Jan Bailey

Jan was destined to have an interesting and exciting career.  She came to Matamata College in Form 5 and was a top student for all three years.  Jan gained six School Certificate subject, had UE accredited and achieved an A Bursary.  In her final year Jan was Proxime Accessit jointly with Gabi Wehrle.

Post school Jan attended Waikato University and graduated with a Bachelor of Management Studies (Hons).  She has had an amazing work history, much of it with high profile companies on overseas appointments.

Her first position from 1991-1997 was with Telecom NZ, in the product marketing and communications area.  She then spent two years travelling to the UK on a working holiday.  Her employment included account management in various UK advertising agencies.   Jan returned to Telecom NZ, again working in marketing and communications.  She was then appointed to a business development and commercial project management job at Te Papa in Wellington.

Jan is currently employed by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade and has spent 18 months in North Asia Division, three years in Switzerland as New Zealand delegate to World Trade Organisation in Geneva, and the last two years as trade agreement negotiator, based in Wellington.   She is about to head off to Germany next year for four years and will be based in the New Zealand Mission in Berlin.

Of course all this has meant that Jan has done heaps of travel including much of Europe as part of 1997-99 OE, and more of the same during two years living in UK and three years in Switzerland, with the addition of Russia and parts of North Africa.  In her role with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade she has travelled to much of North and South East Asia, and parts of North and South America.

Jan has a chef/restaurateur husband (sounds like a very good arrangement for an extremely busy and competent entrepreneur!) and is step-mother to three mostly grown up children.