As she settles into her new job as head of EIT’s School of Business, Rebekah Dinwoodie feels like she is returning to her roots.

Rebekah worked in various roles at EIT over a period of ten years. Originally employed in 2002 as a programme coordinator for equine studies, she was seconded to the academic quality team and then later appointed as programme leader in the School of Applied Science.

Seeking more external experience, Rebekah left in 2012 to take up the position of Hawke’s Bay manager for an agricultural training centre. She was soon made responsible for all the educator’s regional sites, managing campuses in Northland, the Waikato, the Manawatu, Taranaki, Auckland and Invercargill as well as Hawke’s Bay.

Throughout that time, she maintained links with EIT – not only was she based on EIT’s Hawke’s Bay campus, she also continued to chair EIT’s animal ethics committee.

At 36, she agrees she is young to be heading the business school but says she has always had bold aspirations – “I’m just very motivated I think.”

When she was in her 20s, Rebekah successfully battled Hodgkin’s lymphoma and says having cancer heightened her awareness of life’s fragility and made her more determined about attaining her goals.

“The support of the New Zealand health system was amazing. I am also grateful for the support I had from EIT, particularly as my own family are back in England.”

Growing up in Surrey, Rebekah trained as a secondary school teacher and met her kiwi partner Tim Forster when he was on OE in the UK. The couple returned to Hawke’s Bay and have two children, Zoe (2) and Kate (5).

“I think New Zealand and particularly Hawke’s Bay is a great place to raise children,” she says. “I am an outdoors person and enjoy running, walking and horses.”

The family live on a 4ha block at Bridge Pa, where they provide grazing for horses.

“I probably want to see how the job pans out but I think it’s likely the next purchase will be ponies for the girls,” she laughs.

Rebekah is working on a self-reflective business project as her final paper for a Master in Management degree, which she will complete this year.

She considers it an interesting time to be heading a school of business.

“EIT’s business programmes will be very much affected by the NZQA review of qualifications which will likely result in a new suite of business qualifications in the school. My responsibilities also include overseeing the business qualifications offered at EIT’s Tairawhiti campus in Gisborne and EIT’s Auckland campus, where all our students are internationals.”

While she doesn’t believe in a pre-ordained destiny, Rebekah believes that working towards her goals has taken her to where she wanted to be.

“When I left EIT all those years ago, I told staff I would be back,” she says with a smile. “I was always hopeful that would be the case.”