Advisory Board co-chairs Jeremy Basset (left) and Malinda Zerefos (right) with UTS Vice-Chancellor and President Professor Andrew Parfitt (centre) at the launch of the UTS UK/EU Advisory Board in London.
The inaugural UTS UK and Europe Advisory Board was recently launched at receptions in London and Berlin to build a community of UTS alumni and friends in the UK and Europe. Eleven outstanding alumni leaders leverage their experience and professional networks in support of UTS’s mission - including co-chairs Jeremy Basset and Malinda Zerefos.
Jeremy Basset - entrepreneur
“Last week I got back from doing Marathon des Sables, which is a 252 km run through the Sahara desert, six marathons in six days.” Jeremy Basset, now living in London, has never let a long distance keep him from his goal. Growing up on a dairy farm in eastern Victoria, he took an overnight 13-hour bus ride to interview for entrance into UTS, where he would earn his Bachelor of Accounting in 2003.
After graduation, Jeremy’s connection to UTS brought him the opportunity to work at Unilever, one of the world’s largest consumer goods companies. "At Unilever I launched and led the Unilever Foundry, which was Unilever's platform to collaborate with startups. It was transformational in bringing innovation into Unilever and gained a strong reputation in the market for offering entrepreneurs an opportunity to rapidly scale their solution.” Jeremy’s success with Unilever Foundry gave him the footing to start his own UK-based consultancy, Co:cubed, which helps businesses solve corporate problems with startup solutions. Today, with his skilled team handling the day-to-day operations of Co:cubed, Jeremy has been able to focus a majority of his time on his new startup, Super Benji, which is revolutionising B2B sales through the use of AI automation.
Malinda Zerefos - marketer
“Growing up I always loved writing,” Malinda Zerefos recalled. “I think writing is one of those skill sets that is incredibly valuable in anything you do, formulating your ideas and expressing them through the written word.” It was her passion for writing that brought Malinda to UTS’ Communications program, where she achieved her Bachelor of Arts in 2006, an honours year, and a graduate certificate in Editing and Publishing in 2007.
“I knew I wanted to do marketing, and I knew I was passionate about publishing,” Malinda reflected. “So that's where I started my career.” She landed her dream job at Simon and Shuster, one of the largest publishers in the world. Starting her role in the Sydney office, Malinda was soon transferred to their UK marketing team before she struck out on her own and later relocated to Paris. She now draws upon her fifteen plus years of experience in global marketing to manage her own consulting business, Mintie.
“I consult for global companies in the UK and the US, and in the last five years I’ve specifically been working in search and recruitment and also employee branding.” Malinda has had tremendous success in influencing business leaders by demonstrating the value of what high-quality marketing can bring.
Giving back to the UTS community
Malinda brings her career achievements and international insight to the UTS UK/Europe Advisory Board. Having relocated across oceans multiple times in her career, Malinda relates to the challenges that her fellow UK and European alumni may have encountered or may currently be experiencing. “I've moved country six times, so I know the feeling of having no network, no contacts, no knowledge, and how appreciative I was when anyone would just sit down with me for a coffee. I'd love to be able to offer that to other alumni.”
Jeremy shares a similar altruistic perspective of the advisory board, “Not only can we do a lot as an alumni community for each other, but we can also do a lot to help the next generation of students that might be looking to launch their business, build their career or export their services to the UK or Europe. There’s so much we can achieve together.”
For both Jeremy and Malinda, the core strength of the UTS UK/Europe Advisory Board is the unique potential of the UTS Global Alumni Network itself.
UTS Global Alumni Network
Members of the inaugural UTS UK and Europe Advisory Board with UTS Vice-Chancellor and President Professor Andrew Parfitt at the launch of the Board in London.
“The most impactful things in the world have always come out of a rich network,” Jeremy elaborated, “and within the UTS network, we have alumni in many of the biggest organisations across the UK and Europe - from business to government to healthcare through to the arts and media, every sector you can imagine.”
“It's about normalising our network,” Malinda reiterates, “creating a culture within the alumni community where we can all reach out for support. We don't live in a vacuum. We are a global university. Sydney feels far away, but it's not. As an alumni community we have many talented graduates who have moved overseas and built incredible careers, and it's essential we engage with each other.”
Engage with your UTS Global Alumni Network today.