You, me and the big, blue sea - Understanding our oceans

Long-loved for their abundant bounty, oceans comprise some 71% of the earth’s mass and are rising. At once benevolent and ferocious, there is no doubt they play a critical role in our lives and in the future of our planet.
 
Gone are the days when oceans could be taken for granted for fun, food and transport. And while we have learned much about harnessing their power, there is much more to understand. 
 
Science is key. Join Dr Mark Buckley, Dr Wiebke Ebeling, Kirsty Alexander, Thobani Hlophe and Adi Kurniawan for an insightful panel discussion on oceans, ecology, energy and more.

Type 1 Diabetes Family Centre Co-founder and CEO - Rebecca Johnson [LLB, BA ‘09]

Diagnosed in 2001 with type 1 diabetes, a complex autoimmune disease, Bec is passionate about supporting others with type 1 to overcome the challenges of the condition. She is a co-founder and the CEO of the Type 1 Diabetes Family Centre in Perth, an award-winning Australia-first centre for families impacted by type 1 offering community-based clinical care, innovative education programs, information services and peer and psychosocial support. Opened in 2015, the Family Centre now supports hundreds of people with type 1 to live without limits.

Bec holds qualifications in Law and Arts (UWA), a Masters in Public Health (USyd), and a Diploma of Business (Governance). She is an Adjunct Research Fellow at Curtin University, a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Community Directors and a Fellow of Leadership WA. Bec is the only Australian to have been selected as one of the 100 Fellows of the global Facebook Community Leadership Program.

Bec believes that there are no limits on a life with type 1 diabetes, and she has twice swum solo across the 19.7-kilometre Rottnest Channel, sailed across the Atlantic, and become a SCUBA dive guide to prove it. 

Making life easier for people with a disability - Dr Claire Cooke [BA ‘10, BA(Hons) ‘11, PhD ‘16]

Dr Claire Cooke is passionate about finding innovative solutions that are creative and practical. Claire wants to make a difference in the world by working closely with disadvantaged members of society. With mild Cerebral Palsy and having experienced first-hand how amazing the simplest ideas can make life easier, Claire created an app called Nessa to make life easier for people with a disability.

"I am a passionate innovator that specialises in creative and practical solutions. I have a PhD in Gender Studies from UWA and parallel to my studies have worked closely with students from all walks of life."

How to be recruited!

Looking for a new job (or maybe your first)? Hoping to be recruited? Hear from Daryl Lim [BCom '09], Managing Consultant at Hudson, who shares his recipe for success, and top 5 tips for working with recruiters.

Co-Founder & CFO, BibliU | Forbes 30 Under 30 - Tao Mantaras [BSc, BCom ‘14]

Tao Mantaras [BSc, BComm '14] is Co-Founder & CFO of VC backed, BibliU, a digital education platform that brings textbooks to life and makes learning more effective. BibliU provides universities with instant access to course content online with flexible tools for personalised learning.

My PhD - Tessa Maroni [BSc ‘15, BSc(Hons) ‘15]

I (Tessa Maroni) have recently completed my PhD in Exercise Physiology; while at the same time I’ve held a part-time academic role in the school of Exercise and Sport Science over the past 4 years. As a young athlete competing as a national high jumper, I always knew I wanted to work in sport therefore I naturally enrolled in the BSc (Sport Science, Exercise and Health). Following this, I undertook my Honours in a clinical study using exercise as medicine for adolescent brain cancer survivors. My passion lied in elite sport therefore for my PhD I investigated the use of cooling modalities on physiology and performance (exercise and cognitive) in team and endurance athletes. Currently, I am still in a teaching role within the School of Human Sciences where I look forward to inspiring the coming cohorts of undergraduate students while continuing research in human thermoregulatory and exercise physiology.

Looking to work in India? - P Venkatesh [MBA ‘16]

Looking to work in India? Hear from P Venkatesh [MBA '16], Executive Coach and Author, who will share insight into what it takes to work and succeed in India.

BIO

P Venkatesh is a storyteller at heart. He deeply admires the diverse, multicultural society that forms the core of India. A polyglot, he is grateful that he can speak two of the oldest languages in the world – Tamil and Sanskrit. And his lifelong goal is to speak the third oldest language – Mandarin.

As a communications professional, Venkatesh has worked extensively as a journalist, radio producer, documentary filmmaker, and digital marketer. He has served leading non-profits and community organizations as a consultant, and volunteered for many social causes.

Venkatesh was a Li Ka Shing Scholar during his Masters in Public Policy at the National University of Singapore, and a Dean’s Scholar during his MBA at the University of Western Australia. He completed the Bachelor of Information Science from University of Delhi.

He is a trained leadership coach and enjoys helping people connect to their passion and purpose. He is an accomplished public speaker and has spoken at various TEDx events globally.

Looking to work in Sydney? - Simone Shugg [BA ‘96]

Looking to work in Sydney, Australia? Hear from Simone Shugg, a results-focused, strategic HR Executive with a depth of experience acquired across industry (media to financial services to hospitality), scale (100 to 5k+ headcount) and growth stage (start-up to established and disruptor to disrupted).

Simone has a track record of converting business vision into people and culture initiatives that directly improve profitability, performance and customer and employee engagement in fast-paced high growth organisations. She is a passionate leader who supports companies and top executives with a perspective that people are an organisation’s greatest asset. 

Simone has worked for some iconic Australian companies including BankWest, Carnival Australia and most recently Foxtel. She is on the Editorial Board of InsideHR, and also a member of the International HR Directors Forum. In her spare time, you will find Simone hiking a mountain or exploring a museum or gallery.

Looking to work in Hong Kong? Ricky Mui [BSc, LLB ‘97]

Looking to work in Hong Kong? Hear from Ricky Mui [BSc, LLB '97], Managing Director - Hong Kong at Robert Walters, who will share insight into what it takes to work and succeed in Hong Kong.

UWA and me

I studied Bachelor of Law and Science degree (majoring in Psychology) at UWA graduating in 1996. Since then, I have worked as a Solicitor in Perth for top-tier international law firm now known as DLA Piper. Having decided to travel to London, I then worked as an in-house legal counsel for a NASDAQ listed company where I specialised in intellectual property and information technology law. In 2003, I took a career change to work in the headhunting industry for global recruitment firm Robert Walters in London and relocated to Hong Kong in 2010 where I am now currently acting as Managing Director of the office.

The educational background at UWA has helped me establish my career initially as a lawyer but has also given me the confidence to diversify into the recruitment industry. I have also kept in contact with my UWA Alumni contacts internationally some of which have become close friends as well as clients of mine!

Looking to work in the UK? - Kevin James [BEc ‘95]

Looking to work in the UK? Hear from Kevin James [BEc '95], Senior Manager of Revenue Accounting, Billing & AR at The Walt Disney Company who will share insight into what it takes to work and succeed in the UK.