Exploring the zigzag career path at DC Talks: Alumni Series
Exploring the zigzag career path at DC Talks: Alumni Series
No career path is the same and the path to success is not always a straightforward one.
To demonstrate this, four Durham College (DC) alumni from varying industries recently returned for a DC Talks: Alumni Series titled, The Zigzag Career Path. They shared with students, employees and fellow alumni how they leveraged the skills and connections they made during their time at DC to help propel them into the next, sometimes unexpected, chapters of their careers.
Karey Anne Large, CEO, Whitby Chamber of Commerce, and 1997 graduate of Legal Administration (now named Law Clerk), shared that when she didn’t make the move to work full-time in a law firm, she thought she would never use what she learned in college. “But my office role evolved,” she said, “And I ended up being the point person for executing contracts – and I still use those skills today! I wouldn’t change what I studied because it puts a different lens on the things I do now.”
The conversation covered the importance of building resiliency and adaptability, as well as embracing the opportunities in front of you.
“Younger me didn’t know it was okay to change the dream,” said Adam Hare, President of Petley-Hare Insurance Brokers, Co-founder of Bread & Butter Creative Agency and 2006 graduate of Multimedia Design (now named Interactive Media Design). “You all have a dream right now, but things are constantly evolving. Be okay with that.”
The DC Talks: Alumni Series is hosted by the Durham College Alumni Association and aims to inspire current students, facilitate networking among alumni, and highlight success stories. Hosted twice a year, this event welcomes panellists and guests to join online or in person in the Rotary Global Classroom.
Adam’s career journey began as a young entrepreneur, launching his own clothing line, and later evolved into managing a creative team at Universal Music Canada, one of the world’s top entertainment companies. More recently, Adam has made a significant impact in the insurance industry, modernizing a century-old business model into a cutting-edge, culture first, technology-driven operation. In addition, he co-founded a full-service digital marketing and consulting agency, Bread & Butter Creative Agency, helping large brands and small businesses across Canada elevate their presence and achieve success.
Karey Anne Large
Legal Administration, Class of 1997
While working in the corporate world in 2005, Karey Anne started making cakes out of her home kitchen. After discovering her passion for cake decorating, she dove in headfirst, leaving her corporate career behind and opening her first retail location in 2011. She saw many sweet successes during her cake decorating journey, claiming a number of awards, including first runner up on Food Network’s Cake Wars. In 2017, she became the Executive Director of the Downtown Whitby Business Improvement Area, combining her experience as a small business owner with her love for the Town of Whitby. In recent years, Karey Anne has continued to serve the business community as the Executive Director of the Scugog Chamber of Commerce, and has now returned to Whitby as the CEO of the Whitby Chamber of Commerce.
Leslie’s extensive career with General Motors of Canada spanned multiple roles, including Senior Community Leader and Business Manager. With over 30 years of experience in operations, project management, and safety oversight, Leslie retired from GM and opened Pure + Simple Oshawa, a premium wellness spa franchise. In addition to her role as manager and owner of Pure + Simple, she is also a part-time professor at DC, where she continues to focus on driving results, fostering innovation, and supporting others in achieving their potential.
In 2011, Kirsten moved to the UK to play professional football but stayed to pursue a Master’s degree in Business Psychology and now calls London home. Kirsten has over 10 years’ experience of leading, supporting and embedding large-scale transformation initiatives. A strong relationship manager, this has taken her cross-industry in the transport, pharmaceutical, energy, financial services and public sectors and has worked with various levels of executives to embed change. In her role as Business Manager at Newton Europe, she is currently leading a team of Operations and Digital consultants to improve people’s health and social care outcomes in Dorset by transforming their Urgent and Emergency Care pathways.
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