Darsel Keane has been appointed the new Director of the University of Auckland Business School’s Centre for Innovation
and Entrepreneurship (CIE).
Darsel has previously held roles at the Icehouse and EverEdgeIP and over the last decade has been instrumental in the
evolution of CIE, helping to establish its award-winning presence in the global entrepreneurial ecosystem. Initially
hired to help establish the Centre’s first iteration, the Centre for Entrepreneurial Learning, Darsel later moved into
roles as Manager and then Associate Director.
During her tenure at the University of Auckland, Darsel has established and run extra-curricular and curricular
entrepreneurship programmes for students in all faculties and levels of study. She was foundational in building the
University’s innovation hub and maker space, Unleash Space, from the ground up, launching its programmes and overseeing
its operation.
Darsel is a graduate of the University of Auckland and was one of the first CEOs of its Velocity entrepreneurship
development programme (then called Spark). She is currently researching how to measure an entrepreneurial mindset as the
focus of her PhD studies.
Rod McNaughton, Director of the Graduate School of Management at the University of Auckland, says “Darsel has played a
pivotal role in developing the Centre for Innovation and Entrepreneurship. She is incredibly well respected and has
already impacted the lives of thousands of students, inspiring them to create ventures and pursue innovative careers. I
look forward to working with Darsel in her new role, as she continues to develop the next generation of innovators and
entrepreneurs”.