Glen Sharkey - A Biography

Born and raised in Auckland, Glen went to school in west Auckland and did a year at university before going to Bible school to follow his passion for theology. Once he finished his education, he moved to Hamilton for 10 years, during which he was involved in training unemployed people – this ranged from helping people with their driver's license to sports fitness and everything in between.

After spending a number of years in this rewarding role, Glen decided to complete his business degree majoring in communications from Massey University.

Around this time Glen had the chance to work for a short period as the operations manager for a sailing trust in Mt Maunganui which gave him his first experience with website design. This was in the 90s and Glen recollects how different the Internet landscape was back then. “Back then websites were still a secondary marketing tool. This was pre-Google so people had to hear about your website somewhere before they could find you.”

But over the last 10 years Glen has seen the dramatic change in the way the Internet and websites influence consumer choices and also the way everyone looks for information.

Soon after his role as the operations manager, Glen decided to continue with education and completed a post graduate diploma in teaching, which led him to move back to Auckland in 2001 as a primary school teacher. After two years of teaching, Glen became a pastor and has been doing that ever since.

Glen has always been passionate about helping businesses and as a result, he also contracts for a training organisation called The Learning Wave. In this role, Glen is mainly involved in training front line managers and giving them tips on communication styles, time management, staff capabilities, etc. - basically giving them all the tools required to make them effective managers.

When Glen saw the opportunity to become a Zeald seminar speaker, he didn't give it a second thought because he saw this as an opportunity to help a larger number of businesses within New Zealand.

He was also taken by Zeald's experience in the area. “The guys at Zeald keep abreast of all the trends and information to do with websites, which is reflected in the seminar. It is highly educational and I am really enjoying being a part of it.”

Through his entire career Glen has had a lot of exposure speaking in front of people. He is a dynamic speaker who has presented in front of hundreds of people and has a natural affinity with any group. His engaging presence and keen sense of humour have seen him build rapport with a variety of audience from different backgrounds.

During his spare time, Glen is kept busy with his three lovely children. He adds, “Other than my work and kids, I am occupied with three 'f's – football, fishing and furniture making from recycled rimu.”