International alumni spotlight: 10 UTS graduates achieving global success

1.    Aisha Jalil 

Transforming women’s cricket in Pakistan
Degree: Master of Management (2010)
Occupation: Manager – Game Development and Team, Pakistan Cricket Board
Location: Lahore, Pakistan

Pakistan-born Aisha grew up like many of her peers: playing cricket in the neighbourhood with her three brothers. At 16, she was selected for Pakistan’s first International Women’s Cricket Team, representing her country on a tour to New Zealand and Australia. After completing her undergraduate studies in finance and an MBA in Pakistan, in 2009 she secured a DFAT Australia Awards Scholarship to study Sports Management at UTS. 

Today, she’s in charge of game development programs in Pakistan, nurturing young players, managing their operations and designing cricket curriculums. In 2018 she was recognised in the Muslim Women in Sport Powerlist for her significant contribution to developing the profile, resourcing and success of women’s cricket in Pakistan.

2.    Andre Soelistyo

Accelerating the Indonesian gig-economy 
Degree: Bachelor of Science in Information Technology (2005) 
Occupation: Co-CEO, Go-Jek 
Location: Jakarta, Indonesia

Anybody who has spent time in Southeast Asia in the last decade would be familiar with the ubiquitous Go-Jek app. Bachelor of Science in IT graduate Andre joined the company in 2015, and is now at the helm –overseeing the gig-economy phenomenon, which to date has over 170 million users, two million drivers and half a million merchant partners in 215 cities throughout Indonesia, Thailand, Vietnam, Singapore and the Philippines. 

GoJek was recently valued at a staggering $14 billion and contributed around 1% of Indonesia’s GDP in 2019. The impact of the pandemic has only accelerated the use of their services and in March, Andre announced a $9.5 million financial aid fund to support their drivers affected by COVID-19.

3.    Katrina Ho

Designing for the world’s biggest brands
Degree: Bachelor of Design in Fashion and Textiles (Hons), 2004
Occupation: Senior Apparel Designer, Adidas
Location: Shanghai, China

International fashion designer Katrina’s career has taken her from Sydney to London to Shanghai, working for some of the most successful and recognisable commercial brands in the world. 

After her Honours year she spent two years designing for Hanes Brands Australasia – whose brands include Bonds, Berlei and Sheridan – before moving to London in 2006 to work for such high-profile brands as Burberry, Ted Baker and Ben Sherman. In 2014, she was offered the role of a lifetime as Apparel Designer at Adidas in Shanghai and hasn’t looked back since. 

4.    Anubhav Jain

Serial entrepreneur with a passion for tech
Degree: Bachelor of Science in Information Technology (2005)
Occupation: Founder/Director, Natural People, and CoFounder, GoDoctor 
Location: Gurgaon, India

Born in Zambia, raised in India and educated in Australia, serial entrepreneur Anubhav has a lifelong passion for tech and an impressive appetite for start-ups. He founded his first venture at the age of 20, while studying an IT degree at UTS, and built on its success to launch Orange IT then Australian IT Domain, which has since successfully generated key support contracts with partners like Dell, Microsoft and IBM. 

After returning to India in 2010 he dipped his toes into retail with Natural People, followed by mobile tech company Mobilous India in 2011, and GoDoctor in 2015 – a start-up in the MedTech space with a vision to unite the global medical community. Today, he is a Director at Accelerator Ventures, overseeing the development of start-ups and established institutions. 

5.    Christel Cornilsen

Using storytelling as a force for change
Degree: Bachelor of Communications in Writing and Cultural Studies (2009) 
Occupation: Director, Writer, Executive Producer
Location: Los Angeles, United States

LA-based filmmaker Christel has spent the past decade honing her craft in Hollywood, working in an impressive array of roles – everything from camera assistant to cinematographer, producer and director. But it is a passion for positive social change that really defines her work – starting at just 17 when she set off to Zimbabwe, Egypt and Kenya armed with a camera to explore how female genital mutilation impacts the lives of women and girls. 

Recent notable projects include documentary short Mother: Malawi about the life of a woman who overcame all odds to survive HIV; 4000 Haitians in Tijuana exploring the refugee crisis on the US/Mexican border; and An Idiot’s Guide to Climate Change starring none other than Swedish activist Greta Thunberg and actor Rainn Wilson from The Office. 

6.    Robby Tjia

Dressing the world’s most famous women 
Degree: Bachelor of Design in Fashion and Textiles (Hons), 2008 
Occupation: Senior Womenswear Designer, Chloé
Location: Paris, France

Hailing from the Indonesian province of Surabaya, Robby’s career has seen him design for some of the most prestige fashion houses and high-profile women in the world. After moving to Australia aged 18 to pursue his passion for design, he enrolled at UTS and later secured coveted London internships at Gilles Deacon and Alexander McQueen. 

Graduating with First Class Honours, he was accepted into postgraduate study at the prestigious Institut Français de la Mode in Paris. Roles as Shoe Designer at Louis Vuitton, Womenswear Design Assistant at Balenciaga and Senior Womenswear Designer at KENZO followed, before taking up his current position as Senior Womenswear Designer at Chloé. His designs have been worn by some of most recognisable women in the world, including Michelle Obama and Beyonce.

7.    Madhavi Shankar

Indian start-up founder making a difference
Degree: MBA (2015), Master of Engineering Management (2014)
Occupation: Co-founder and CEO, SpaceBasic Inc. 
Location: Bangaluru, India

Madhavi is a successful tech start-up founder passionate about creating equal opportunities and employment prospects for women. In 2017 she co-founded the app SpaceBasic Inc., a platform to manage day-to-day communication and task management within student housing and co-living communities. Since launching, it has grown rapidly – achieving 700% year-on-year growth and on track to reach 1 million users in 2021. 

As CEO, she has pledged 1% of the app’s profits to go towards educating women, and in 2019 she was named by the Indian Government and the United Nations as one of the Top 30 Women Transforming India. She has given several TEDx speeches and in 2020 was named in the Forbes 30 Under 30 Asia list. 

8.    Carlo Velayo

Award-winning Hollywood film producer
Degree: Bachelor of Communications in Media, Arts and Production, and International Studies (2008) 
Occupation: Producer, Stedfast Productions
Location: New York City, United States

Born in the Philippines, raised in Australia and now conquering the American filmmaking scene in NYC via a stint in Los Angeles, Carlo has travelled around the world with his award-winning projects. His slate includes Isabel Sandoval’s feature Lingua Franca, which screened at festivals around the world and made history as the first project by a transwoman of colour to headline at the Venice Film Festival. 

Carlo’s focus is on strengthening co-production opportunities between the US and the Philippines, with his heritage playing a big part in the films he has worked on – several of which have had a Filipino immigrant storyline – as well a desire to tell more LGBTQI+ stories. 

9.    Leonie Valentine

Tech industry leader pursuing social change
Degree: Masters of Communication Management, 1999
Occupation: Managing Director of Sales and Operations – Hong Kong, Google
Location: Hong Kong, China

Leonie ended up at Google by way of a geology degree, which she studied because she wanted to travel. After graduating she was hired by multinational BP, not as a geologist but in marketing, which set her off on an entirely different course. After a decade in various marketing and advertising roles – during which time she undertook an MA in Communication Management at UTS – she moved into the tech world. 

In 2014, Leonie joined Google Hong Kong as APAC Director of Customer Experience, then became Managing Director of Sales and Operations. As well as being passionate about raising the profile of women in the tech and business industries, she is a board member for Save the Children HK and Pro-Pac Packaging, and Governor for the American Chamber of Commerce HK.

10.     James Gulliver Hancock

Capturing the world’s beauty in detail
Degree: Bachelor of Design in Visual Communications, 2000
Occupation: Artist and illustrator 
Location: New York City, United States

James’ illustrations are playful and intensely detailed observations of the world around him. His work has been exhibited internationally and featured on everything from train carriages to books, furniture, clothing, ceramics, boardgames, billboards and animations. 

His portfolio includes a huge array of high-profile clients from Ford Motors to The New York Times, Coca-Cola to Lonely Planet, Target to Woolworths. 

His passion project All The Buildings in New York, a love letter to his adopted home city, saw him create over 500 drawings capturing the city’s diverse architectural styles, and was turned into a wildly successful book.