Taylor Chorazyczewski (MBA ‘25) began her career in PwC’s Advisory practice supporting retailers and consumer packed goods (CPG) clients through large operations projects. Most recently, she spent nearly five years at Uber focused on the operational excellence, optimization and continuous improvement of the company’s global Talent Acquisition and HR processes, projects and programs. Post-graduation, Taylor and her husband look forward to remaining in Charlottesville.
1) Taylor, tell us about yourself and why you chose to participate in DWC Australia!
Visiting Australia has always been a “bucket list” item for me, so when I saw it was offered as a spring DWC, I jumped at the opportunity. I’d heard such positive things about the experience from Darden alumni and after participating in fall’s Finland/Estonia DWC, I knew Australia would be memorable. I was right! Traveling with and learning from my classmates and our faculty lead, Shane Dikolli, was so special – it’s something that I won’t soon forget!
2) What was it like exploring Shane Dikolli’s hometown of Perth with him as your faculty lead? Did that personal connection change how you experienced the city?
Shane was instrumental in making our entire course so wonderful. First, he organized a great day trip to Rottnest Island for those of us who arrived early. He also reached out to his network and his mates responded in a big way. Shane had personal connections with nearly everyone we met on our company visits, especially in Perth.
As if that wasn’t enough, Shane and his wife were kind enough to open their home to us. While there, we enjoyed meeting more of his family and friends and learning about life in Perth. On behalf of all of us who participated in the Australia DWC, I want to extend our heartfelt thanks and appreciation to Shane and his family.
3) Was there a company visit or speaker that really resonated with you? What made it stand out?
Early in the week, we had the opportunity to visit the Clontarf Foundation where we heard from CEO Gerard Neesham and General Manager Marcus Harrold. Later that afternoon, we traveled to Kent Street Senior High School where we met with the young men participating in Clontarf’s program.
Beginning in 2000, the Clontarf Foundation improves the education, discipline, life skills, self-esteem and employment prospects of young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander men. Since inception, Clontarf has helped 7,800+ Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander men complete Year 12 and find employment.
Our group was so grateful for our time spent with the young men and staff of the Clontarf Foundation that we raised and donated $1500 AUD, which went directly to the Kent Street program that we visited.
4) How would you describe the typical Australian workplace culture, and how did it inform your learning experience?
Throughout our week in Perth and Sydney, we were able to get a flavor for this thanks to our many company visits, but our time with Simon Moore-Crouch, Senior Director of Strategy and Operations at Teamworks, was especially enlightening. In particular, he shared more about how Australians’ “work to live” mentality differs from Americans’ “live to work” hustle culture. Similarly, Australians prefer to keep it simple – Simon used the phrase “meat and two veg” vs. Americans’ “six-course meal.” Especially when doing business, Australians have an affinity for a more direct approach, encouraging people to avoid wasting time by saying exactly what they mean. Lastly, Simon, as well as others, touched on how adopting a U.S.-centric approach isn’t always best given how unique Australia is with its geographic location, culture and values.
5) What experience best captured the spirit of the course for you?
This is a tough question since there were so many fantastic experiences from which I gained so much! In addition to those already highlighted, I enjoyed visiting Sandalford Wines; petting kangaroos, koalas and wombats at Caversham Wildlife Park; and touring Perth’s Optus Stadium and the Sydney Opera House. But I’d also call-out our discussion with Telstra’s CEO Vicki Brady and Chair Craig Dunn. Understanding roles and responsibilities and interactions between a CEO and a company’s Board of Directors is something that’s discussed in many Darden classes but hearing more about this first-hand was really impactful.
This Australia DWC was the perfect way to cap off my two years. The applicability of core concepts learned at Darden, the relationships I built with my fellow students and with Shane, and a deeper understanding of and appreciation for doing business globally are things that I’ll carry with me forever.
6) What would you tell your first-year self about the value of a Darden Worldwide Course?
Learning about and experiencing other countries, cultures, companies and people is so valuable! And we’re lucky that Darden thinks so, too. I’d encourage my first-year self and anyone else considering a DWC or other global learning opportunity to take full advantage of Darden’s offerings. I guarantee you’re going to learn something new and in doing so, you’ll develop a broader, more robust perspective that will benefit you both personally and professionally.
