After months of preparation (and more than a few sleepless nights), I’m thrilled to say: job well done! Our first-ever Go Bear User Connect wrapped up on Tuesday, May 20th, with a full house of over 100 attendees and fantastic support from our partners at AUT, Trade Me, Mission Ready, and Talinger Recruitment.
Standing on that stage, sharing Go Bear’s past, present, and future, I realised I’m not building this “crazy” dream alone. The energy, enthusiasm, and applause from the audience washed away my nerves and reaffirmed that we’re on the right path - creating a practical, effective, and user-centric platform for those struggling in today’s job market. Whether you joined us in person or not, you’re not fighting your job search alone.
A huge thank you to our expert panellists— Liam Lewis-Farrell, Diana Sharma, and Irene Rajalingam — who shared invaluable insights from their unique perspectives, and to our user panel — Andressa Bonecher, Jayashi Silva, and Dariia (Dasha) Kogut — who told their own success stories with Go Bear. I’d also like to thank our incredible MC, Melissa Crawford, and our volunteer event team—Zienat Saleem Mir, Pranay Narotam and Lexie To — led by our amazing Programme Director, Everlee NguyeA big thank you to Nick Larsen & Bella Cocker from GridAKL for the modern venue and friendly support.
Finally, a special shout-out to our talented photographers—Ari Boughen, David Fu from This One Media Company — whose beautiful images perfectly captured the spirit of the evening.
This is just the beginning. Thank you all for being part of the Go Bear story!