We spoke to the Chair of the UTS North America Advisory Board, Chris McLaren about opportunities for graduates in North America and building connections.
The importance of international networks
The North American Advisory Board are a group of exceptional UTS alumni who encourage alumni engagement, support professional networks and advocate for UTS in North America. We spoke to the Chair, Chris McLaren (BE Electrical Engineering, 1996) about opportunities for graduates in North America and building connections.
Could you tell me about your career move to North America?
About 18 months after I graduated from UTS, I was working as a junior consultant with KPMG and was asked if I was interested in joining a very large program in the United States, so I jumped in and came over. When the program ended they found a way for me to stay in North America, and about a year later I met my wife. We’ve since lived in London, Dallas, San Francisco, Washington DC, Sydney, Seattle, and we’re now back in Dallas.
Do you have any advice for Alumni who are thinking about living and working in North America in the future?
If you get the opportunity, go for it! Jump in. North America is a great place to build your career. To have worked at some of the biggest companies in North America looks really good on your resume. Don’t just think of the typical cities you associate with North America — something like 99% of Australians who make the move go to Los Angeles or New York — there are lots of really big cities that are doing some incredible things in terms of innovation, so be open minded about where you would like to live and work.
What would you like UTS Alumni and friends in North America to know about the benefits of connecting with fellow alumni?
Alumni connections are something that North American Universities do really, really well. Their alumni networks are incredibly strong and well connected. Being part of an alumni network is an instant bond. We don’t tend to do that in Australia, and I think there is a real opportunity for UTS alumni to establish connections through communities like the North American Advisory Board (NAAB). The NAAB provides an opportunity for UTS to lead a global community through our common core connection to UTS. I think there is a lot of value in being connected to UTS Alumni. The NAAB is a mechanism to facilitate connections between alumni, but also to facilitate a stronger connection back to UTS and what is happening there. In my experience, people who went to UTS are pretty damn proud of the fact that they went to UTS.
Can you tell me about some of the things Advisory Board leaders have been working on?
There are a few things that we’ve got going on. One is community engagement — finding out where UTS alumni in North America are and bringing them back into the fold to engage with UTS. The Board is a vessel to help facilitate these reconnections while we work out how to energize our North American Alumni going forward.
The other thing we are working on is establishing stronger connections between UTS and North America—connections between UTS and industry and other educational institutions. One of the big things we are starting to think about is how to help Australian startups to connect with North America. UTS has a very rich startup environment and North America is the world leader in investing in, nurturing, and incubating startups.
What does the Board have planned for 2022 and beyond?
We will continue to focus on alumni engagement and philanthropy, and we will also be starting to work on industry engagement to help facilitate connections between UTS and North American Industry. This could be connecting with startups or educational institutions or connecting with ambassadors. And hopefully we’ll be able to do some real world engagement events because up to now our engagement events have been digital.
What would you like to say to UTS Alumni who would like to get in touch with the Board?
We want people to get involved. We really want a strong alumni network the world over. If you’re reading this and you’re not in North America, but you want to get involved, please reach out, get connected. I think there’s a huge opportunity for alumni to help each other. I think we can become a strong, supportive network.
UTS North America Advisory Board Members
Chris McLaren (Chair)BE Electrical Engineering (1996)
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Vivian Wong (Deputy Chair)BAppSc Computing Science (1993) |
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Nina BlackwellLLB (2003) |
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Rob CastanedaBSc Computing Science (2001) |
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Sabrina (Xihua) ChenBBus Management (2006) |
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Cheryl Duffy-GeigerBBus Accounting (1986) |
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BBus Marketing & Management (1998) |
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Raymond NazloomianBAcc (2007) |
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James PinkertonBBus (2004) |
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Jim WhiteME Adult Education (1996) |
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For further information on how you can get involved with the North America Advisory Board contact Angela Abbott, Manager of International Alumni Relations and Executive Director of the North American Advisory Board.
Visit the NAAB website or join our North America Alumni LinkedIn group to find out the latest news and events.
