December 2024 marks the end of a chapter for me with my time in Formula SAE coming to an end and a second degree completed. After 2 years and a couple of months, my time with the University of Auckland Formula SAE Team (FSAE47) team has come to an end. Macgregor Jones is taking over as CEO and I am excited to see the team grow further under his leadership. This 2 year journey with the team has been incredible and has been a demonstration of the saying ‘you get out what you put in.’ I have been fortunate enough to meet incredible people that led to unique experience. From driving some of our FSAE47 cars to connecting to alumni in industry but also outside of the FSAE context; from being an extra on a movie set to sitting in the cockpit of a RNZAF Seasprite. Finishing my third campaign with the team with a podium finish, including a podium in business presentation, was the best way to say goodbye. In parallel, I finished my Masters degree at The University of Auckland with a thesis focused on three areas of interest: Automotive, Branding, and Human Behaviour. Under the supervision of Dr Drew Franklin, and 20,000 words later, my thesis “The Ferrari Game” was submitted. The paper focuses on how luxury automotive brands can build a brand loyalty model to foster long-term loyalty with a case study on Ferrari. Thank you to everyone that made my time down under unexpected but wonderful. After leaving France 6 years ago, I am now back in Europe for the next chapter 🏎
Congratulations, good luck and hope to see you this side of the world.
Congratulations, Thaïs (T) Wright; it was a real pleasure working with you on your thesis on luxury automotive branding (and talking #F1!); it is a fantastic piece of work that you can be very proud of!
All the best for the future.
Well Done T! You have grown significantly since joining the team l, and I look forward to continue following your growth into your next chapter!
Congrats Thaïs (T) Wright - been a pleasure working with you and UoA F:SAE team. All the very best for whatever lies ahead T - do stay in touch.
Consultant & Mediator, Non-Exec Director and Graduate AICD, Co-Founder The Bhutan Collective
1wWell done Thais. It wasn’t all easy going navigating moves between Europe, Australia and NZ during Covid lockdowns in the early years but I am not surprised at all how much you have achieved.