Senior Communications and Engagement Advisor Natali Nagy has returned to Flinders after a decade, and she divulges some interesting facts about herself – including that she accidentally set her toilet on fire.

What is your role at Flinders?

I’m the Senior Communications and Engagement Advisor and one third of the team that connects stakeholders and communicates about what’s going on in Property, Facilities and Development (PFD). If you’ve seen information about construction of the new city campus, HMRB and the Factory of the Future at Tonsley, or updated campus signage, campus buses, car parking, grounds work and renovations to buildings, equipment and paths – then that’s our work!

Tell us about your journey to Flinders.

As a self-proclaimed extrovert communicator, I’ve spent 25 years working my way around the communications/marketing mix – from wrangling media and generating international publicity for the Tour Down Under, Christmas Pageant and Adelaide Festival, to engaging staff to develop a new intranet at Renewal SA. I’ve also worked with operational teams to lead marketing and events at the City of Onkaparinga and raised six times my salary in sponsorship revenue at The Repat Foundation.

This is my second stint at Flinders. Ten years ago, I boosted partnerships and communicated about the fledgling Optometry undergraduate and postgraduate programs and Flinders Vision (now Health2Go) at Sturt. It’s been great to reconnect with my former colleagues who are still here. Flinders has a great vibe. I love being around passionate people and hearing about the fascinating research bering done by our academics and students.

What’s your favourite part about working in PFD?

PFD makes the University tick – behind the scenes. While our team may not be directly involved in teaching or learning, our development and maintenance of functional spaces and facilities, beautiful surroundings and a safe environment are vital for a positive campus experience for students, staff and visitors. We work in such lovely surroundings – and I love being located closer to my home and out of the rat race commuting to and from the city.

What does a typical day look like for you?

Our matrix structure sees us dual-reporting to the Office of the Vice Chancellor, so I could be writing and implementing communication plans in the morning, then working with project managers around the campus to communicate about renovations and building works, or meeting with colleagues in marketing, colleges and portfolios in the afternoon. Throw in a lunchtime workout and that’s a very full day.

How do you spend your spare time?

I recharge in my garden and love picking produce that I’ve nurtured, taking it straight to my kitchen to magic-up some delicacies for my voracious teenage boys. I’ve recently been on a self-improvement journey, getting into yoga and fitness – thanks to our on-campus gym, travelling with my boys, playing basketball, being at the beach, eating great food and having Smudge the cat purring beside me.

What’s a fun fact about you?

Here’s three: I set my toilet on fire (by accident), I have travelled to 30 countries and have a surname most people mispronounce. (Hint: it’s not Naggy, Narge, Ngee or anything else it actually looks like.) Trust me, I’m Hungarian… it’s pronounced ‘Nodge’.