Getting involved with the North Harbour Club has given Georgia Frankham a new lease of life in local business networking.

Deciding to join after attending a club event with a business colleague has meant the business advisor has expanded her contacts as well as finding a way to give back to the community. Then, there is the bonus of all the enjoyable social experiences along the way…

Albany-based Georgia has spent the past five years working with Nexia, offering a full range of business services ranging from advisory and accounting to restructuring and insolvency. She says, “I support the North Harbour Club as a way to give back and support the upcoming youth, to try help them reach their potential.”

Mixing with people face-to-face again after the pandemic hiatus is a welcome return to professional life. Georgia continued to work remotely full-time throughout lockdowns, providing support to struggling businesses.

“The hardest part about the pandemic and the past few years was seeing the financial impacts on various clients and trying to help the companies that have struggled to continue operating.”

With many businesses now bouncing back after a challenging period, Georgia is happy to see the impact that is having on the people she works with.  “I’m excited to see clients starting to get back on their feet after a hard few years. It has been nice to see that the hard work undergone during the pandemic has enabled them to continue operating rather than shutting their doors.”

Connecting with people and growing her knowledge of the various industries here in the North Harbour region is one of the unexpected benefits of club membership Georgia says she has experienced. “I have enjoyed meeting new people, learning about different industries, and creating a good network.”

Unable to attend the most recent AIMES awards gala night, Georgia is looking forward to soaking up the opportunity next time around and recognises this as a major highlight on the North Harbour event calendar.

If she were to have won an AIMES Award herself, which category would it most likely to have been in? “I would say sport," says Georgia. "I was a keen sportsperson when I was in high school. I tried to participate in as many sports teams as possible.”  

And what would her advice be to other local businesspeople contemplating membership? “I would simply say go for it! Attending events and being around like-minded people has helped me build good business relationships and get insight into different industries. It has also helped me step outside my comfort zone and build confidence in interacting with different people.”