When Hannah Ta first joined OCS in 2019, her current role didn’t exist.
Starting as an administrator in OCS’s Auckland branch, Hannah’s now a reporting architect in the National Support team, working with our business analytics platform – Power BI.
Generating reports for customers and colleagues, Hannah’s job is to ensure that data is securely transformed into clear, reliable insights that support confident decision-making.
It wasn’t a role that existed seven years ago. And it wasn’t a career direction Hannah expected to take with her economics degree.
“During my time in administration, I discovered a strong love for problem-solving,” says Hannah. “I like to think critically to get to the root cause of any issue.”
“This made me want to learn more about data analytics, but I was afraid I didn’t have the technical knowledge to handle the studies.”
People helping people
Hannah started voicing her ideas for further education with her manager, Nely Deluman and Auckland Area Manager, Mo Yang, and was met with the support she needed to enrol into a Master of Analytics at Auckland University of Technology.
She originally assumed she would need to change organisations after her studies to fulfil her new career aspirations, but her role evolved alongside her.
“As soon as Mo heard I was interested in analytics, he jumped at the opportunity, giving me access to data so I could help solve some problems that his department was experiencing.
“Our Australia and New Zealand reporting manager, Beckett Yang, also heard about my studies and asked if I wanted to intern with the Power BI reporting team. My role at OCS kept evolving the more I got into my studies, thanks to the opportunities people kept giving me.”
Throughout her master’s programme, Hannah used real examples from her work, while her thesis explored the profitability of different business models.
“By using real-world problems and data, I had a much more grounded approach and could understand concepts at a deeper level, which helped me excel in both my studies and my job.
She won the award for the best capstone project of the semester, as well as the Harmoney Excellence Award, awarded to the top graduate in Master of Analytics.
“Both my managers, Nely and Mo, attended my graduation ceremony; it was a proud moment for us all. It also proved that I should never doubt myself. I can do anything I want if I put my heart and mind to it.”
Scope to grow
As a global facilities management provider, the scale and complexity of our operations keep Hannah stimulated in her role.
“We’re not just in the business of cleaning and facilities services; we’re using technology to make our work better for customers,” she says.
Hannah is most excited by the transparency that Power BI reporting provides. Customers have access to real-time information with no human manipulation. The raw data is pulled from all areas of the business and distilled into meaningful metrics for a range of departments.
She says she would like to become a data scientist in the future, but it’s a role that doesn’t yet exist at OCS.
“At the moment, there’s no need to have a data scientist at OCS. But a few years ago, we didn’t have the Power BI team either. With the pace of change in technology and the facilities management industry, you never know.”
In the meantime, Hannah is levelling up her technical back-end capabilities and communication skills. She’s helping to make the technical aspects of her role more easily understood by operational colleagues, so they remain engaged and involved in her work.
Never stop learning
Hannah now encourages others to be open about their career aspirations, having experienced first-hand the support available once her work goals were known across the business.
She believes these conversations unlock development opportunities. Her advice:
“You are responsible for creating your own opportunities in life – they won’t always be given to you. But if you believe in yourself and share your dreams with the people around you, the support will come,” she says.
“Never stop learning and chasing your dreams.”
A fulfilling career
Hannah joined OCS in 2019 thinking it would be “just a job” – her first in the New Zealand workforce after arriving from Vietnam. It became much more.
OCS has also become part of Hannah’s personal story. She met her fiancé while they were both working for the business.
“I couldn’t have got this far without the opportunities, support and trust I receive every day. Colleagues continue to open doors for me to progress,” she says.
Seven years after joining the Auckland branch, Hannah has built a career in a field she hadn’t expected to enter. Now, she’s working towards the next opportunity – even if that role doesn’t exist yet.
