Staff profile: Darsel Keane – CIE Director

22 November 2023

Tell us a little about your background and how you ended up at CIE.

Looking back it looks very rationale and obvious but I essentially followed my passion and interest. I joke that my father was an entrepreneur and mother a teacher with a love of technology, experiential learning and being creative and therefore it is not surprising I ended up in the entrepreneurship education space. When I was at school and university the entrepreneurship ecosystem was just kicking off and careers like mine weren’t really a thing. I first got involved in the entrepreneurship education space through Velocity, which at the time was called Spark, as a student in the Business School. I wrote my honours dissertation on the creation of university spinouts at the University of Auckland, interned at the Icehouse working on investment documents, market validation and all types of exciting projects for startups. This included some work on identifying market opportunity for university research. On graduation then went and worked for a company doing some intellectual property and commercialisation consulting work. Some of the work was really interesting, but I missed a lot of the people interaction. At the time the Business School was setting up the Centre for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, I got asked if I wanted to come along as the first employee and so I joined in a special Projects Manager role. Then I became the Centre Manager, and eventually Director. The Centre has always been this wonderful intersect between students, researchers wanting to make an impact, and the entrepreneurship community. The environment is very energising, no day is the same and I am surrounded by people who are wanting to make a difference in the world.

What does being the Director at the Centre for Innovation and Entrepreneurship involve?

It’s a role with lots of variety. That suits me as I am curious and interested in lots of different things. I’m responsible for leadership of the team, strategy, and stakeholder engagement – both internally and externally. My role also includes programme design, some delivery and keeping abreast with what is happening in this space nationally and internationally.

What drew you to this role at CIE?

Being in this role allows me to take part in creating a better Aotearoa with a high-value economy that supports a world class education, health and social system with a thriving, vibrant and healthy environment. And I am so glad to have the opportunity.

What advice would you give people who aren’t sure if innovation and entrepreneurship is for them?

I feel like I have this discussion on a daily basis. The problem is people get really stuck on the term entrepreneurship, and they think it’s all about making money and somehow it’s without ethics. To me, what you really need to do is think about them as a bundle of tools and skill sets that you can apply to different contexts. My PhD explores entrepreneurial mindset and if you look at the mindset of an entrepreneur, it’s a lot about dealing with ambiguity, spotting opportunities, taking risks, and being very action-orientated. Those attributes can apply to lots of different contexts. I do think that innovation and entrepreneurship can really solve some big problems in the world.

If you could have dinner with anyone in the world, who would it be and why?

I most want to have dinner with all of my grandparents who have now passed away. Only one of them met my children and I never met my Dad’s father, Pop. No doubt that would be a loud and chaotic dinner but filled with lots of love and incredibly special.

When you’re not working, what would we find you doing?

I have three young children who are five, seven and eight. So, I spend a lot of time hanging out with them, driving them around, standing on the sidelines of sport fields. We love camping as a family and going to the snow. My husband and I go to our local F45 gym most mornings and we play social tennis. We moved into a new house earlier this year. It’s got a bigger section and we’ve got six chickens, a beehive and have set up new vegetable gardens. I love live music. I have four concerts and festivals lined up this summer which I’m really excited about. We love entertaining and hanging out with friends and going to food markets. I also like eating very good food at restaurants.

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