan, a variety of staff from the Centre for Innovation and Entrepreneurship and Business School Professional Teaching Fellow Peter Rachor. This year’s workshops included an introduction to key concepts around innovation and entrepreneurship, the basics of storytelling for engagement and influence and a guide on branding and positioning of CIE programmes.

In addition, Velocity leads attend a Velocity leadership retreat in the Waitakere Ranges where they get to bond in a camping type experience at a lodge. Velocity CEO Cullen Tran says “The retreat is such a special part of the Velocity journey, and a chance for our team to build genuine connections in a relaxed setting. One of the highlights this year included a spontaneous late-night trip to the beach, which brought so many laughs and great memories.”

Following induction, throughout the year the Velocity team is supported to deliver programmes through consistent hands-on support from CIE as well as regular check-ins, coaching and support for problem-solving. CIE Director Darsel Keane says “Pastoral care and administrative support is an important part of Velocity’s success. Our student leaders benefit from having support, and as students graduate, a consistent staff presence in Velocity for knowledge retention is key to ensure the programme continues to thrive.”

Darsel was a Velocity CEO back when she was a student at the University of Auckland. Following a stint in intellectual property and commercialisation consulting she returned to university to take a leadership role at CIE. She says “Velocity challenges its student leads to push boundaries, build communities and drive results. It can be hard at times, managing multiple responsibilities and learning to navigate team dynamics, however personal and professional growth means being comfortable with the uncomfortable. Our students learn that they are capable of things they had never imagined. It’s all excellent experience for becoming future entrepreneurs or industry leaders. The impact our Velocity students have on New Zealand’s entrepreneurial ecosystem really is remarkable. The programme our CIE team has developed is world-class.”

CIE has won two international awards for student engagement, from the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education (CASE) for best practice in student engagement in Asia-Pacific, and from the Global Consortium of Entrepreneurship Centres for Outstanding Student Engagement.

Meet the 2025 Velocity Leadership team