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| College farewells Des Hammond |
Des Hammond | Des Hammond joined King's as Finance and Development Director in 1993, having just completed some major assignments in the Australasian banking industry.
His initial motivation for making such a major change in career direction was influenced by his desire to be closely involved in the secondary education of his and Lesley's twins, Andrew and Victoria, as well as to have a well-earned break from the 24-hour day world of macro banking and finance.
During his eight years at King's, Des immersed himself in all aspects of the College's financial and development operations, especially strategic financial planning and the coalescing of the College's various support groups, especially the Foundation, the Old Collegians and the Friends, into a well co-ordinated unit, working out of the Development Office.
His previous experience and interest in IT were an excellent platform for his support for the use of IT in education, which fitted very well with the College's educational advances through the Laptop Programme and the introduction of MathsOnline and the King's Institute, and the BlackBoard programme at Years 12 and 13. Much has to be done behind the scenes in terms of the effective provision of hardware, software and training, in a field where costs can so easily run away. He has kept a close eye on those, and managed the process very well.
He also had a keen eye for sponsorship arrangements, not only in IT but also in helping towards the considerable building programme undertaken by the school over the past decade.
Despite being very busy with many tasks here, Des also found time to enjoy the College's and his children's performances in their various sports. This included coaching the 5A Rugby team, which included his son Andrew, into a championship-winning result in 1999. A former sprinter himself, he also gave every encouragement to the King's Athletics Club and, in particular, the training of the 4x100m and 4x400m athletes.
As comptroller of the Annual Budget, Des naturally encountered the odd contentious issue within the Common Room regarding spending priorities from time to time. He invariably managed a successful outcome, with a good sense of humour throughout, which included an occasional discussion in the Staff Common Room Bar, where Bursars and Finance Directors often fear to tread!
The College owes Des Hammond a great debt of gratitude for bringing the world of business into King's College's financial and strategic planning processes, especially given his considerable knowledge of New Zealand and international financial markets.
We thank him for a wide-ranging job very well done, and wish him all the best for the future. He will be succeeded by Mr Michael White, currently Bursar at St Cuthberts College and a former parent at Kings. |
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