AUT shines at Research Translation comp
In another strong display of research with impact, three AUT Business School academics have been acknowledged at the 2025 Aotearoa Business and Economics Research Translation Awards.
AUT hosted this year’s awards, a competition that invites academics from New Zealand’s business schools to translate their scholarship into 750-word articles written in plain English.
This year, a panel of esteemed business leaders judged 24 submissions from around Aotearoa, highlighting the commitment of university researchers to sharing their evidence beyond academic journals, and with those who can apply it — policymakers, industry leaders, and the public.
For the third year in a row, Dr Maulupeivao Betty Ofe-Grant (Department of Management, Technology and Organisation) won the Māori and Pacific Researcher category. Her article, “Empowering Pacific Women Leaders: A Strategic Business Imperative”, showed how systemic barriers in employment keep Pacific women from senior management roles – and what organisations can do to combat these barriers.
Dr Rahul Sen (Department of Economics and Finance) took the top prize in the Senior/Established Researcher category. His article, “Kiwi business and global resilience: How NZ’s trade deals shielded us during COVID-19", examined the critical role of NZ’s regional trade agreements in keeping the global supply chain flowing during the pandemic.
Research Fellow James Greenslade-Yeats (Department of Management, Technology and Organisation) was named runner-up in the Early Career Researcher category for his article, “Workplace gossip is too slippery to manage directly. A smarter approach involves indirect management”. The article unpacks the role of gossip and explains why it must be clearly understood to manage it well.
In his keynote speech, Finlay Macdonald, senior editor NZ, The Conversation, said the challenge to cut through the “media noise” for impact and reach is, arguably, greater than ever. But he reminded the audience that the principles for effective storytelling are always the same.
“Good stories are clear, compelling, and concise, with a beginning, middle, and end. They explain, drawing on evidence and analysis; and they are relevant, interesting, accessible, and timely,” said Finlay.
AUT Business School Deputy Dean, Professor Alireza Tourani-Rad, acknowledged the many people who contributed their time and expertise to this year’s awards, particularly the scholars who crafted their creative articles, and the judges who dedicated many hours to carefully reviewing the submissions.
“Ultimately, these awards remind us that the true measure of academic work lies in its impact—how it shapes better business practice, strengthens industries, and benefits society at large. So let us celebrate not just the winners tonight, but the shared purpose that unites us: transforming knowledge into understanding, and research into real-world progress.”
Read the full list of awardees at the 2025 Aotearoa Business and Economics Research Translation Awards.