2013

Andrew Penfold
Bachelor of Laws (1995)

Becoming a full-time volunteer may not seem like the most natural progression for a former lawyer and investment banker. However, the business experience was crucial for Andrew Penfold in helping to make a profound social impact through his subsequent charitable work.

After graduating from UTS with a Bachelor of Laws in 1995, Penfold practiced in London, before transitioning to investment banking in Hong Kong. In 2002, Penfold tragically lost 12 of his friends in the Bali bombings. Along with two friends, he set up the charitable Hong Kong Rugby Bali Fund and raised over $2 million in a few months.

A year later he heard about a handful of Indigenous students enrolled at his former high school, St Joseph's College in Hunters Hill. "One thing led to another and within a year I had quit my investment banking job in Hong Kong, moved back to Sydney with my wife and three kids, and spent the next five years working full-time but voluntarily from my dining room setting up and running a fund that has now raised $7 million to support up to 40 Indigenous boys boarding at St Joseph's College on a permanent basis."

Its success lead to the establishment of the Australian Indigenous Education Foundation (AIEF), of which Penfold is the CEO and Director. The Foundation has raised nearly $80 million to help educate 7000 marginalised Indigenous children at some of Australia's leading schools.
Penfold's efforts have not gone unrecognised: he was a finalist for Australian of the Year in 2010 and a nominee for The Australian's Australian of the Year Award in 2012.

Dr Katherine Carroll
Doctor of Philosophy (2009)

A qualified physiotherapist, Carroll was completing her Honours research year in 2000, when she realised she wanted to become a researcher as a career, so applied for a PhD.

“I was lucky enough to be granted a PhD scholarship by Professor Rick Iedema (UTS) on one of his Australian Research Council (ARC) Discovery grants (2005). I believe in being happy and fulfilled in what you do for the best hours of your day, and during the best years of your life. That is why I followed my heart into the unknowns of a career in medical sociology."

After graduating in 2009, and commencing a postdoctoral position as a research fellow at the University of Sydney, Carroll was awarded her first competitive external grant as Chief Investigator from ARC.

The research fellowship saw her return to UTS in the Centre for Health Communication to explore breast milk donation in the highly emotional and ethically charged environment of neonatal intensive care.

The project’s significance is that it accommodates both clinical and socio­ economic interest as well as cultural interest in breast milk donation. The most rewarding aspect of the fellowship for Carroll is being able to follow her research passion in an area that is important to many women and also important for the most vulnerable and tiny people in our society: very preterm infants.

In a nod to Carroll’s work, she recently accepted a position as the Assistant Professor in Qualitative Research in the Centre for the Science of Health Care Delivery, Faculty of Health Sciences, at the Mayo Clinic in the US. This is the first position of its kind at the Mayo Clinic and Carroll hopes to build upon the Clinic’s already stellar record in doing meaningful research to improve patients· experience of healthcare delivery.

Casey Gee Hoon Hyun
Bachelor of Design in Industrial Design (1997)

Casey Gee Hoon Hyun joined the Hyundai Motor Group in 2005, at a time when the world was starting to take serious notice of the company. “There was such a great positive energy," recalls Hyun, who is Creative Design Manager at the Seoul­based Hyundai Design Centre. "I was working 10 or 12 hours a day and I wouldn't go home for weeks at a time. However, it wasn't tough because I wanted to see the success, and to say I was part of that success.”

Hyundai-Kia is now the world's fifth-largest car manufacturer, with international sales of almost seven million cars annually.

In addition to being a designer, Hyun is in charge of building the brand's design strategy and vision. “We go through a design process to ensure our cars are competitive now, but will be even more competitive in five or 10 years' time," he says. 

For Hyun, design is much more than giving form to a beautiful aesthetic. "Design is about satisfying people's needs. It's fantastic to hear people comment about a car’s design. However when cars become part of their lifestyle, remarks such as, our family grew up with that car, I have such great memories, give you additional satisfaction and help maintain your passion."

Hyun graduated from UTS in 1996 with a Bachelor of Industrial Design and has fond memories of his time studying. “There's a certain feel about UTS, and I have a great appreciation and a great satisfaction of belonging."

A story in a US university publication about a couple who donated a small amount of money to a university to establish a scholarship inspired Hyun to set up the Casey Hyun Industrial Design Award at UTS. He hopes this award will inspire others to express appreciation towards the university in a similar way. “We see philanthropy as the province of the very rich, but that's not really the case."

Professor Lesley Page
Doctor of Philosophy (2005)

In the field of midwifery, you'd be hard pressed to find someone with more experience and academic recognition to their name than Professor Lesley Page. She has managed to integrate policy leadership, research and development and being a practising midwife into her widely lauded career.

Among her many achievements, Page helped establish the first legally recognised midwifery service in British Columbia's health service in the 1980s. She has served on three national committees in the UK, worked and lectured in 13 countries, penned the influential book The New Midwifery: Science and Sensitivity in Practice, and, in 2007, was made Honorary Fellow of the Royal College of Midwives (UK).

In 2012, Page was elected to her current role as President of the Royal College of Midwives in the UK, alongside a position as Deputy Editor of Women and Birth (Journal of the Australian College of Midwives). 

Page completed a PhD by Publication in the Faculty of Health at UTS in 2003. "When I applied, I had been the first professor of midwifery in the UK. I had undertaken research and published a lot, so doing a conventional PhD was not appropriate. UTS gave me the opportunity for a PhD by publication. It was a fantastic experience because I wrote a bridging ‘essay' bringing out the central and coordinating ideas behind my work. It really refreshed my thinking."

Page wears her role model badge with pride, and hopes to create awareness of the powerful impact midwives can have in maternity services. "This impact is not only on physical health but also on the quality of family life. Midwives, particularly when they are in a position to practice fully, can help support strong bonds of love between mother, baby and father, and greater confidence as parents. This sets a more secure foundation to family life and will in turn contribute to a better world."

Fiona Rankin
Master of Business in Information Technology (2000)

For a high level management executive, it may come as a surprise that Fiona Rankin's early beginnings started on a sheep station in outback New South Wales near a town called Goodooga. Since then, Rankin has gone on to build an exciting and diverse career, boosting her academic credentials along the way.

Rankin completed a Masters in Business & IT Management at UTS in 2000 and has 20 years of technology and executive management in the financial services under her belt. Her resume includes Chief Information Officer at RESIMAC Limited, Principal Consultant at Curious Developments, and her current position as Chief Information Officer at New South Wales Treasury Corporation - the central borrowing authority for the State of New South Wales, known as TCorp - which she has held since July 2010. Her role at TCorp puts her at the crossroads of technology, business, and people.

"My role, as the CIO, is to harness technology to deliver business outcomes. Essentially, I manage, optimise and drive technology strategy to administer and provide information on a balance sheet of more than $73bn, a $45bn debt management portfolio, and $8bn in funds management operations."

Rankin is passionate about outcomes resulting from the strategic alignment between business and technology. '"The financial services industry is heavily dependent on technology and this is what attracted me to this industry."'

Rankin remains connected to UTS through her role as a member of the Faculty of Engineering and IT's Industry Advisory Network (IAN). As in business, Rankin's contributions to UTS and IAN are in the area of innovation, enabling research and development, and mentoring students.

"I always feel humbled when I meet the UTS students. Seeing the intellectual capital, energy and innovation they invest in their projects and work (which is so important to society and business) is inspiring and rewarding."

Robert Spurrs
Bachelor of Arts in Human Movement (2000)

Robert Spurrs plays a lead role in ensuring the players of the Sydney Swans - one of the premier teams in the Australian Football League - are kicking goals, both on and off the field. As Head of Conditioning, he is responsible for managing the physical preparation of the entire player list, including training, recovery, monitoring, and research programs.

Spurrs joined the Swans on a part-time basis leading into the 2001 season while undertaking a postgraduate course at UTS in Human Movement Studies, having originally completed undergraduate studies in Accounting.

"My degree provided me with a fantastic theoretical background and scientific principles, as well as an understanding as to how to utilise these in an applied setting," Spurrs says. The Swans have qualified for the Finals series in 10 of the 12 seasons that Spurrs has been involved in the physical preparation of the players. In 2012, the team achieved the ultimate prize - winning the premiership.

While Spurrs concedes it's hard work, he feels very lucky to work for the Swans. "Everyone is there because they are passionate about sport and what they do. In some ways you could liken it to the excitement people get out of their weekend club sport, we get to do that for a job."

Spurrs connection with UTS did not end upon graduation. "As a result of my association with UTS, we have built a strong working relationship between the Swans and UTS. This has been achieved via collaborative research studies and placement of UTS postgraduate students undertaking their research project at the Swans."

Theodora Ahilas
Bachelor of Laws (1991)

A Principal Lawyer at Maurice Blackburn Lawyers, Theodora Ahilas has spent the past 22 years representing asbestos victims - helping to create better futures for her often-terminally ill clients. Helping families to achieve compensation is no small task, but Ahilas says it is an honour even though some days she feels like she is "going into the trenches".

"Part of the excitement of this job is that nearly every day is different. Things are unpredictable and ever changing."

The best part of her role, she says, is meeting her clients, sharing their journey and helping their families. The most challenging aspect is finishing cases in the lifetime of her clients, due to the unpredictable nature of the disease and the lack of a cure.

However, Ahilas sees firsthand on almost a daily basis how resilient the human spirit is. "If you've watched a man or woman take their last breath giving a bedside testimony to receive an outcome for their family and to know that their family will be looked after financially, then you are forever humbled."

Ahilas graduated with a Law degree from UTS in 1991. "I had a wonderful experience as a student of law at UTS. I loved the UTS degree, the course, everything."
It has been a stellar year on the awards front for Ahilas, having won the 2012 Law and Justice Foundation's Justice Medal for her compassion and commitment to obtaining justice for asbestos victims and their families.

Associate Professor Stuart Tangye
Doctor of Philosophy in Science (1996)

Associate Professor Stuart Tangye is the National Health and Medical Research Council INHMRC) Senior Research Fellow in the Immunology Research Group at the Garvan Institute of Medical Research, and a conjoint Senior Lecturer at the University of New South Wales.

He completed a BAppSc Biomedical Science in 1991, BAppSc (Hons) in 1992, and went on to gain a PhD in Science in 1996, all from UTS. "I had some very inspiring lecturers in immunology who really set me on the course for my scientific endeavours and subsequent career path. I was lucky to have exposure to these educators at a time of my studies when I was not sure what I really wanted to do. But they showed me the magic of immunology."

Tangye is one of Australia's pre-eminent medical scientists working in human immunology. Tangye's lab focuses on studying diseases impacting people today.

"Knowing that hopefully our work will someday lead to improvements in the management of patients, and the prognosis of their diseases, is a very rewarding and satisfying feeling," he says.

His achievements are extensive: since 1995, Tangye has published 67 peer-reviewed articles and has been invited to contribute 20 reviews for journals; in 2006 he was the recipient of a Young Tall Poppy prize, awarded by the Australian Institute of Policy and Science and the Office of Science and Medical Research in recognition of his research achievements; he has active collaborations with research labs in Australia, Europe and the US who have complementary interests; and has also supervised to completion eight PhD and numerous honours students.

Maile Carnegie
Bachelor of Business in Marketing (1992)

Maile Carnegie is the recently appointed Managing Director of Google (Australia and New Zealand). Carnegie was previously Managing Director for Proctor & Gamble Australia, having joined the company in 1992 after completing a BBus Marketing from UTS. The dual Australian and US citizen has spent half of her career working in Australia, and half overseas, including in Cincinnati and Singapore.

The most exciting aspect of her new role, Carnegie says, is that Google is still in its early days, having turned 15 in September.

"There is so much ahead of the company, and our Australian operation. The technology world changes so fast that it's really a matter of buckling up and seeing what the future holds." According to Carnegie, the greatest opportunity is that "we're just scratching the surface of how the web can change the lives of Australians for the better."

"The web is proving to be a massive boost to small businesses, especially those in rural areas, and ifs also driving a huge explosion in creative content coming out of Australia. If we do our jobs right, more and more Aussies lives will be better thanks to the web bringing them more information, more options, more opportunities."

Carnegie retains a close association with UTS as a member of UTS Business School's Industry Advisory Board. It’s a role she enjoys for "the luxury to focus on the critical opportunity of enabling the next generation of leaders."

Reynato Reodica
Bachelor of Arts in Communication (Social Enquiry), Bachelor of Laws (2007)

Aged just 29, Reyna Reodica already has 13 years of policy and research achievements under his belt, promoting positive social change for youths, particularly those who are disadvantaged.

At age 18, he was elected Chair of the Youth Action and Policy Association (YAPA), and in 2007 at just 23, he was appointed the youngest Chief Executive since YAPA's inception. His role began just after completing a BA Communications (Social Inquiry)/ LLB degree from UTS.

Among his many achievements in the role, he secured an election commitment from the NSW Government to allocate a pool of $4.8 million to assist disadvantaged learners to access their provisional licences.

"My UTS education shaped my career and provided me with the perfect mix of skills to better understand the world and society, formulate arguments for what changes are needed and communicate this effectively," he says. 

In April 2012, Reodica transitioned to youth affairs at the federal level as Deputy Director (Youth Sector) of the Australian Youth Affairs Coalition. His focus is on the provision of support and development services to some of Australia's most vulnerable and disadvantaged young people.

Social justice is an issue close to Reodica’s heart. "Growing up in Western Sydney, I witnessed the effects of social inequality on the people around me and felt strongly that as a prosperous society, we could do more to ensure real fairness is available to all."

As for the future, Reodica’s heart lays firmly in making a social impact. "I hope to continue to work in areas that create real and meaningful change for those who need it most, including our society's most vulnerable and disadvantaged people."