Image: hyp 2025 board members, with President Skye Harvey centre front.
At a Hunter Young Professionals (hyp) event, the conversations are fresh, and the members are blue sky thinkers who are eager to kick huge goals and are hungry for the progress of wherever life takes them (usually of their own volition).
We’re proud to support the Extraordinary by backing the dreamers, doers and difference makers. This is exactly why we partner with hyp. We got chatting with hyp’s el presidente, Skye Harvey, talking all things hyp and what gets her up and at ’em.
Tell us a little about yourself Skye.
I am the President of at hyp. Away from my volunteer role at hyp, I am the Group Brand Manager at Myrtec, a Newcastle-based Managed IT + Technology Advisory practice.
For those who haven’t crossed paths with hyp yet – how would you describe the vibe in three words?
Well.. what have they been doing? I’d say welcoming, energetic, and fun.
What does being part of hyp give a young professional that they might not get in another networking environment?
A foot in the door!
It’s their chance to connect with others who are at a similar stage in their career.
You’ll feel more seen and heard then at any other event you go to, because the people who attend really seem to just “get it.” hyp events are always after-hours, so it’s not like people are leaving the office to head out to a boozy lunch because that’s a better alternative than working. People who attend hyp are giving up their personal time because they are motivated to learn and grow.
You meet a lot of driven and talented people through hyp – what’s the most surprising thing you’ve learned from members?
Honestly, the change that we are seeing more and more is people who are unafraid of challenging corporate norms (I’m looking at you, Gen Z 👀). They want flexibility -and that doesn’t just mean 1 day per week from home – they want to be paid for their worth, and they want to work for organisations with strong values that align with their own. And when they can’t find that, they aren’t scared to go out on their own and start their own business. We have identified a huge shift, even compared to when I joined hyp as a member 6 years ago.
How does the Most Valued Professional (MYP) award fit into the culture you’re building at hyp?
Like I just mentioned, young people just aren’t scared. They’re courageous, clever, resourceful, and genuinely want to make Newy a better place to live, work, and play! We’re thrilled to partner with OOTS and celebrate a trailblazer each month.
Can you tell us about a recent MVP winner who really inspired you?
Ooohh, that’s a tough one because I love meeting all of our MVPs. One that immediately comes to mind is Claudia Burgess. She was working as a Dental Assistant and self-funding her hyp tickets because she saw our community on socials and wanted to come along to find out more about how to fast-track her career.
She attended one of our events in collaboration with our Major Partner, NGM Group. She learnt about their ‘Day In The Life’ program and other workplace incentives and went home and jumped on Seek and applied for one of their roles. Fast forward, she got the role and is now living to tell the tale of how her hyp membership kick-started her journey up the corporate ladder.
hyp events have a bit of a reputation for being both fun and valuable. What’s your secret sauce?
We question everything. “Why do we have to do it this way?” “Why couldn’t we bring a speaker like that to Newcastle?” “Why would someone pay to attend this?” Why, why, why. You know, continuous improvement and all that…
You’re juggling being President alongside your own career. Any hacks for staying energised and motivated?
Well, it certainly helps when you genuinely love what you do and who you do it with.
Aside from that, we set some serious goals for ourselves this year, and I care so much about our mission that I am driven to see them through.
I don’t really believe in motivation, but I am all for discipline. So, I guess my hack (or lack thereof) would be to find something you care about, set realistic goals, and see them through.
Hustle quotes, yay or nay? (And do you have a favourite / most cringe?)
Is it inappropriate if I say Procrastinate and die ☠️ It probably is, so you can strike that out if you want, ha! Other than that, I would say I live by the “eat the frog” analogy 🐸
At Myrtec, we are trained to complete our most difficult task first thing in the morning. This makes the rest of your day much easier. There’s a whole book about it, but the gist is, your anxiety about the hard task is over, and you’re on a high from completing it for the rest of your day. What could be worse than eating a frog?!
If you could give your “fresh out of uni” self one piece of advice, what would it be?
Well, here comes more preaching from me, but it’s not unsolicited because you asked, so here I go:
“You can let life happen to you, or you can make life happen for you”.
20-year-old Skye, please do not fall into the trap of crossing your fingers and hoping for the best. If you want things to change, start changing them. If you don’t ask (or don’t work really, really hard), then you won’t get.
Finally – describe your perfect day off (ooo turned on!).
Oooh la la my favourite question. I don’t even have to think about this one. I’d spend the whole day with my best friend.
So first we’d walk from our home to the beach for a morning stroll and coffee. We’d probably end up grabbing a sweet treat (likely a pastry!) too.
Next, we’d walk around aimlessly, and dilly dally through every shop that we can find. We’d probably buy something cute for our apartment.
Later on, probably after a little rest, we’d go visit my Grandma. We’d sit in the sun in her backyard and fill her in on our upcoming wedding plans.
Finally, we’d end the day with some kind of fun activity. Maybe we’d head to a Knights game, go for a drink with friends, or even see a movie (is anyone else buzzing for the Tower Cinemas to reopen?!).
That is my perfect day. And my plans for next Saturday sorted!
Thank you OOTS – we think this partnership is pretty Extraordinary.
Find out more about hyp: hyp.org.au
