SUMMER | 2014
F O R G I NG B E Y O N D
YEARS
TH E F I R S T
Sense of Pride
Accolades for Bondies
Life's a beach
Daydream jobs for students
Biting study
Perils of the ocean in focus
Sporting high
Big year on the pitch wraps up
VICE-CHANCELLOR’S LETTER
SUMMER 2014
contents
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Road to power Steven Ciobo's political journey had its origins at Bond
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Nurturing potential Gina Rinehart backs swimming talent with new Scholarship
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Career man Steve Sargent's stellar rise - and his leadership style
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Rugby resurgence Top coach Sean Hedger and his plans to lift Bond's game
Production
Editor: Camilla Jansen Journalists: Nick Nichols, Karen Rickert, Laura Daquino, Jenna Rathbone & Paris Faint Design: Martha Clegg
Alumni 12 Great work heralded with Pride 26 Start-ups hit accelerator to the big league 27 Making the finals as Young Entrepreneur
Campus & Careers 36 Melanie Wright our Sportswoman of the Year 40 Rich cultural journey to Kununurra 42 Indigenous Gala proves to be a sparkler 45 Tracking success with Beyond Bond
Editorial enquiries Alumni and Development Office Bond University Gold Coast Queensland 4229, Australia Ph: +61 7 5595 4403 To join The ARCH mailing list please email: development@bond.edu.au To subscribe go to: www.arch.bond.edu.au/subscribe
Contributors: Felicity Simpson Photography: Fotoforce, Mark Calleja, News Corp Australia
Publisher: Connect Custom Publishing a division of Business News Australia. PO Box 2154, Surfers Paradise. QLD. 4217
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Bonds of strength AS we draw a close to our 25th year, one of the founding principles of education at Bond University that our degree programs must be in tune with the needs of industry remains the same. This philosophy is just as relevant today as it was 25 years when Bond first opened its doors. In fact, it has never been stronger. Bond is a leader in higher education on many fronts, not least the performance of our Industry Advisory Boards which have been designed to nurture closer ties with the world of business and to assist in keeping the curriculum abreast of the ever-changing needs of industry. For instance, the Faculty of Business has three Advisory Boards covering different disciplines and industry sectors. Each board provides an open and fruitful engagement with the business sector. The depth and breadth of talent of the people on the boards is opening opportunities for students that few other universities can match. The engagement of these individuals with the University is tangible, and their connection with students is engaging and meaningful on a number of levels. It adds to the Bond experience and adds value to our students who are offered internships and work experience with some of the world’s most dynamic companies. This issue of The Arch takes a closer look at how Bond is forging ties with industry, and gives an insight into how our industry networks are making a difference to both the learning experience and student career paths. We also explore the new Core subject, Beyond Bond, which we believe is a world first. The subject, which is compulsory for all undergraduates, runs the full duration of each degree requires students undertake a wide range of activities outside the classroom that focus on the acquisition of interpersonal and workplace skills.
Ms Kirsty Mitchell, the General Manager of the Career Development Centre, is passionate about the new Core subject which was introduced earlier this year. She has set an ambitious target of 100 percent placement success for graduates, and she is working towards tracking that target over the next 18 months. It is this kind of commitment that is driving Bond’s enhanced reputation globally as a university with a sharpened focus on student outcomes within a culture of learning excellence. Excellence breeds success, and there is no shortage of that among Bond alumni. In this issue we talk to Federal Member for Moncrieff Steven Ciobo, an alumni who had a vision for where he was headed from his first day at Bond. Ciobo has had a passion for politics since a young age, but it wasn’t until he came to Bond to study Law and Commerce that the spark was firmly lit. Not only was he among the youngest Federal Member to join the Parliament, but a little over a decade since his election Ciobo has forged an esteemed political career. This was highlighted by his appointment last year as Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasurer in Prime Minister Tony Abbott’s first ministry. Bond University Council Member Steve Sargent’s career turned in an instant when he accepted a position with the global giant company GE two decades ago. Sargent, an avid supporter of Bond for many years, has a compelling story of seizing opportunity when it arises and making the most of it. After a decade heading GE Capital in Australia and New Zealand, Sargent was this year named President and CEO of GE Mining, marking a new chapter in a career that has been forged in the one organisation over the past 21 years.
It was a journey that led to a key role at the recent G20 Summit held in Brisbane. Sargent’s role at Bond is a source of great pride and satisfaction for Steve who holds great belief on the power of education. Sargent is among the many business leaders devoting their time to Bond who do so because they believe in the University’s fundamental principles – and who are drawn by the energy of its students and faculty staff. That energy is spread across the lecture theatres and the sporting fields, and this year Bond is privileged to welcome the generous support of Mrs Gina Rinehart who has established an exciting new scholarship that offers opportunity for young talent to realise their potential for both sporting and business success. The Georgina Hope Rinehart Swimming Excellence Scholarship will give two young Australian swimmers the chance to study at Bond, and follow their Olympic dream. It is an exciting time for Bond as we sign off on our first 25 years. We are in great shape to welcome 2015 with renewed enthusiasm to continue building on our legacy of excellence through a spirit of collaboration.
PROFESSOR TIM BRAILSFORD Vice-Chancellor and President
www.arch.bond.edu.au
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CAMPUS NEWS
NEWS
SUMMER 2014
HSM PROFESSOR RECEIVES NATIONAL ACCOLADE
>
FOLLOWING an incredible
evening at Sea World for the Annual Student Ball, the new Bond University Student Association (BUSA) Committee has been elected for 2014-15.
WHAT'S HAPPENING + WHAT'S NEWS + WHAT'S COMING
Making life easy for students
Third-year Business and Law student Jack Leonard leads the dedicated BUSA team as President, and is working towards heightened student involvement and a flourishing campus life in the year ahead.
BOND University has amalgamated a
number of its student and academic services to launch the new Student Business Centre – a one-stop shop for Bond students who need assistance and support with their tertiary education experience. Based on models in the US, the centre aims to manage all student matters in one location including enrolment, changes and program advice, exams and assessment coordination, timetables, transcripts and letters and graduation. Opened in November, the centre will also issue ID cards, manage US and Canadian Financial Aid programs and liaise with the Department of Immigration regarding visa compliance matters. Pro Vice-Chancellor (Students and Academic Support) Alan Finch says in the past there have been a number of separate offices offering a range of services, however the new initiative aims to simplify processes for students and provide centralisation of service delivery. “What we are trying to do is make it very convenient for our students – they can go to one place, to get an answer and a resolution,” he says.
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FRESH BUSA SET TO TACKLE THE YEAR AHEAD
“Our committee wants to look towards student experience and engagement,” says Leonard.
NEW FRONT FOR BOND INTERNATIONAL BOND International has revamped its campus presence and services by opening its doors to provide a new dedicated office for international inquiries. Situated beneath the University Club, the Bond International Office provides a hub for prospective and current international and domestic students to engage with a dedicated counselling service to discuss a range of issues including degree options, overseas study and exchange programs. Director of Bond International John McPartland says that the role of the department is integral to enhancing the student experience, facilitating global mobility of Bond students, maintaining healthy relationships with overseas partners and promoting the University on a
global scale. “Our relationship with international students helps to deepen our understanding of the world and the world’s understanding of Australia, contributing to our regional and global reputation,” says McPartland. “Bond’s student community is diverse with participation from over 70 different nationalities, cultures and backgrounds. It is our view that diversity can promote an excellent learning and social experience, and prepare all our students for a future of work that is global.” Bond International is consistently developing opportunities for students and stronger relationships with high quality educational partners across North America, Europe, the UK and Asia.
“It is what sets Bond apart from other institutions, and without this involvement a student won’t get the value that Bond truly offers.” THE prestigious Bridges-Webb Medal has been awarded to a Bond Professor who has been paving the way as one of the world’s leading medical specialists in evidence-based practice. The Australian Association for Academic Primary Care presented the award to Professor Chris Del Mar, of the Faculty of Health Sciences and Medicine (HSM), for his commitment to the highest standards of teaching and research contribution within the field of general practice. Professor Del Mar was among the first in Australia to fully integrate the principles of evidence-based practice into curriculum. He counts this most recent accolade among his proudest. “I am particularly delighted to receive this award because it is a measure of the importance of primary care and the research that supports it,” says Professor Del Mar. Associate Dean, Learning and Teaching of HSM, Professor Linda Crane, says the achievement by Professor Del Mar is testament to the calibre of the University’s academic staff and their approaches to medical education. “This is an outstanding achievement for Professor Del Mar and well-deserved recognition for the enormous contribution he has made to the field of medicine,” says Professor Crane.
In the short time it has been active, the new committee has completely revamped communication methods with students, including an updated BUSA webpage and a dedicated online version of student magazine Scope. “We have also launched a project called Under the Arch,” says Leonard. “This is a video project released once a week as a YouTube package, focused on getting information to students more fluidly.”
Professor Del Mar is the second Bond recipient of the Bridges-Webb Medal, the first being Professor Paul Glasziou in 2011. www.arch.bond.edu.au
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NEWS
SUMMER 2014
Canadians reach milestone
RUGBY SUPERSTARS TRAIN ON CAMPUS
INTERNATIONAL TECH SUCCESS FOR BOND LAW
BOND continues to
BOND is set to host one
cement its leading status among Canada’s preferred international law schools, having recently welcomed its 1000th Canadian student.
of the world’s most technologically advanced legal competitions following the success of a virtual mooting contest held earlier this year.
Gareth Green entered into the Juris Doctor program alongside more than 220 other Canadians who are currently studying Law at Bond.
Bond Law takes top honours BOND’S Faculty of Law has exulted in another impressive year, taking home a number of accolades for mooting.
“I looked at a number of universities around the world, in particular the United Kingdom, but only applied to study at Bond University, largely because the courses are so well recognised in Canada,” says Green.
At the Australian Law Students Association conference, the students scooped four of the seven awards on offer – beating more than 30 teams from across Australia, New Zealand and Singapore. Eoin Coffey and Rupert Holden won the King Wood Mallesons Championship Moot and will progress to the International Negotiation Competition and Commonwealth Moot next year.
Acting Executive Dean of Law Professor Nick James says Canada represents a significant market for the University. “The number of Canadians studying Law at Bond University has increased markedly over the past seven years as word spreads amongst Canadians about the quality of our program,” says Professor James. “Our graduates have gone on to work in some of the most prestigious law firms and organisations in Canada, including Gowlings and the City of Ottawa.” Canadian Consul General to Australia Mario Ste-Marie visited Bond on September 12 to mark the milestone, meeting with students and staff.
Holden was also named best oralist, Robert Leonard and Rachael Young came first in the Clayton Utz Negotiation Competition and Connor McBain won the Paper Presentation Competition. Assistant Professor Louise Parsons says the
THE BOND rugby fields played host to some of the world’s finest athletes when the Australian Wallabies and Argentinian Pumas held training sessions on campus in September. In the one-week lead-up to their clash at CBUS Super Stadium, the two rugby union teams held separate training sessions and later greeted spectators and signed autographs. Jake Rischbieth of the Office of Pathways and Partnerships says the presence of these professionals on campus was an excellent opportunity for Bond rugby players to observe training at the highest performance level. “Bond University is the official education
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partner of the Australian Rugby Union, and having the Wallabies on campus in the lead-up to their game at CBUS was great,” Rischbieth says.
students’ performance is a testament to Bond’s dedication to skills development, noting that all teams progressed to the final stages. “By the time our students step out on a national or international stage they feel confident and well-prepared, which gives them an edge over their competitors,” Assistant Professor Parsons says. “The Bond Mooting program also provides a range of opportunities for students to represent Bond both nationally and internationally.” Bond was also a semi-finalist at the Castan Centre Human Rights Law Moot, semi-finalist at the ELSA Moot Court competition on WTO law and made it into the advanced rounds of the Administrative Appeals Tribunal Moot.
SPORTS GURU CHANGING STATE OF PLAY SPORTS management veteran and
says he is excited to be dedicating his experience to the new role.
“We got to see how they prepared, and also to give our scholarship boys a terrific opportunity to see the requirements and standards of playing at that level.”
experienced educator Garry Nucifora has stepped into the newly created position of Executive Director of Sport at Bond.
Bond student and John Eales Rugby Excellence scholar Ben Hunt also had the opportunity to join in with sessions conducted by the Argentinian team.
Nucifora has been appointed in line with Bond’s commitment to increasing its presence in the professional sporting arena, further fostering an environment where elite athletes can thrive while nurturing student club sport.
“I will be utilising the contacts I’ve established through my professional career to progress initiatives across a broad range of sports at Bond University, providing new opportunities for the sporting stars of tomorrow and cementing Bond’s reputation as a breeding ground for elite athletes and sporting excellence,” he says.
Having previously worked at a variety of institutions in high performance sport and education, including Yale University and the Queensland Reds, Nucifora
Nucifora primarily will be responsible for the development and delivery of Bond’s overall sports strategy, from mentoring through to academics.
Following training, both teams and all attending Bondies dug into a delicious fundraising barbecue in support of the Kununurra Project run by the Student Philanthropy Council.
Cutting-edge technology allowed students to compete in a bilingual sports law moot with students from the prestigious Unversite Paris 13 in France. Although the home team was narrowly defeated, Professor of Law Jim Corkery says the inaugural competition itself was a great triumph and universities from the United States, Vietnam, Japan and Malaysia have already indicated eagerness to participate in the event next year. “The availability of this technology in the Global Links Room has opened a whole new range of opportunities for students,” says Professor Corkery. “We look forward to an even more competitive event next year, with leading universities from around the world already expressing their interest in taking part.” The mock-court scenario was held in the Global Links Room, a new facility in The Balnaves Foundation Multimedia Learning Centre.
www.arch.bond.edu.au
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FEATURE
SUMMER 2014
STEVEN
CIOBO: The power and the passion Political life beckoned for The Hon Steven Ciobo MP from an early age, but his passion really came to life on campus as a keen student of life and liberty at Bond. STEVEN Ciobo’s interest in politics began in earnest during his years studying at Bond University in the early 1990s. While he may never have predicted that his role in establishing the Bond University Liberal Society would lead him to Canberra’s lofty halls of power within a decade, no one could deny Ciobo had the drive needed to make it. This became evident in his early corporate career, where a business proposal he put forward landed him a job at a major international accounting firm. It’s the same drive that culminated in his elevation to the role of Parliamentary Secretary to the Treasurer in Prime Minister Tony Abbott’s first ministry last year, and led to a deep involvement in setting the agenda for world leaders at the G20 Summit in Brisbane this year. Ciobo was elected to Federal Parliament as member for Moncrieff in 2001 aged just 27. He was the youngest Federal Member to join the Parliament and only the 40th MP to be aged under 30 since federation.
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“I always thought age was going to be a disadvantage or a weakness for me, both in terms of the pre-selection and subsequently at the election, but in retrospect it was a real strength,” Ciobo says. “There were a lot of people who were very supportive because they wanted someone a bit younger in politics - but sadly at 40 those days are now behind me,” he laughs. With three terms of Government under his belt, and two in Opposition, Ciobo is a seasoned political player. He is also seen as a rising star within the Liberal Party, holding the Shadow Business portfolio under Malcolm Turnbull. He was briefly relegated to the backbench in 2010 after Abbott’s ascendency to party leadership. But if a week in politics is a long time, three years is an eternity. Ciobo’s appointment to the coveted Parliamentary Secretary position is one of the key achievements in the latest phase of his political career. The role also has seen Ciobo immersed in the world of global commerce and domestic fiscal issues, with the G20 meeting in Brisbane absorbing much of his brief over the past 12 months.
“It also broadens your experience, offers additional contacts in your network and gives a greater understanding of the interplay of international and domestic politics.” His position as Parliamentary Secretary has benefited from the UN experience, with Ciobo’s role as alternative governor to the Treasurer requiring engagement with multilateral institutions such as the Asian Development Bank, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development and the World Bank. “It’s also a chance to be hands on with Budget initiatives and challenges we face trying to reconcile the amount of spending with revenue,” he says. Ciobo concedes that it’s a “big role”, which among other responsibilities includes a “reshaping” of the Australian Bureau of Statistics. “That remains very much a work in progress,” he says. Despite his elevated political role and the time it absorbs, Ciobo says he remains mindful of his grassroots support base, using his voice to advocate for the Gold Coast region.
“All Australians should be very happy about the way the G20 went. Australia really turned it on. Many leaders and finance ministers said it was the best G20 that had taken place for many years, so it was a real shot in the arm.” There is no avoiding the view that Ciobo’s career path reads like a script. Although he holds a blue-ribbon seat for the Liberals, there was no silver spoon for the budding politician – just a rich legacy of reward for effort. His father migrated to Australia from Italy at 16 looking for a better life, then married an Australian girl and raised a family in Mareeba, North Queensland. Ciobo was the youngest of three children. Like many children of migrants in that era, Ciobo was exposed to the entrepreneurial energy of his father who tried his hand at a broad range of enterprises from financial services to managing holiday apartments. He instilled in Ciobo a deep interest in commerce and the ideals of free markets. “My entire life as a small child onwards has been immersed in the small business culture,” says Ciobo. “It’s a particular way of thinking that resonates with me and it was important for me to bring that culture to politics.”
Ciobo’s rise began in earnest in 2011, when his political profile was aided by a three-month secondment to New York as Parliamentary Adviser to Australia’s UN delegation.
“A lot of the national debate tends to get pre-occupied with agriculture and the resources sector, and I can add weight to the service side of the economy, such as the tourism and construction industry,” he says.
“It was an incredibly remarkable opportunity and one I valued greatly,” Ciobo says.
Despite his time away from his electoral office, Ciobo still manages to weigh into matters affecting constituents.
His family also had developed strong conservative political ties, even to the point of sharing Sunday barbecues with the likes of former Queensland Premier Sir Joh Bjelke-Petersen.
Each year one member of the Government and the Opposition is appointed to work alongside the UN mission, with Ciobo choosing to focus on matters of economics and national security.
“Someone who comes through the door may be facing an issue that some people would consider small, but it’s a massive thing for them,” he says.
“I’ve always had a lifelong interest in politics,” says Ciobo. “I had a lot of exposure to politics as a kid and I found it interesting.”
The job has been particularly challenging this past year thanks to Australia’s presidency of the G20.
But it wasn’t until he went to Bond that he first “immersed’ himself in politics as founding member of the Bond University Liberal Society. He joined the Young Liberals about the same time, and Ciobo admits he was active politically the entire time he was at Bond.
“In particular there was a lot of work around counter-terrorism initiatives, and I really enjoyed that,” he says. “It was a chance to gain a greater appreciation of Australia’s multilateral linkages and our standing in each of those areas.
“It has been weeks and weeks of travel and long days, but the flipside of the coin is exposure to a lot of wonderful people and interesting things and I really value that.
Ciobo was a Liberal in the making even before he knew it.
As if to punctuate his love of the public www.arch.bond.edu.au
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SUMMER 2014
FEATURE
Steven Ciobo with wife Astra and sons Tennyson and Asher at his inauguration The Hon Steven Ciobo MP with Prime Minister Tony Abbott
I certainly don't for a day regret being active in politics, but I still have a very big appetite for commerce.
stage, Ciobo also joined the Bond Debating Society and the Bond Drama Society, along with the Law Students’ Association. “I really enjoy the social side of Bond and the social side of politics,” he says. There was, of course, the inevitable drudge. While studying a dual degree in Commerce and Law, Ciobo worked at a food processing business in Brisbane to help support himself through university. “My prevailing memory of that job was shifting boxes from one shelf to another, but of course I was considerably stronger and fitter than I am now,” he laughs. After graduating in 1995, Ciobo landed a job in the economic reform unit at Coopers & Lybrand in Sydney before returning to complete his Master of Laws in Brisbane a couple of years later. The move back to Queensland was facilitated by a new role with PriceWaterhouseCoopers in Brisbane. Ciobo initially scored a six-month contract at PWC after pitching a business idea to the firm, and that later turned into a fulltime position. Ciobo concedes that corporate life in Brisbane in the late 1990s was “pretty slow” and his aspiration for a political career was growing. “I always kept the door open to the possibility that I would enter politics and that is ultimately why I pursued it.” Ciobo, now married to journalist Astra Hauquitz who later founded PR firm Shac
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Communications, took a tentative leap forward by working briefly for Senator Brett Mason and then later ran for pre-selection in the Gold Coast seat of Moncrieff in 2001. He indicated his interest a year earlier when former Moncrieff incumbent Kathy Sullivan had announced her intention to retire. But Ciobo was up against some highprofile candidates including seasoned council performer Ray Stevens and former Senator Bill O’Chee. “I canvassed the idea among supporters and friends and decided on balance I would contest it even though at the time I was relatively young,” he says. Ciobo’s advantage was that he had already laid the groundwork through years of engagement at the branch level. “It was very much a grassroots campaign and the local branch members got behind me because they knew I was genuinely active in the local branches,” he says. Moncrieff, which stretches from the tourism hubs of Surfers Paradise and Broadbeach west to Nerang, has been held by the Liberal Party since the electorate was created in 1984. It was in a conservative heartland, but not one that the party heavyweights would give lightly to a political novice.
Their faith was rewarded. Ciobo had found his niche, and while it was seven years before he was elevated to a Shadow Ministry by former Opposition Leader Malcolm Turnbull in 2008, Ciobo was no shrinking violet when it came to promoting his free-market politics behind the scenes. In the final years of the Howard Government he was active in a ginger group pushing for “significant income tax cuts” to be put in place. Ciobo disagrees with the argument that politicians are constrained by the political machine in effecting change. “I think that is said by people who are outside of politics,” he says. “The fact is that there have been hundreds and hundreds of policy debates that I have been involved with. "As Shadow Small Business Minister I had direct hands-on involvement in the shaping of policy that we took to the election. “But I don’t think you can be in politics and drive the kind of policy change that people want unless you listen to what they have to say. “In politics people pull you in all sorts of different directions. I think some people have the misguided view that their local MP should jump when they say jump, irrespective of whether they are Green, Labor, Liberal or Independent.
I’ve never pretended to be like that. I am unashamedly pro-small government, I am unashamedly pro the market and unashamedly a Liberal. "I will, of course, respectfully hear someone with a different point of view to mine, but I don’t for one second believe that I should be an advocate for a point of view that I fundamentally disagree with.” Ciobo recalls many “tiny victories” during his time as an MP, not least the billions of dollars allocated to local Gold Coast projects. Among them was a push for new medical schools at Bond and Griffith, along with highway upgrades south of Nerang. “Some of my successes are local and some of them national,” says Ciobo. “In some respects it’s what I have been able to stop that I am most happy about. "For example, there was an attempt to roll out the Access Card, which for all intents and purposes was going to be a national identity card. I played a pretty key role in thwarting that.” After 13 years in public life and a relatively brief corporate career, some would argue that Ciobo has become a career politician. But Ciobo disagrees. “I certainly don’t for a day regret being active in politics, but I still have a very big appetite for commerce,” he says. “I still very much consider myself a commercial person and it still niggles at me that I haven’t had the chance to pursue
business as much as I would have liked to. "But, by the same token, being actively involved in politics is such an amazing privilege.” While he doesn’t rule out a business career after politics, there is no denying where his passion lies. “I will continue doing this for as long as I enjoy it and the good people of Moncrieff want me to represent them,” he says. “This has been a very busy year with the G20, and between my responsibilities in the Treasury portfolio coupled with being an MP, I would have travelled 40 weeks this year.” Sometimes he flies in from Canberra and spends little more than a dozen hours with Astra and young sons Asher and Tennyson before flying out again. “As long as I enjoy it and as long as my family is prepared to tolerate my long running absences I will keep doing it,” he says. “There hasn’t been a day when I thought to myself that I don’t want to be in politics and I want to quit.” As for his time in Government, versus his time in Opposition, Ciobo draws on an old political adage. “Your worst day in Government is still better than your best day in Opposition,"he says. "Now I didn’t make that up, but I certainly agree with it.”
BONDIES ON BOARD Steven Ciobo’s office has become a magnet for Bondies looking for a job. He currently has three fulltime staff and one part-time employee who are Bond alumni and over the years Ciobo says he has probably hired about a dozen. It’s part of the Moncrieff MP’s continued involvement with Bond University, including ties with the Bond Liberal Society. “I really value the environment that Bond nurtures,” says Ciobo. “It has a really strong commercial focus and there are great people at Bond. “The memory for me is that I got a lot of support as the young guy coming through. I have always really valued that and I have always tried to pay it back.”
www.arch.bond.edu.au
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FEATURE
SUMMER 2014
Peplow Ball spent her childhood championing a variety of charities, before entering tertiary education to make international aid her cause. She served as President of the United Nations Student Association while studying at Bond.
My work is focused on community education and engagement, and getting people out of preventative health issues
Among other initiatives she founded an annual week-long event, Aid for AIDS Week, which has contributed more than $20,000 to HIV and AIDS foundations worldwide since its inception. Since graduating in June 2014, Peplow Ball headed to Africa and she is currently working in eastern Uganda as part of an international fellowship program, which she was granted by American-based NGO Mama Hope.
“It’s also a matter of getting them to trust healthcare again after bad experiences, so we are trying to get our health members out in the community as much as possible to highlight they are professional, caring and friendly. “My work is focused on community education and engagement, and getting people out of preventative health issues – I think it’s going to change the face of the community and its 6000 residents.”
It is the first time an Australian has been awarded Mama Hope’s Global Advocate Fellowship, a leadership program for international workers.
Queensland Pride of Australia Medal winners including Karni Liddell (centre)
PRIDE
Of Bond THEY are inspirational and courageous young leaders, and they have risen up through Bond to become contenders for the 2014 Pride of Australia Medal. Ashleigh Peplow Ball, Karni Liddell and Nicole Gibson were the Bondies among this year’s pool of talent in the Queensland division of the Pride of Australia Medal, one of News Corp Australia’s leading community endeavours. The awards feature three state finalists across 10 categories. All three Bond alumni were recognised for their ambition to effect a genuine difference in the lives of others -
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Peplow Ball in the field of international development, Liddell in the area of disability, and Gibson in youth mental health. Peplow Ball, a finalist for the 2014 Queensland Pride of Australia Young Leader Medal, says she feels as though the work she is doing is exactly what she was put on this earth to do. “Being an empathetic person, I have always felt that if I have the capacity to assist, it is really an obligation and not just something I can turn away from,” she says. It’s a sentiment echoed by Liddell and Gibson.
“The great thing about Mama Hope is that it’s an end-to-end program – I raised the money for my project, then travelled to the community, and when I come back I will have to complete a report to show that the money was used efficiently,” says Peplow Ball.
Nicole Gibson
Peplow Ball’s project involves overseeing the construction of the Suubi Health Centre in Budondo. Before departing Australia in September, she raised $20,000 for the project through individual donations and a series of events on the Gold Coast and in her hometown of Adelaide. “The people in Budondo live quite a turbulent life in abject poverty,” says Peplow Ball. “The thing I have identified as most important is providing quality healthcare for mothers – we now have an amazing health centre set up but some locals are still hesitant about coming until they are on their death bed because of traditional fears.” Peplow Ball says the challenge is changing the perception about healthcare in the community. “The locals often don’t realise it’s more cost-effective for them to receive healthcare at the beginning of sickness, where it costs a couple of dollars for a few tablets, compared to a month down the track when it will cost $20 to treat,” she says.
Liddell, who was recently awarded the 2014 Queensland Pride of Australia Courage Medal, is living proof of this.
Peplow Ball believes a grassroots approach makes all the difference with social and environmental issues.
Gibson recently stepped into a Commissioner role with the National Mental Health Commission for her ongoing work with the Rogue & Rouge Foundation, which she launched in 2011 at just 18-years-old to break down the stigma surrounding mental health. She has implemented mental health programs in more than 300 schools Australia-wide to date, and while still in its pilot phase, every school that has taken on the program this year has already rebooked for next year. “The Commissioner role has totally reaffirmed to me the importance of grassroots change,” says Gibson, who recently took out the 2014 Queensland Pride of Australia Inspiration Medal. “Young people who have a genuine passion to make change genuinely believe in what they do, and are crazy enough to believe their wildest ideas will become a reality. They are the ones who will make a difference.”
Diagnosed with muscular dystrophy at 12 months, Liddell’s parents were told at the time that their child would never be able to walk and wouldn’t live past her teens. Liddell defied the odds and went on to break a swimming world record at age 14 and later score two bronze medals at the Paralympic Games in 1996 and 2000. She studied a Bachelor of Communication at Bond, graduating in 2005, and has dedicated her life to changing misconceptions about disability. Her campaigning has lately centred on challenging families to want a “happy” child rather than a “healthy” one, which has led to her recognition as the winner of the 2014 Queensland Pride of Australia Courage Medal. “I am trying to put the ability back in disability and convince people that having a disability really isn’t the worst thing that can happen – it’s not right on an individual level for disability to count as an automatic reduction and also not in the best interests of society. “Disability isn’t a niche market; it’s a mass market with 20 per cent of the population having some form – it’s likely, consistent, natural, and doesn’t discriminate.
Ashleigh Peplow Ball
“The best way to get people to connect to any cause is through education, but to do that they also need to be empathetic.” www.arch.bond.edu.au
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FEATURE
SUMMER 2014
Rinehart is credited with protecting and substantially growing HPPL into a significant player in the Australian resources sector. HPPL’s major developing asset is the Roy Hill iron ore project in Western Australia, and soon to become the country’s biggest mine. HPPL also controls the Alpha and Alpha West coal tenements in Queensland and is developing three mines at Hope Downs in a joint venture with Rio Tinto Iron Ore. Roy Hill has been in the pipeline since Rinehart became Chairman of HPPL and is only now coming close to fruition after an arduous process that Rinehart estimates required more than 5000 licences and approvals.
THE POWER of potential Gina Rinehart and daughter Ginia at the Roy Hill project
Gina Rinehart has a vision of our country, and its youth, that goes beyond the mining landscape.
GINA Rinehart is a name synonymous with business success – not least due to decades of dedication to building on the legacy left by her late father Lang Hancock. Yet Rinehart is a business leader like no other on the Australian corporate landscape. Certainly the prevailing image is that of being Australia’s richest individual, but during her early life growing up in northwest Australia she developed an even greater wealth - a life-long connection with northern Australia and a driving belief in its economic and cultural potential. It is the recognition of potential that has
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led Rinehart to privately support a great many causes across Australia. Like many who have an affinity with the land, Rinehart is no stranger to the hardships of life.
Along the way, Rinehart has been at the forefront of a number of firsts, including the largest commercial deal between Australia and India for the Queensland coal projects and the largest commercial deal between Australia and South Korea for the Roy Hill project. She also has been involved in the largest mainland resource-financing deal involving 19 banks, including the 11 largest banks in the world and five export credit agencies.
The Scholarship will allow two young Australian swimmers to study at Bond over three years, with financial support for tuition and living expenses to be provided as part of their scholarship package.
opportunities for them. This year her long-standing support of swimming was recognised when she was awarded the Australian Olympic Committee’s Order of Merit.
They will join a host of swimming stars who have studied at Bond, including Melanie Wright (nee Schlanger), Andrew Baildon, Grant Hackett, Chris Fydler, Jon Sieben and Daniel Kowalski.
Bond’s Vice-Chancellor and President, Professor Tim Brailsford, says the Georgina Hope Rinehart Swimming Excellence Scholarship will be among the most prestigious scholarships available in Australia.
“It is a privilege to be able to support these dedicated young Australians as they strive towards their goals to proudly represent our country,” says Rinehart. “They are quite an inspiration. They are hardworking and put in great effort over many years, and make sacrifices to get to the top and remain dedicated to excellence.
“Thanks to the generosity and passion of Gina Rinehart, this scholarship will provide an incredible opportunity for some aspiring high performance swimming scholars to compete at an elite level, whilst at the same time gain an outstanding education,” he says.
“Success in the pool has been an important driver of Australia’s national pride throughout our history.
“Bond University has a strong and proud association with elite athletes across many sports.
“Swimmers are ambassadors for our country and, potentially, future leaders.”
"This scholarship adds to our commitment to provide the skills and knowledge, support, mentoring and flexibility for athletes to perform to the best of their ability, and prepare them for a career beyond the pool.”
Rinehart has been a strong supporter of swimming for many years, along with her efforts to enhance the advancement of young people and promote more
The focus of her efforts and investments has been on major projects important to Australia. “It is an industry critical to Australia's future,” Rinehart said in a public speech in Darwin in November. The industry has recognised her efforts, bestowing on Rinehart numerous national and international awards, including the Diggers and Dealers Award which was won by her company twice, the first company to do so. This year her wholly-owned Australian company diversified with a $500 million investment in the Queensland dairy industry and expansion into cattle stations in WA’s Kimberley region.
She spent her childhood on sheep and cattle properties in the remote and rugged Pilbara region with her parents Lang and Hope Hancock.
Bond University last year awarded a prestigious Honorary Doctorate to Rinehart in recognition of her commitment and contribution to the Australian economy and to the wider community.
It was a hands-on outback life that 22 years ago helped her ease into the Chairmanship of Hancock Prospecting Group (HPPL), the company established by her late father.
This year, Rinehart has embraced Bond’s growing commitment to sporting excellence through the introduction of the Georgina Hope Rinehart Swimming Excellence Scholarship.
Chancellor Dr Helen Nugent AO and Vice-Chancellor Professor Tim Brailsford bestowing the Honorary Doctorate on Gina Rinehart
www.arch.bond.edu.au
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FEATURE
SUMMER 2014
Associate Professor Carmen Cox
Taking a
BOARD VIEW Bond University's Faculty of Business
Bond has developed a thriving culture of strong connections with the business community, and the benefits keep flowing.
THE mature-aged “student” sitting in the lecture hall settles into his chair and listens intently to the latest developments in big data. It is an area of the IT industry that is both challenging and exciting for Dr Kelvin Ross. He is not a student, but a former Chairman and current Member of the Informatics Advisory Board at Bond University. Attending classes is part of his brief as a Board Member. “It’s a new emerging area for industry, so I have sat in on a couple of classes out of personal interest to see what is being taught, and also to see how students are engaging with the curriculum,” Dr Ross says.
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connections between the academic staff, students and industry. Bond’s three Advisory Boards in the Faculty of Business, covering Informatics, Business and Hotel and Tourism, and overarching Business Board are making strides that are both enhancing career paths and delivering relevant learning experiences for students. Dr Ross says the Informatics Advisory Board, now chaired by Paul Detheridge, has developed a strong level of enthusiasm within its ranks. “We view the interaction with the University not just in terms of thought leadership and research, but also engagement with bright students.
Dr Ross is both an academic and a businessman, operating a software testing company for major corporate clients.
“It allows them to potentially get involved in projects with us and with our customers and to use that for their career path development.”
His engagement with Bond University is typical of many members of the Advisory Board program which is expanding
Victor Hoog Antink, the Chairman of Southbank Corporation and former CEO of DEXUS Property Group, says business
connections sometimes cut across academic disciplines due to a diversity of experience among members of all Advisory Boards.
Hotel and Tourism Advisory Board Chairman Judy Hill says Bond’s drive to develop strong industry connections has set it apart in the tertiary education sector.
Hoog Antink, the Chairman of the Business Advisory Board, is also a Non-Executive Director of Sands China, a hotel-resort operator in Macau and Hong Kong.
“In the past, universities have tended to sit in isolation,” says Hill, the Accommodation Division Manager at Queensland Hotels Association.
He says he is currently working on an initiative that could give students who are majoring in Hotel and Tourism opportunities for work experience through Sands China, a company that manages a portfolio over 9000 hotel rooms.
“It’s really important that academia understands that students are there to get a degree, but it is industry that is going to provide them with the opportunity to utilise that degree.
He says it is this sort of connectivity with the community that can lead to jobs, and he says he and other Board members are currently looking to enhance opportunities through their connections.
“It’s a two-way street because it’s just as important for the industry to embrace these students as it is for students to embrace the industry.”
Board Member is providing conduits into industry to look at getting closer ties and giving students opportunities.” Hoog Antink says the role also extends to a general advocacy for Bond and its strengths, as well as assisting in fundraising and scholarships. “We’re all advocates for Bond, singing the praises of the University and promoting the Business School both internally and externally,” he says. “I have been the beneficiary of a business school education. It has given me so many benefits in life and I just want to give something back.” Carmen Cox, the Associate Dean for External Engagement, sits on all three boards and says “all are achieving their goals in different ways”.
The Business Advisory Board is the newest at Bond. It has only been operating for two years, but already it has made its mark.
The Hotel and Tourism Advisory Board takes its place as the oldest of the three Advisory Boards at Bond, notably due to the University’s location in Australia’s tourism heartland.
Last year, the Board played a part in helping Bond's School of Business gain its AACSB accreditation.
“We have a range of industry experts on the Board, but it’s not just about hotels,” says Hill.
“Various members across these Boards have been very supportive and there are lots of examples of not only members going into classrooms, but also giving project ideas for students to work on for assessment,” she says.
“We were very supportive of Bond getting the accreditation last year - it’s a bit like getting a Moody’s AAA rating,” says Hoog Antink.
“There are theme parks and all kinds of experiential tourism such as Currumbin Wildlife Sanctuary that we can engage with. Some students have undertaken work experience and internships at Disney.”
“While Bond’s Advisory Boards are there to support the Faculty, they are also there to ensure that student experiences are the best they can be from an outcomes perspective.
Hill says the Advisory Board has also been instrumental in keeping the curriculum relevant to the industry, with the recent introduction of revenue management to the program.
“All three Boards present that value to the Faculty, but more importantly to the students. Networking is another explicit objective and students can meet board members on a regular basis.”
Relevance to industry is also a key focus for the Informatics Advisory Board.
All three Boards meet about three to four times a year on campus, allowing students to engage with members in a casual social setting.
“The interview process involved contact with the Advisory Board to ensure that the aspirations of the Board for the Business School are consistent with good practice in business school development worldwide. “This accreditation says to the world that Bond is on the map. We are AAA and Bond is among the best.” Hoog Antink says milestones such as these have helped Bond raise its profile globally, aided by the depth of international students attending the University. “Bond has come a long way,” he says “You have to remember that it’s in its infancy. It’s only 25 years old and already it is gaining reputation worldwide as a superior institution for supplying businessclass graduates.”
“The Board spends a considerable amount of time reviewing the curriculum and giving advice,” says Dr Ross. “For example, what are the trends in industry, what demands industry has for skills, where the future is and how does that translate back to the University for some of its curriculum planning? “Then on the flipside the value of the
Hill says a source of great satisfaction for her is seeing the transition of students as they progress through their courses. Hoog Antink describes it as a “very handson” approach to education. “We treat our students more like family,” he says. www.arch.bond.edu.au
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FEATURE
SUMMER 2014
ASX taps talent pool GREG Pill, the Manager of Equity Derivatives at Australian Securities Exchange, has recognised Bond University as a deep talent pool when it comes to recruiting tomorrow’s stockbroking stars.
Getting work ready Walt Disney World, Daydream Island and the Australian Securities Exchange are just some of the workplaces with internship opportunities offered at Bond University to help foster the development of work-ready skills for students and nurture business leaders. With the aim of exposing students to a range of local, national and international businesses, these exclusive partnerships assist the student transition from university to work placement through relevant industry experience.
The Bond alumnus, together with Associate Professor of Finance and Master of Finance/ Financial Management Director, Colette Southam, has established an exclusive internship opportunity for Bond students and says the program is different to many of those run by other institutions.
Living in a
DAYDREAM
MADDISON Gabriel’s dream of becoming a general manager of an international hotel is fast becoming a reality following a four-month internship at Daydream Island Resort and Spa on Queensland’s Great Barrier Reef. Completing the internship during the 2014 May Semester, the International Hotel and Tourism Management student says it was a great opportunity which has helped to further her professional development and has assisted in helping her to pursue her career goals. Gabriel worked across all departments during her internship, including front office, food and beverage and housekeeping, and was also given supervisory and managerial experience with department heads and senior management. Gabriel described the 16-week internship as an invaluable learning
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Pill emphasises that most internships on offer place students in multiple business units within an organisation to give basic exposure to the internal workings of each area. However, the ASX internship is more specialised within a given area to allow students greater exposure and depth of understanding for that business unit.
experience. “I believe it has given me a great deal of knowledge for my career in the hotel industry and has helped me become much more confident in my approach to managerial positions,” says Gabriel. “Each person I worked with taught me something valuable and staff were so dedicated to helping me learn and succeed from the experience. “I definitely recommend it to everyone studying International Hotel and Tourism Management at Bond – it is a great opportunity to get industry experience.” With one more semester to tackle before she graduates, Gabriel is dividing her time between study and working in the Executive Lounge at The Marriott – a position she was offered following her internship. Human Resources Manager at Daydream Island, Lee Mulholland,
says graduates often lack experience and the internship opportunity allows students to put into practice the theory they have been taught and assist with future employment.
“This is achieved by the student working on real business initiatives and analytics hand in hand with ASX specialist staff members to achieve a result or recommendation which can be implemented,” says Pill. “Hence, ASX’s program is designed to push the student to think and apply problemsolving skills to practical business situations using the knowledge base from their university studies. “Studying a university course doesn’t always prepare a student for the real workings of employment. The difference between how things theoretically work and practically work are very different. This practical experience is what students are being exposed to whilst undertaking an internship at ASX.” The ASX, which lists companies with a
total market capitalisation of around $1.5 trillion, is home to some of the world’s leading resource, finance and technology groups. Its $47 trillion interest rate derivatives market is the largest in Asia and among the biggest in the world. Master of Finance student Ben O’Brien was one of the first students to take advantage of the ASX internship and witnessed firsthand the trials and tribulations of working in one of the world’s leading financial market exchanges. O’Brien had a vision of complete mayhem – a relic of the past when stock exchanges involved brokers calling out quotes and chalkers scribbling them on the boards. O’Brien says he was taken aback by the calmness of the environment. “Now as it is all done electronically, there is no pit floor. I thought maybe when the share market opened and closed, ASX employees may celebrate, but it was very mellow,” says O’Brien. “Often it was so quiet I didn’t even know the market had opened until I looked at the time and realised it was past 10am.” O’Brien encourages Master of Finance students to apply for the opportunity. “University gives a strong theoretical base of knowledge, but in practice that knowledge may be implemented far differently to how a student at university envisions,” says O’Brien. “This is why work experience and internships are such an invaluable opportunity for a student, as they provide applications of subject material covered at university that university studies cannot possibly canvas.”
Mulholland says the partnership with Bond is not only a benefit for students but a benefit for Daydream Island. “We have been very fortunate to have great students that have become ambassadors for Daydream Island Resort and Spa,” says Mulholland. “We would welcome them back to work with us again and look forward to welcoming our next intern to Daydream Island Resort and Spa.” Bond Hospitality and Tourism students have also completed internships at a range of international organisations including Disneyland, the Marriott Group and the Intercontinental Hotel Group.
Ben O'Brien
www.arch.bond.edu.au
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FEATURE
SUMMER 2014
Business links CONNECTING with industry has always been a focus for Bond University, and Business Links is one initiative supporting this drive. Business Links, hosted quarterly by the Faculty of Business since 2011, is regarded as a Masterclass series of informative presentations from Australian and international business experts. Associate Professor Carmen Cox, Associate Dean of External Engagement, says Business Links is one of Bond’s key external series and has facilitated a number of gainful relationships. “Business Links is a great networking opportunity for our students and staff to connect with industry, and we have seen it become quite a useful source of partnerships being built around work experience and internships over the years,” says Associate Professor Cox. “As an educational business institution, we have a commitment to the business community to share our knowledge, and we also have an interest in what business education is actually contributing to their businesses.” CPA Australia is the industry sponsor of Business Links, one of the largest accounting bodies hosting more than 130,000 members worldwide. These members have the opportunity to attend Business Links in return for credit towards their minimum requirement of 20 Continuing Professional Development hours each year. “The typical invite process for these events is through the CPA membership network, with their Gold Coast Chair circulating the invites, and then we have a network of between 400 to 500 industry partners who have been involved with Bond and the Faculty of Business over the last five years,” says Associate Professor Cox. Business Links generally profiles keynote speakers, such as CPA Australia and Silicon Lakes, balanced with internal speakers including Professor of Actuarial Science Terence O’Neill and Assistant Professor of Entrepreneurship Baden U’Ren. Topics this year have included financial health, innovation and start-ups on the Gold Coast. Each event attracts up to 100 attendees.
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ACTUARIAL SCIENCE PROGRAM FILLS GAP BOND University has filled a major gap in Queensland’s tertiary sector through the introduction of an Actuarial Science program. Heading up the Actuarial Science department in the Faculty of Business is Professor Terence O’Neill, one of Australia’s leading academic authorities in the field and one of the most in-demand statistical consultants to government, industry bodies, corporations and the tertiary education sector. The Stanford University graduate has 26 years’ experience at Australian National University in Canberra, where he served as Director of the Research School of Finance, Actuarial Studies and Applied Statistics. Professor O’Neill says actuarial science is coming into greater prominence in business, and its use is broadening in scope due to the exponential growth and availability of data. “The launch of Bond’s degree programs in Actuarial Science will go a long way towards addressing the geographically limited availability of education in a field that is emerging as a key growth sector in the AsiaPacific region,” says Professor O’Neill. “Fortunately Bond, being a boutique institution, can develop programs that truly reflect the current technological, theoretical and psychological practicalities of the employment environment. "Actuaries have been identified as some of the few professionals with the deep analytical skills necessary to analyse big data, and predictions suggest there will
be a massive shortfall in skilled big data talent in the coming years.” Macquarie University was the first Australian university to launch an actuarial science program 40 years ago, followed by Australian National University 25 years ago.
Executive Dean of Business, Professor Mark Hirst
Professor O’Neill says it has since been introduced by six other Australian universities, but there has been a noticeable absence in Queensland. “It was a no-brainer to me, but one that I put down to universities being cautious,” says Professor O’Neill. “Queensland hosts a large proportion of the Australian population, a number of reputable universities and offers a great lifestyle. “It’s exciting to build programs from the ground up and I signed up with Bond because they are bold and share that vision. "We are seizing the opportunity, and aren’t doing things piecemeal either.” Professor O’Neill says discussions for a Bond University Actuarial Science program began last year.
Professor Terence O'Neill Ross Sorbello, Jason New, Associate Professor Colette Southam
and prime benefit super schemes, and also emerging areas including data analytics, big data and data science. He says opportunities for actuaries stretch across a broad range of industries, with graduates typically securing high graduate starting salaries and unemployment rates traditionally very low.
Bond will offer a Bachelor of Actuarial Science for undergraduate students from January 2015, and a Master of Actuarial Practice and Actuarial Science for postgraduate students from September 2015.
“The Actuarial Science program at Bond functions like a science degree with a lot of math, paying particular attention to traditional areas such as finance, which is incorporated into the degree as a major,” says Professor O’Neill.
Professor O’Neill says students will have the opportunity to enter into traditional actuarial employment located within areas such as life insurance
“Actuarial science has grown to the extent where it involves managing risk in all areas, and is now equally about managing opportunity.
“In the finance sector, for instance, the huge volume of electronic transactions has triggered strong demand for experts such as actuaries who can identify the transactions most at risk of financial fraud. “There are also a lot of potential opportunities in marketing where vast amounts of personal data are mined to develop targeted advertising platforms and personalised messaging.” In addition to launching Actuarial Science at Bond, Professor O’Neill will establish the new Centre for Actuarial Research with two current Australian Research Council projects. One project examines how prepared people are for retirement and the other analyses Treasury bonds.
Actuarial Science program launch
www.arch.bond.edu.au
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FEATURE
CAREER
EVOLUTION Steve Sargent reflects on pivotal career moments, leadership, and working for one of the world’s most admired companies.
STEVE Sargent knows a thing or two about leadership. The Australian-born executive has more than 20 years’ experience within GE, having held senior positions within an array of industries across four continents. But he credits his success to growing up in an organisation with an evolutionary culture that gives its employees opportunities to grow themselves, their careers and GE’s businesses around the globe. Before joining GE, Sargent began his career with Westpac Banking Corporation in Australia and later New York City in the late 1980s. At the time, it was the dream move for the budding executive, taking him to the epicentre of the financial services industry - although it did come with some apprehension. “When I first arrived, I had a view that Americans were better, smarter, and faster, and I questioned whether I would be good enough,” says Sargent. It didn’t take him long to find he could hold his own in the Big Apple.
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“I had a ball there. I was working 100 hours a week, but was also learning and having a lot of fun. I was 28 years old, and life was good.”
Welch was introducing an emerging quality program known as Six Sigma to GE, and he called on Sargent to lead and implement it for GE Capital.
He had been with Westpac for 10 years, and had settled down with his Brooklynborn wife, before opportunity raised its head again in 1993, when Sargent garnered the attention of GE. He was invited to join GE Capital – the global financial services division of GE.
Six Sigma is a statistically based business improvement and operating methodology for running a business, and Welch wanted it implemented from the “top down”. It is said to have reaped GE $1 billion in cost savings in the first two years.
“I decided to join GE knowing it would be a totally different experience,” says Sargent. “GE was then, and it is today, one of the most admired companies on the planet, and I knew I would be measured against the best.”
“That was a situation where for the first time in my career I was no longer the content expert,” he says.
He stood the test, working with what he says were “extraordinary people doing wonderful things” and laying the groundwork for a 21-year career with GE that would lead him to global leadership positions within different industries and across four continents. GE operates in more than 100 countries, and traces its beginnings to Thomas Edison. The company has stayed competitive for more than a century, delivering solutions in aviation, healthcare, energy, mining, transportation, oil and gas and financial services. Sargent, a Member of the Bond University Council, has recently been appointed President and CEO of GE Mining, GE’s global mining technology and services business. Previously, he was President and CEO of GE Australia and New Zealand (the region is GE’s third largest in the world in terms of revenue), and he led GE Capital across Asia Pacific. In 2008, he became the first Australian to be appointed a Vice President and Officer of the General Electric Company. “I’ve learned a lot from hundreds of people in GE,” says Sargent. “It is a company that embraces change and sees change as an opportunity… not a threat.” He points to GE’s reputation as one of the world’s best companies for developing leaders. GE was recently ranked number one in the world in the 2014 Aon Hewitt Top Companies for Leaders survey. “The wonderful thing about this company is that you are always learning every day. It’s an open-learning, sharing, and transparent culture. You can learn from anyone.” Sargent had exposure to Jack Welch, the former CEO of GE, who is credited as one of the most successful CEOs of the 80s and 90s. It was during the mid-90s, and at Welch’s request, that Sargent received the first real test of his leadership ability.
Sargent was thrown into the deep end.
“Up until then I always knew as much or more about what we were doing than anyone else. “But there’s always a time when you probably know the least (and this was one of them). They’re great situations to put yourself in because that’s when you can only flex your ‘leadership muscles’ because you have nothing else to lever.” Sargent says it was a pivotal moment in his career. “Not only because it allowed me to see the breadth of GE, but it taught me a lot about how to drive a business, improve a business and operate a business - and how to drive human behaviour, which is what we are trying to do as leaders.” Up until then, Sargent structured deals worth hundreds of millions of dollars. The deals had to be approved by the board, which gave him exposure to the leadership team on a regular basis. Sargent says he made those moments count. “At every point in your life, people are developing perceptions of you, and you want to make sure it is the perception you want,” he says. “When you get those opportunities of exposure, you have to take advantage of them and hopefully don’t stick your foot in your mouth.” Sargent found a platform where he could shine, but he says none of it would have been worth it without what he says was a strong culture and value system within GE. “In GE, how you do things is just as important, if not more important, than what you do,” he says. “I found a perfect alignment between the company’s values and my own principles. It has always made it a very comfortable place to work, and a place that has always felt like home." Sargent lists “authenticity” as his greatest strength. “To be a good leader you need to engage and connect with people. You need to put others first. I care about people, and I think a lot about how we drive human
behaviour. Business is a mass of individuals, and mass of relationships and emotions… not only within your own company, but with your customers, suppliers, governments and community groups. It’s about how you help everyone understand about where we are going, why we are going there and what they can do to help us get there.” Sargent eventually returned to his home town Sydney in 2003 to head GE Capital in Australia and New Zealand. Earlier this year he was given a new challenge as President and CEO of GE Mining. “It’s a fascinating industry that GE has been in for quite some time, and an industry we want to get much bigger in,” he says. Another highlight this year was Sargent’s inclusion in the B20 and G20 Summit held in Brisbane. Sargent is a member of the Australian B20 Leadership Group and Co-ordinating Chair of the B20 Human Capital Taskforce – one of four taskforces set up for the B20 by Prime Minister Tony Abbott. “It was another one of those situations where I was not the ‘domain expert’ and you can only rely on your leadership muscles. It was a lot of hard work trying to align 60 business leaders from 20 countries. In the end I was very pleased and very proud of what was achieved not only by the G20 but by the B20. Most of the recommendations we have made have been adopted by the G20 and will be implemented. “All the feedback we got was excellent. The Government and the business community have taken the G20 to a whole new level… all Australians should feel proud of that achievement.” The taskforce undertook a review of vocational education, improvements to university education, the relationship with industry and government, and how to improve jobs growth. Education is an area in which Sargent has a deep interest, and one that led him to accept his appointment as Member of the Bond University Council five years ago. Sargent first engaged with Bond through his business connections with former Chancellor Trevor Rowe AO. The strength of the ties firmed up when friend Dr Helen Nugent AO became Chancellor shortly after he was asked to join the Council. Sargent says he enjoys interacting with Bond students and has addressed a Master of Business Administration class on campus. “I love the energy of the organisation. It’s so palpable, and the students and the Faculty are outstanding.” www.arch.bond.edu.au
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ALUMNI
SUMMER 2014
BSE Law founder Matt Burgess, second from left, with fellow alumni and Bondies Jeremy Fitzpatrick, Blake McDonald, Tara McMillan, Camille Talur, Girish Sawlani, Dan Tyshynski and James Diamond
Playing a
DIFFERENT GAME WORKING from an office in Coolangatta, Burgess Sport and Entertainment Law (BSE Law) founder Matt Burgess is forging partnerships with sports and entertainment agents in Los Angeles and London, and securing deals across sports codes in Australia. Aged just 30, Burgess is quick to point to his age posing the biggest challenge in setting up the firm four years ago, but not in the way most would expect. “The main challenge in the early days was convincing industry professionals to look at my experience and that my age wasn’t an issue,” says Burgess. “I was so opposed to this affecting their decision to do business with me that I avoided questions on my age continually so it wouldn’t hinder the respect they had for my work.” Burgess grew up in Newcastle and went to school in Sydney before relocating to the Gold Coast for a Bachelor of Laws at Bond University. He found his niche in sports and entertainment law while studying, taking on a job with a local firm specialising in the field. Burgess says he felt the urge to go his own way some time later, more as a matter of compulsion and natural drive. Like many entrepreneurs, his vision was binding and a guiding force.
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“I was presented with a situation that the firm I was doing sport and entertainment work through was merging with another firm, so the only options in my mind were to work for this commercial firm or start my own practice,” says Burgess.
“My core group of experienced experts and I co-ordinate the work, then we use experts around the world depending on what we need. I talk about my firm operating like a spider web, as opposed to following a hierarchical structure.”
“It started with me just wanting to continue my passion and it was a nobrainer for me, but certainly not what anyone expected, which is what I really liked.
Burgess believes the strategy has aided his success in the United Kingdom and United States, where he is increasingly securing clients, the most recent of which is a Los Angeles film producer.
“There was also opportunity in the market, as there weren’t any other sports and entertainment law firms in Australasia operating in quite the same way as I intended to.”
Burgess forecasts 50 per cent revenue growth for the year ahead, and expects these markets will contribute significantly to this target.
Burgess says there are few firms offering these services in the region, none of which are employing a “network of experts” and instead are adopting a more traditional structure. Burgess says BSE Law’s structure is different from any law firm he knows. He doesn’t have any full-time lawyers on his payroll, yet he is able to service clients all over the world. He says the idea was born out of disenchantment with traditional firms, and a desire to push egos out of business. “BSE Law runs like a network of experts rather than having partners at the top, paralegals at the bottom, and everyone at different levels in-between,” says Burgess.
“Clients in these markets have faith in us because we aren’t only specialists in the legal expertise they require, but are also versed in the way they go about doing business,” says Burgess, who adds that more clients are engaging his legal services through LinkedIn. “A lot of the work we do for clients actually involves social media which suits our structure, considering my team are experts at navigating these platforms.” Burgess says his education at Bond opened his eyes to the way industries could be innovated, and because of this he is committed to paying it forward. A number of Bond University alumni have completed the practical component of their Professional Legal Training (PLT) or
work experience through BSE Law, with a handful currently engaged. “Bond definitely encouraged entrepreneurial thought in me and I find this exact same quality in Bondies I recruit in any capacity,” says Burgess. “They have a willingness to think laterally and independently, and there is a real mutual understanding that the focus at work should be about properly following a job through rather than just progressing up the corporate ladder, which I’ve found to be so important when working in an unconventional workplace like mine. “When you are surrounded by other free thinkers and hard workers, you trust your instincts more and things really fall into place.” If Burgess didn’t trust his instincts, his newest business venture would never have come to fruition. In March this year, Burgess launched BSE Agent Accreditation Scheme (BSEAAS), the first industrywide sports and entertainment agent accreditation in Australia and New Zealand. Dan Tyshynski, the General Manager of BSEAAS, is also a Bond alumni who met Burgess through a Sports Law class and later came on board at BSE Law. “Matt was a guest lecturer for the class which I was undertaking for my Master of Business Law,” says Tyshynski. “It was really interesting to see a practical
application and we got on really well, bonding over our love for surfing, and Matt then started to assume a mentor role before he then hired me to help out with the practice. “It’s an ideal position because I can speak and understand the legalese, while being able to hone in on the commercial side of the firm, which is where my passion really lies.” BSEAAS required rethinking industry conventions and took more than four years to develop through negotiations with athletes, talent management agencies, professional sporting codes and player associations. “Just like real estate agents are bound by a code of conduct, we have created a nationwide standard for sports and entertainment agents, coaches and managers,” says Burgess. “This is the first time within Australia that an attempt has been made to develop relevant course work for the industries, while aiming to also apply the highest ethical standards to the field.
The workshops have attracted a diverse group from current students to parents of elite athletes and talent. One current student, Blake McDonald, has already signed three athletes on his books under BSEAAS guidance with another deal soon to come to fruition. The topics of financial planning, tax advice, sponsorship, brand management and public relations are covered, as well as other items such as contract law, postcareer development and regulation such as anti-doping. At the end of the course, participants sit exams and are then provided with access to ongoing support including an online portal. Burgess has had positive discussions with the AFLPA, PGA Australia and Tennis Australia since launching the business. It has also proven popular with nextgeneration agents, who have signed the BSEAAS Code of Conduct to launch their career.
“All that we had in Australia were single code standards, like those within the AFL and rugby league, but nothing branching across all sports and entertainment."
“The goal is to increase the number of agents we accredit but also eventually partner with different sports and build something for them to take as their own accreditation scheme,” says Burgess.
The BSEAAS program runs as a two-day intensive course. The inaugural event was held at Bond in March and the second course ran in October.
“We’ve had huge support from experts and very positive responses from major sporting codes which are keen to promote the scheme and get involved.” www.arch.bond.edu.au
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ALUMNI
SUMMER 2014
Gold Coast Demo Day participants with Tres West and Assistant Professor Baden U'ren (centre)
When you come into an accelerator, you realise that there's a whole bunch of people like you going through the same challenges.
Entrepreneur splash by alumni BOND University alumni have
made their mark in this year’s Gold Coast Young Entrepreneur Awards with five named as finalists. The awards, hosted by Business News Australia and sponsored by Bond's Faculty of Business, attracted the highest number of entries since launching in 2008.
Rachel Flowers and Samantha Bradbury’s Asha The Label aims to empower young Indian women through employment and training by using a socially responsible business model.
BOND BUSINESS shifts gears FROM helping new car buyers secure the best deal to exporting camels, Bond University is helping budding entrepreneurs take their business to the next level. Funded by the Faculty of Business, the Bond Business Accelerator (BBA) cultivates the growth of six start-ups to see their innovative ideas come to fruition. During the 12-week program, the students and alumni teams access invaluable mentoring, networking opportunities and the chance to win $5000 funding and tour technology hub Silicon Valley in the US. The Australian Centre for Family Business, the long-established centre within the Faculty, has been influential in bringing the BBA to life. The 20-year history and industry engagement and invaluable connections has supported the development of the program. Continuing the success earlier this year of the first version, INCUBATE, Assistant
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“We had a whole range, from initial pure concepts to businesses that had been operational for 18 months already,” Assistant Professor U’Ren says. “For Service, the benefit behind this kind of program has been about building discipline and analysis in the background of their business to help them grow very quickly. “Sprout, for example, is all about the initial business concept and figuring out where they actually sit in the market.
diverse range of industries.
“One of our start-ups, VirtuReal, has actually withdrawn from the research program to focus on his business.”
In the online sphere, Deal Driver, which was developed by Lachlan Crane and David Crane, helps new car buyers save time and money, while Mitch Pierias’ Sprout is a new social network that adapts to your life.
The BBA is run in conjunction with the Start Up Really Fast accelerator (SURF), operated by Gold Coast non-profit Silicon Lakes and supported by the City of Gold Coast.
Pierias travelled to Silicon Valley as a part of the program and visited the offices of Facebook and Google to gain an insight into how they operate.
Weeks of training for both programs culminated in a series of five-minute pitches during Gold Coast Demo Day held at Bond University.
One of the most advanced businesses, Service by Edwin Horwood, Daniel Kerr, Jacob Banks and Dexter Devlin, is a website offering users multiple quotes on trades and services.
The team from Service was awarded $5000 to put towards the venture, while health app BattleFit from SURF won a virtual office for a year valued at $20,000 from WOTSO WorkSpace.
“That’s where the big advances in start-ups really happen.”
Global Agricultural Exports (Globalex), spearheaded by Jackson Johnson, facilitates a sustainable camel industry that is opposed to culling and instead exports camels and camel products.
Assistant Professor U’Ren says one of the biggest benefits about participating in business programs like this is the sense of community.
The BBA accommodates businesses from different stages of the lifecycle from conception to operation, as well as from a
Jeremy Orr’s VirtuReal is in the initial phase of creating a totally immersive virtual reality experience for education and training.
Professor of Entrepreneurship Dr Baden U’Ren and Program Manager Tres West ensured it returned better than ever. Assistant Professor U’Ren has returned from a stint in the US where he studied a business accelerator course at Stanford University and observed a successful program in action at Northeastern University. “Collaboration is actually the most important part, far outweighing the knowledge you can be exposed to,” Assistant Professor U’Ren says. “There’s the information side of things but the environment encourages the development. The network of people supporting you can encourage and challenge you.
“A lot of start-ups are isolated to begin with and sit a little bit to the left of centre. But when you come into an accelerator, you realise that there’s a
whole bunch of people like you going through the same challenges and exposed to the same sort of conditions. “On top of that is the people they get to meet, people they wouldn’t have had a chance of running across in the past.” The BBA has set the groundwork for the participants, and the opportunities are endless. For instance, Hollie Gordon from the inaugural program has been accepted into the 1776 Challenge Cup in Washington. The prestigious competition identifies the most promising businesses solving global issues and provides workshops and roundtable meetings with prominent investors. Gordon's online social venture Milaana connects university students with internship programs that benefit the community and was only one of four Australian start-ups to be selected. Assistant Professor U’Ren hopes that all of the start-ups move forward with two key lessons - self-belief and customer development. “If there’s two things I really want to put out there, it’s have faith in yourself because you have more knowledge in your product than anyone does and, secondly, to separate yourself from the business and think of it as a bit of a science experiment,” he says. “In reality, it’s about not prioritising your own point of view and getting out of the building and actually talking to customers to incorporate their views into what your value proposition is. “If you’re able to separate yourself from thinking it’s the best thing since sliced bread and put some evidence behind it and test it in the market, you’ll be able to see if other people think it is or not.”
Among the Bondies who made the finals were Shaun Rose, Emma Howard, Samantha Davies, Matt Burgess and Jurgen Himmelmann. Himmelmann, who owns and operates The Global Work and Travel Co., won the Professional Services category of the awards which were announced in October. Himmelmann says he developed the idea of a business helping young travellers find work while overseas, shortly after completing his Bachelor of Property and Sustainable Development. He says travel is one of his biggest passions and he drew on his father’s experience in international recruitment to establish the business in 2008. Fellow Bondy Shaun Rose set up his own practice, Rose Litigation Lawyers, last year after more than 10 years as a lawyer. Emma Howard was nominated in the Innovation category with her business Equilibrium Health utilising technology to treat patients. Samantha Davies was noted for her niche venture Unforgettable Proposals and Matt Burgess for his sports and entertainment practice BSE Law.
www.arch.bond.edu.au
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Professor Jeffrey Brand and 3 Minute Thesis 2014 winner, Bridget Abell
A BURNING ISSUE
Research Week raises the bar RESEARCH Week had its strongest participation in its three-year tenure thanks to an improved take-up of higher degree research (HDR) at Bond in recent years. Bond University Communication and Creative Media Professor, Jeffrey Brand, says Bond’s position in the research world is being raised and the calibre of work on display at 2014 Research Week in September reflected this. Professor Brand, who is also the Chair of the Bond University Higher Degree Research Subcommittee, says there has been a 30 per cent growth in HDR enrolments at Bond over the past two years. Over this time, Research Week has equally become more prominent in the community. “We spent a lot of time communicating the importance of HDR last year in particular, and now it seems to be paying off,” says Professor Brand. “We have 210 HDR students at Bond University today, to the tune of more than 25 enrolments per year, and in 2014 more than 50 new HDR students enrolled.
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“For the number of staff at Bond University, we do really well and definitely punch above our weight.” Many of these 210 students were involved in 2014 Research Week through 14 separate events including the Bond University Women’s Network Research Breakfast, Business Links and an educative lunch with Maggie Beer. Of these 210 students, 18 directly participated in the 3 Minute Thesis Competition, which has been a popular regular on the Research Week program since the initiative’s inception. The 3 Minute Thesis Competition involved students across all four Bond University Faculties – Business, Health Sciences & Medicine, Law and Society & Design – delivering three-minute presentations of their theses accompanied by one presentation slide each. “It was without question the highest standard and largest selection of students the 3 Minute Thesis Competition has seen to date,” says Professor Brand. “In a little over an hour, 18 competitors
presented high-level ideas in an exceptionally high-quality manner. “Everyone honestly left the room more informed and intelligent than when they entered, which is exactly what university should do.” Professor Brand says the audience was larger than expected, with the room requiring extra chairs to seat more than 90 spectators. Competitors employed lateral thought to deliver their ideas, melding both humour and hard facts to leave a lasting impact. The winning student, Bridget Abell from the Health Sciences & Medicine Faculty, spoke on the topic of "Research, reality and rehabilitation: The heart of the matter" and went on to compete at the TransTasman 3 Minute Thesis Final in Perth on November 3. Runner-up was Laura-Leigh CameronDow from the Law Faculty and People’s Choice Award went to Health Sciences & Medicine’s Ray Moynihan. Voting this year was more competitive than ever with every participant scoring votes from the audience.
ARSON is estimated to cost the Australian economy $1.62 billion annually, with the emotional and psychological impacts even more devastating.
information which would help both assessment and treatment,” Assistant Professor Watt says.
In Queensland 349 people were charged with deliberately lighting a fire between 2011 and 2012, with 133 offenders aged 16 years and under.
“Some of the important implications relate to findings that juveniles who were most likely to light a fire have a history of other sorts of anti-social behaviour, such as being involved in fights and property damage.”
The youth demographic represents 11 per cent of Australia’s overall population, whereas in terms of arson that group accounts for 38 per cent of cases.
Survey participants were selected from two key sections in the community, including private schools and those involved with youth justice services.
Bond University Assistant Professor of Psychology Dr Bruce Watt engaged in a study to investigate the prevalence of fire setting among adolescents.
Assistant Professor Watt says almost two thirds of juveniles involved with the justice system had previously lit fires, while 40 per cent from the general community admitted to the practice.
The collaboration with the Australian Centre for Arson Research and Treatment and Youth Forensic Outreach Service was one of the largest research exercises undertaken in the country. The study surveyed 274 people aged under 18 years across urban and regional centres in south-east Queensland in 2012. Assistant Professor Watt says by gaining an insight into anti-social behaviour, service providers could work to reduce deliberate fire lighting. “Our goal was to identify further
“One of the most concerning findings is that from both samples one in five juveniles said they had lit 10 or more fires in the past,” he says. “That’s quite a high frequency rate at 20 per cent of the juveniles. We also found that they were most likely to set fire to outdoor plants, trees and other large objects. “Given the climate we have in Queensland, as well as throughout Australia, the potential for it to get out of control is quite concerning.”
Fire-setting behaviour also constituted 80 per cent of juveniles playing with matches, including two respondents admitting they had started fires that got out of control this way. The most common reasons behind the behaviour was to relieve boredom and because their peers were doing it, without any regard for the potential devastating consequences that might occur. “The findings and all of our ongoing research at Bond University will help tailor interventions for those young people who are lighting fires, but also for education purposes to raise awareness for young people and also their parents,” Assistant Professor Watt says. “We know a lot of fire-lighting behaviour occurs without parents’ knowledge and if we can raise people’s awareness and encourage greater levels of supervision that can reduce the opportunity for this to occur.” The study findings were published in the Journal of Legal and Criminological Psychology earlier this year by The British Psychological Society. www.arch.bond.edu.au
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FEATURE
SUMMER 2014
FATAL attraction AUSTRALIANS have a love of, and affinity with, the water. However, Bond Associate Professor Daryl McPhee has uncovered new research which could deter some surfers and swimmers from the ocean. Over the past three decades, Australia has recorded the highest number of fatal shark bites globally with 32 recorded deaths documented between 1982 and 2011. In addition, the number of unprovoked shark bites has tripled with surfers bitten more than any other water user. The research has found 63 surfers suffering shark bites compared to 44 swimmers and 26 scuba divers in that time. Associate Professor Daryl McPhee says his initial work looked at shark nets and drumlines and concluded they should not be implemented due to the potential environmental impacts. This led to an analysis of the phenomenon of unprovoked shark bites. “The findings of the latter were that shark bites were increasing and this increase was above human population growth.” He says although the number of fatal shark bites is higher in Australia than any other country, there is still a very slim chance that water users will come head to head with these predatory creatures.
The white shark is behind the highest number of unprovoked fatal shark bites globally and prevalent in Australia.
“You have more chance of dying while driving to the beach than you do from sharks at the beach,” says Associate Professor Daryl McPhee. “Nonetheless, our evolutionary history to a degree preconditions us to fear sharks more than, for example, driving. We did not evolve with cars.” Associate Professor Daryl McPhee says there are a number of factors that can be attributed to the high number of fatalities. “The type and size of sharks found in Australian waters is believed to be a factor. Australia has the three shark species commonly implicated in unprovoked shark bites – the bull, tiger and white sharks, with the white shark behind the highest number of unprovoked fatal shark bites globally and prevalent in Australia. "Where the species responsible could be identified, the white shark was responsible for 41 of the 171 recorded bites over the period of the study, with 46.3 per cent of these proving fatal, with white, tiger and bull sharks behind the majority of unprovoked bites."
Associate Professor McPhee recently returned from Monaco where he met Prince Albert II and various European Union politicians to address unprovoked shark bites at the French territory of Reunion Island. “Part of what I discussed related to how standard techniques of public environmental education may not work as well as expected for shark conservation due to the nature of the fear itself,” he says. “I also discussed the political ecology of Australia’s approach to addressing unprovoked shark bites.” Associate Professor Daryl McPhee praised Bond on its excellent research facilities which helped to unveil these findings. “Bond has provided the multidisciplinary working environment, where environmental science for management can prosper," he says. “Environmental science for management is the linchpin of 21st Century thinking.” Associate Professor Daryl McPhee
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www.arch.bond.edu.au
www.arch.bond.edu.au
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FEATURE
SUMMER 2014
solving
suffered severe reactions to a drug while a similar drug had already been tested with the same conclusion. However, the results were never published because the company had ceased development on the drug.
WASTED research
Non-publication is the main form of wasted medical research, but poor reporting contributes to the issue as well. Professor Glasziou says key details of an experiment are often excluded when published in a medical journal and researchers aren’t able to replicate the findings. “For example, the Mediterranean Diet study was published recently with a minimalised trial of about 10,000 people, half on the diet and half on their usual diet,” he says. “It showed fewer heart attacks and strokes on the Mediterranean Diet but the description in the main paper in which it was published didn’t describe what the diet was or how they got people to shift to it. “It’s not as simple as saying you’ve got to eat more like a Mediterranean, there were various food substitutions and a checklist on which to score yourself that required continuous monitoring. “They did have a website with information, but it was in Spanish. We’ve translated that and used the article to eventually piece together something that would be usable by a doctor recommending this to a patient.”
A BOND University study into the consequences of global health and medical research being poorly reported is making waves internationally. Director for the Centre for Research in Evidence-Based Practice (CREBP) Professor Paul Glasziou has pioneered the investigation into the avoidable waste in research and resources, particularly in nonpharmaceutical interventions. Professor Glasziou and his colleague in the UK, Sir Iain Chalmers, published a paper in 2009 that calculated of the $200 billion spent on medical research each year, about 85 per cent is wasted. He conservatively estimates that this equates to $100 billion in misused funding
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and grants, which stems mainly from nonpublication of findings. To assist with developing solutions for the issue, Professor Glasziou has been awarded a grant from the National Health and Medical Research Council for $836,915 to continue his work for the next five years. He was one of 25 people to receive the Senior Principal Research Fellowship, the financial support is a significant boost as the CREBP relies on external funding.
In an effort to mitigate the issue, the CREBP has produced the Handbook of Non-Drug Intervention which is available on the Royal Australian College for General Practitioners’ website.
not just a deliberate withholding of results which can happen with drug company research,” he says.
Professor Glasziou says about 25 entries have been compiled and the Mediterranean Diet has been the most downloaded.
“If you’ve got 10 studies going on and one turns out to be really positive, the other nine can be neglected with some findings eventually coming out, but some don’t. “The problem is people go and repeat the research and that’s a huge waste for the whole system.”
Professor Glasziou says the issue needs to be at the forefront of medical funding, as the effects are potentially fatal – not just economic.
Researchers can unknowingly replicate failed experiments or trials and Professor Glasziou says one case in the UK resulted in several people being hospitalised and two deaths.
“It happens for all sorts of reasons, it’s
During the dose-testing phase, patients
Professor Paul Glasziou
Along with CREBP colleague Dr Tammy Hoffman, Professor Glasziou investigated more than 130 clinical trials featured in the top six medical journals. They discovered that the majority of reports left out crucial information about the experimental method used and are working with several major editors to develop a checklist for reviewers to follow when assessing a submission.
“We’re publicising that to authors to make them more aware, but we’re also pushing the journals to use it as well,” says Professor Glasziou. “The other thing for effective nondrug interventions is trying to get those descriptions from the authors and in a sense salvage the ones that have been badly reported and add them to the Handbook of Non-Drug Interventions.” Another contributing factor to wasted research is the lengthy process involved to assess the findings of similar studies. A systematic review involves “ploughing through thousands or tens of thousands” of references and collating relevant studies and data, which can take up to two years to process. “It is redundant research where you could have answered a question based upon the previous research if you had collected it all together,” says Professor Glasziou. “One of the main things we’re working on is to automate the process of doing systematic reviews by teaching a machine to do a lot of the simple legwork. “We’ve been developing the software and working with some partners in New South Wales to automate this process and we’re making good headway on that. “We hope that in a couple of years we’ll have significantly shortened the time to do one and, again, that’s a way of reducing waste. People will do them much more often if they have the technology to do so.” With the assistance of software developer Dr Matt Carter and PhD student John Rathbone to judge the accuracy of the information, the CREBP hopes to reduce the time it takes to conduct a systematic review to two weeks. The software has been under development for the past 18 months and the process will be ongoing as technology continues to advance. Professor Glasziou’s research has generated global attention, propelled by a series of five papers published in leading medical journal The Lancet. As a result, a national health fund in the UK has set up regular meetings to monitor wasted research, a research council in France has held a special conference, as well as interest from a major German research fund and health institute in the US. Professor Glasziou says a three-day meeting will be held in Edinburgh next September, with plans to make it an annual event. www.arch.bond.edu.au
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Wave
James Furness
OF INJURIES AS a physiotherapist and avid surfer, Bond University researcher James Furness has seen and been victim to a number of injuries. This was the catalyst for launching Australia’s largest study of surfers in an attempt to contribute to the development of ground-breaking injury prevention strategies and improve practices for the nation’s most popular sport. More than 1300 surfers participated in phase one and completed a national survey which found that recreational surfers suffer significantly more chronic injuries compared to elite wave riders. However, the risk of acute injury is higher among surfers who push their bodies to the limit. Furness is now seeking further participants to be part of phase two with high-profile surfers including Bede Durbidge, Adam Melling, Mitch Crews and Dion Atkinson putting their hands up to take part in the study. “The first phase was to identify where injuries are reoccurring and what some of the common causes and types of injuries are,” says Furness. “That information has been the foundation of the next two studies and what we are doing now is getting surfers in and profiling them. “We found that there were lots of shoulder injuries and back injuries so we want to look specifically at those areas and physically assess them and perform musculoskeletal or physio-based assessments on these surfers.” Stage two involves a thorough physiological assessment including a VO2 max test, to determine the participant’s rate of oxygen consumption, and a full body composition scan. Surfers are then assessed for flexibility and strength through a range of physiotherapy assessment techniques. Professional Gold Coast surfer Freya Prumm, who is currently ranked 39 in the world, participated in the study and said it helped her edge closer to her surfing goals.
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“After a thorough assessment by James and his team, I was given informative feedback on where my physical strengths and weaknesses lie,” she says. “Following a plan to address those weaknesses, I immediately began enjoying improvements in the water.” With more than two million recreational surfers estimated in Australia and 37 million worldwide, Furness says there has been very little research done into surfing injuries. “Previous research has looked at data collected out of emergency departments and medical clinics and it showed that a lot of surfing-related injuries were lacerations and gory wounds,” he says. “But I didn’t think that was a true representation of how a lot of people get injured with surfing.” He also adds that surfing is often not considered a professional sport, another reason little research has been compiled. “The sport of surfing is often seen as a recreation rather than an elite sport so it’s probably why not a lot of research has been driven in that area,” he says. “If it was rugby or soccer or something like that, there is heaps more information out there with profiles on those athletes.” In conjunction with the study, Furness looked into the rate of skin cancer among surfers. Part of the surf injury survey asked whether or not the surfers had received a skin cancer diagnosis from a medical professional. The survey found that the greater the age and the greater the surfing history, the more likely the surfer was to have been diagnosed with a skin cancer. The common locations included head, face, back and arms. To become part of phase two of the surf injury study contact James Furness on jfurness@ bond.edu.au
BONDIES
rise to challenge
BOND University is celebrating its on-field achievements following a stellar year of sporting success in 2014. With more than 20 club sports on offer and hundreds of students calling themselves a Bond Bullshark (the overarching name for all sporting codes), Bond is forging a reputation as ‘the university to beat’. This was demonstrated at the 2014 Australian University Games in Sydney where Bond was crowned per capita champion for the second year running. The Doug Ellis Trophy is awarded to the university that wins the most pennants per student numbers and Bond burst off the line to clinch the prestigious trophy, winning it for the first time away from ‘home turf’. One of Bond’s strongest performances came in the dojo with the University awarded a silver medal in the men’s team event for judo. It came third overall across both teams and individuals. Bond students also gave an impressive performance in touch football, with both the men’s and women’s teams taking home bronze medals.
Another team kicking big goals is the AFL Club. The once “social kick-about” footy team took out the QAFA (B) South competition and only lost one game all season. Meanwhile, the University’s cheer club star-jumped their way to represent Australia in the ICU World University Cheerleading Championship in Florida next year after winning the University Dance Grand Championships at the Australian All Star Cheerleading Federation National Scholastic Dance & Cheer Championship in November. Bond University’s Sport and Recreation Manager Jackie Parra says Bond offers programs from the elite level to grass roots and it’s the balanced learning experience that is proving a drawcard for studentathletes. “There is a lot of evidence that suggests that students who have an outlet or are healthier and active are actually better in the classroom, so the benefits are to offer that holistic university experience,” she says. “Having that social aspect that sport offers
and also being active and healthy translates to grades.” Parra says while the intensive threesemester program can create added strain on those students juggling sport and study, the University established the Bond Elite Sports Program which provides academic flexibility to assist student athletes with balance of sport and study. This is proving a successful initiative with Olympic swimmer Melanie Wright (nee Schlanger), runner Alex Beck and world champion sailor Mathew Belcher hitting the books at Bond. “We want to improve a number of our programs so that students are coming here not only for the academic courses available but they see it as the place to be for sport,” she says. “We want to use sport as a recruitment driver and there have been some scholarships set up around that.” Bond offers a number of sporting scholarships including the John Eales Rugby Excellence, Georgina Hope Rinehart Swimming Excellence and ADCO Sporting Excellence Scholarships. www.arch.bond.edu.au
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Beck’s bucket list ALEX Beck has three goals on his bucket list – run in the world championships, compete in the Commonwealth Games and become an Olympian.
“We came together well with a couple of guys who weren’t even part of the squad, but they stepped up and ended up running pretty well.”
The 22-year-old Bond Doctor of Physiotherapy graduate has achieved two of three after representing Australia in the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow.
Beck’s ultimate goal now is the Rio Olympics and, after narrowly missing out on the London 2012 selection, he says he is more determined than ever.
Competing in the men's 4x400m relay, the born-and-bred Gold Coaster says it was one of the highlights of his sporting career.
“It is every athlete’s dream to be an Olympian and that is what I work towards," says Beck.
“The whole world is focussed on the Commonwealth Games for two weeks and it is pretty surreal to be part of it,” says Beck. He says sixth place was an overwhelming achievement despite a few minor setbacks. “We were pretty unlucky with a few injuries to our team – our best runner who was the only guy in the individual pulled his hamstring in the semi-final which put us in an ordinary place,” he says.
Melanie’s
GOLDEN RUN MELANIE Wright (nee Schlanger) has taken out the title of 2014 Bond Sportswoman of the Year following epic success at this year’s Glasgow Commonwealth Games and Pan Pacific Masters. The Bond MBA student was part of the Australian women’s 4x100m freestyle relay team and returned home from Glasgow with a gold medal. Along with team mates Cate Campbell, Emma McKeon and Bronte Campbell, she broke the world record (set five years ago by the Netherlands) with a time of 3:30.98 seconds. Wright also competed in the 50 metre freestyle and 200 metre freestyle relay events and says it was an experience of a lifetime. “The team environment was really good and getting to represent my country is always surreal,” she says.
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“I love the feeling of standing on the blocks for my country and any time I get to do that is a great year.” This was the first time Wright competed in the Commonwealth Games after narrowly missing out on selection in 2006 and falling ill in 2010. Wright’s success flowed on from the Commonwealth Games to the Pan Pacific Masters held on the Gold Coast, again winning the 4x100m freestyle relay. “It was held at my home pool where I train so that is always a thrill,” says Wright. “Having a home crowd is always a great advantage and unfortunately it was a little bit wet for the spectators, but from a swimmers point of view it was great.” Wright says that now she has competed in the Commonwealth Games, she has achieved everything she wanted and thought she was capable of. “I don’t have too many new things that
I want to achieve, however I would love to go to another Olympics,” says Wright. “The feeling of winning gold medals and breaking world records is very addictive.” A member of Bond’s Elite Sports Program, Wright says the support she has received from the University and ADCO Constructions has been overwhelming and the assistance has helped her to manage her busy sport and study schedule. “The Bond Elite Sport Program is essential for any athlete who needs to organise their studies around training and competitions,” says Wright. “I have had such wonderful experiences at Bond with my lecturers and tutors who have been nothing but helpful and I think the program is the reason behind that.” Another highlight of the year for Wright was her wedding day when she married her long-time boyfriend and fellow Olympian, Christopher Wright.
The former member of the Bond Elite Sport Program and the 2012 Bond Sportsman of the Year spends 25 hours a week on the track and works part time as a physiotherapist at Ferry Road Physio. “One of the biggest things that my coach has said and has always embedded in me is you have to have balance in your life,” he says. “I am very lucky to have that harmonious balance between my sporting career and physio career.”
The power behind Helmke POWERLIFTING is a sport of
strength, and strength is what Lucas Helmke possesses. The former bodybuilder muscled his way into the Powerlifting World Championships in South Africa this year, returning home with a bronze medal. This success has lead the current under 74kg Australian powerlifting champion to be awarded the title of Bond Sportsman of the Year. Bench-pressing 165 kilograms on the world stage, the Bond Juris Doctor student says it was a privilege to represent his country. “My goal was to come home with a medal and not many Australians have achieved that,” says Helmke, 25. “My aim now is to be the Australian champion three years in a row for my weight class.” Powerlifting consists of three attempts at maximal weight on three lifts - squat, bench press and deadlift. Helmke says his three best lifts include a 230 kilogram squat, 180 kilogram bench press and 260 kilogram dead lift. In collaboration with Bond, Helmke has established a powerlifting club on campus and encourages avid and curious powerlifters to get involved.
www.arch.bond.edu.au
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Time to yarn up WHAT do you get when you bring together leading girls’ schools principals in remote far north Queensland?
Kicking
They yarn up, of course, all in the name of an innovative educational and cultural exchange.
BIG GOALS THE Bond University Rugby Club is expected to kick big goals next year following the appointment of one of Australia’s most respected and experienced rugby identities as head coach. Sean Hedger, from the Melbourne Rebels Super 15, will tackle the position of Director of Rugby and aims to take the team to the top of the ladder. Hedger will develop the strategic longterm plans for the Club and aims to sustain an elite development program that produces future generations of rugby greats. “Developing professional rugby players is one of our main aims and comes from not only developing their skill base but developing their training abilities,” he says.
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the Bond University team to threaten the title in the next two to three years. “There are not many premier rugby clubs in Australia that inject as many resources into their rugby program as Bond, so the opportunity to be in charge of that sort of program is a great opportunity,” says Hedger. “I intend to set up a program that offers a lot more than what the other Brisbane premier clubs are able to offer in terms of resources and facilities. “The Bond Rugby Club will eventually be the envy of a lot of the other premier rugby clubs in Brisbane and in Australia.”
“Aside from the on-field technical knowledge, it’s also the total training package of what you need to do and what is required to take a step up to the next level.”
Hedger started his coaching career at NSW Rugby Union before holding positions as head coach with the Queensland Reds Rugby College and then the Australian Rugby Union in a variety of roles including head coach of the National Academy, U20’s assistant coach and national coach development manager.
Hedger says he envisions the Club becoming more competitive in the Brisbane premier grade and expects
In between these positions, Hedger coached in Japan for seven seasons, taking the club to the top league. In
www.arch.bond.edu.au
Initiated by Bond in partnership with the Alliance of Girls’ Schools Australasia, the Women’s Yarning Up five-day tour to the Lockhart River in August served its purpose and then some. Co-hosted by Indigenous representatives Bond University Fellow Leann Wilson, from Regional Economic Solutions, and Tony Martens and Leon Epong, from Recruitment Outcomes, the tour brought together everyone from the local Mayor and school principal to elders and artists.
2013 he was appointed as the attack and backs coach for the Melbourne Rebels and oversaw the Rebels’ improvement in attack during the recent Super 15 season. Bond’s Executive Director of Sport, Garry Nucifora, says Bond is committed to offering and developing sporting programs that attract students and he is excited about the outcomes of appointing Hedger as Director of Rugby. “We want to make sure the Club is well resourced and the idea of getting a top line coach is the starting point for any successful venture,” says Nucifora.
Principals from Abbotsleigh, Mentone Girls Grammar School, Worawa Aboriginal College, Somerville House, All Hallows School, Melbourne Girls College and Methodist Ladies College immersed themselves in the community to better understand how to tackle the challenges associated with regional communities and education. The group’s itinerary included a full day of activities and roundtable discussions at Lockhart State School, a visit to the renowned Lockhart River Art Centre, a church service and morning tea with the community elders, as well as visits to the local childcare centre, women’s shelter, medical clinic and police station.
“Sean will bring a level of organisation and professionalism and make it a really quality rugby landscape because of the experience he has had overseas and at the high levels of Australian rugby.
Pro Vice-Chancellor of Pathways and Partnerships and tour organiser Catherine O’Sullivan says the partnership is rewarding for all parties involved, and the rewards were enhanced on the trip due to the presence of Leann Wilson and Lois Peeler.
“If you want to be a professional rugby player down the track and you want to learn how to do that then you come and play at Bond and you are under the direction of Sean.”
“A lot of the Alliance schools have Indigenous students from remote communities and a number of outreach and support programs in place for them
so our Lockhart River trip was a unique opportunity for the Alliance school principals to see first-hand the real issues and challenges Indigenous girls face in isolated regions,” says O’Sullivan. “We were particularly blessed to have Bond Fellow Leann Wilson and Lois Peeler from Worawa Aboriginal College as part of the group. “These two outstanding and highly respected Aboriginal women leaders were able to share invaluable cultural insights and navigated our introductions to the community’s female elders who spent a lot of time with us, sharing their wisdom and hopes for the community’s young people.” President of the Alliance of Girls’ Schools Australasia and headmistress of Abbotsleigh, Judith Poole, described the visit as an “eye-opener”. “This has been an outstanding opportunity for us to see and learn and talk to the people in Lockhart River who impact on the children’s education – from the school principal and teachers to the elders and other community leaders,” says Poole. “Being more aware of the issues for students coming from remote communities to our boarding schools has highlighted the unique challenges they face and I will certainly be looking at how we can manage that transition for them more effectively at Abbotsleigh. “Overall, the Alliance’s partnership with Bond University has been absolutely fantastic in helping our teachers and students connect with female role models and corporate leaders but, in many ways, I think our visit to Lockhart River will have the most far-reaching effect of our relationship so far.” www.arch.bond.edu.au
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Finding the
which is particularly transparent in the community elders,” says Farr.
RICH CULTURE WITHIN
“At the same time, we were quite disappointed that Australia isn’t doing more for the Kununurra community and the fact that an international child protection agency needs to be there is a little disheartening.
Farr says there is a confliction within the community, with some members still from the Stolen Generation and reacting adversely when they see police. However, despite this undercurrent, she says her team always felt safe and never uncomfortable.
“Before arriving, we didn’t think an agency like Save the Children would need to have a permanent base in Kununurra – but they really do.”
The SPC serves as the “hands on the ground” for Save the Children, actioning their school holiday program, depending on the season and resources on hand.
Bond has been running voluntary trips to Kununurra since 2011 as the Kununurra Project under the Bond University Student Philanthropy Council (SPC). The Kununurra Project aids the efforts of Save the Children, a leading independent organisation for children that was founded in England in 1919.
“The Kununurra Project has the growth and development of local youth at heart, and this is achieved through engaging, entertaining and educating,” says Farr.
Eight Bond students offer their time to run twoweek-long Indigenous school holiday programs in Kununurra in July and September, with allowances for university assessment. The increasing popularity of these trips among Bondies led them to become biannual last year. Farr labels Save the Children’s work in Kununurra as “absolutely incredible”, and something of which more people should be aware. Equally, she wants more people to be aware of the issues being faced by regional Australian communities, essentially issues occurring in our own backyard.
WHEN a group of Bond University students first went to Kununurra, they admit they didn’t really know what they were in for. Travelling almost 4000 kilometres to Western Australia’s extreme north-east, the Bondies were met with barren land, broken by the welcome relief of cool swimming holes dotted across the landscape. It may be the land of the grey nomad, positioned near the border of two largely arid states, but Kununurra is by no means ‘no man’s land’.
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Beneath the surface of a steady tourist trade and a degree of industrialisation, there are rich layers of an Indigenous culture that has called the Kimberley region home for tens of thousands of years. Stefanie Farr, Corporate Relations Director and Group Leader of Bond’s July 2014 visit to Kununurra, says her group felt mixed emotions upon arrival in the small town that hosts a population of 7000 people. “We thought we were abreast of the culture before going there but were completely blown away by its beauty,
culture that this really isn’t part of.”
“We saw up to 90 kids per day that ranged from two to 16 years of age and, over that two-week period, I only met one parent,” says Farr. “Some of the kids are on the streets because they feel safer there than at home. “Physical, emotional and sexual abuse is quite prevalent within Kununurra which is such a shame because, from meeting some of the community elders, you can tell they have such an amazing
“The daily schedule is typically between 10am and 6pm and includes initiating things such as anti-bullying programs, basketball and football games alongside Save the Children and the local police station, as well as just hanging out with the kids and giving them piggy backs, teaching them circus tricks and taking them to the local swimming hole. “There is also the possibility of a couple of night shifts out of the Kununurra Youth Club where the kids can go to dance and play in a safe environment.” The Kununurra Project runs on a busy schedule, and Farr says preparation for the trip is equally full on to raise the $5000 to $7500 required to fund the project. “It’s only a small fee for the students to go on the trip and the rest is facilitated by the Kununurra Project Committee,” says Farr, who was in charge of sponsorship as Corporate Relations Director. “We raised money through Live at Bond, the Q1 SkyPoint Climb, a number of bake sales and barbeques, and were also supported by Bond, Grill’d and Coles Australia.” The SPC is currently raising funds for the next Kununurra Project. www.arch.bond.edu.au
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Sapphires add a
SPARKLING TOUCH BOND sparkled Sapphire blue at the 2014 Bond University Indigenous Gala. The celebrations of Indigenous culture continued on campus on November 7 at a sell-out event that relocated from the Princeton Room to the Sports Hall to meet demand from sponsors and for tickets. There were more than 500 guests, including a bevy of personalities, but stealing the show was a handful of Sapphires and a performance by Jeremy Donovan, Chairman of Aboriginal Centre for Performing Arts and CEO of GenerationOne. Special guest speakers on the night were Lois Peeler AM and Laurel Robinson, both original members of The Sapphires, while producers of The Sapphires movie Rosemary Blight and Ben Grant, as well as the director of the original stage play Wesley Enoch, were also in attendance. The annual event, staged since 2010 as a celebration of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture, raised a record $277,000 in scholarship funds for Indigenous students across Australia to study at Bond. Gala organiser and Bond University’s Pro Vice-Chancellor Pathways and Partnerships, Catherine O’Sullivan, says Bond is strongly committed to addressing the disparity between Indigenous and non-Indigenous student enrolments in tertiary education. “Despite the inroads made in recent years, a significant gap remains between Indigenous and non-Indigenous Australians’ higher education outcomes, and currently Indigenous students make up just 1.4 per cent of enrolments at Australian universities,” says O’Sullivan. “Our scholarship program not only creates opportunities for Indigenous students to gain a university qualification, but also the leadership skills, confidence and support they need to drive generational change.”
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Peeler and Robinson spoke about their own journey to the top, delivering an inspirational talk about their experiences growing up before realising fame as Indigenous singers who travelled to Vietnam during the war to entertain troops.
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Concurrently, the Gala’s master of ceremonies Alisha Geary – last year’s Bond University Indigenous Community Excellence Scholar – stood as another example of hard work meeting opportunity and the success this can spawn. “I am the first person in my family to attend university, so receiving the Indigenous Scholarship to study at Bond University really changed my life,” says Geary. “Having grown up between Cairns and the Torres Strait Islands, coming to Bond was such a significant and exciting change for me. “I have made so many international friends with such diverse cultural backgrounds that I wouldn't have had the opportunity to meet elsewhere. “I am currently in my second year of a Bachelor of Laws, and would ideally love to be either a native title, constitutional, environmental or human rights lawyer at the completion of my studies.” In addition to Donovan and The Sapphires entourage, Geary fronted a crowd that included representatives from NITV and former Titans captain Scott Prince, Member for Burleigh Michael Hart and Member for Broadwater Verity Barton, representing the Honourable Glen Elmes who is Minister for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander and Multicultural Affairs. Five City of Gold Coast Councillors, the Mayor of Tweed Shire and the Mayor of Lockhart River also were in attendance.
CAPTIONS 1. Pro Vice-Chancellor Pathways & Partnerships Catherine O'Sullivan, Lois Peeler AM, Chancellor Dr Helen Nugent AO, Alisha Geary and Laurel Robinson
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2. Chairman of Aboriginal Centre for Performing Arts and CEO of GenerationOne, Jeremy Donovan 3. Dr Patrick Corrigan AM and Narelle Urquhart 4. Dr Joan Gregor and Dr Darryl Gregor OAM 5. Alisha Geary and Leann Wilson 6. Laurel Robinson and Lois Peeler AM with Vice-Chancellor Professor Tim Brailsford
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BUZZING WITH BUSINESS CHICKS
CAREER AMBITION
NURTURING women in business is a Bond University specialty, so teaming up with an organisation such as Business Chicks would only seem fitting. Since July 2013, Bond has been an annual supporting partner of Business Chicks, a 35,000-strong community of business-minded women that encourages connection and collaboration through events, an online network and a magazine. Through this partnership, Bond has teamed up as an Event Partner to Business Chicks on more than 20 events, including six events on the Gold Coast. This has included the highly anticipated Australian tours of Arianna Huffington – the Founder, President and Editor-In-Chief of Huffington Post Media Group – marketing mastermind Seth Godin and public speaker Matt Church, who was hosted on campus in July. Huffington and Godin presented in Sydney and Melbourne in September, where Bond hosted a number of tables with guests including school principals and corporate partners from Melbourne, Sydney and Adelaide, as well as alumni and scholarship holders. Zoe Davis, Head of Partnerships at Business Chicks, says the strategies of Bond and Business Chicks align well. “Bond shares our common goal in supporting, uplifting and inspiring women to reach their dreams,” says Davis. “It’s fantastic for Bond’s guests – whether they be student leaders, alumni or business leaders – to connect with our community at events and have conversations they may never have had.” Owing to the calibre of Business Chicks’ offerings, Davis says there has been an increase in the number of Gold Coast locals who are Business Chicks Premium members. “Many of these members are in some way connected to the Bond community,” says Davis. “It’s all about becoming part of an unstoppable force of 35,000 women – and men – where you are given the opportunity to access exclusive events and be at the core of a buzzing network. “Premium members are also often featured in our bi-monthly magazine, Latte, which provides another opportunity to showcase local businesses and the amazing achievements of our members,” she says.
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Bond is taking an in-depth view of student placements as it drives a cultural change around graduate employability.
KIRSTY Mitchell has an ambitious goal for Bond graduates. She wants 100 per cent placement success, and is working towards tracking that target over the next 18 months. Mitchell, who is General Manager of the Career Development Centre, says she hopes to effect this change through the new Core subject, Beyond Bond, which was introduced to the curriculum earlier this year. The subject also is expected to enhance the process of industry engagement with Bond, which Mitchell says is one of the few universities in Australia with a personalised approach to enhancing career paths. “Certainly there are a lot of Australian universities out there with industry engagement at some level, and it’s very competitive,” she says. “But, at the end of the day, we have built many good relationships with employers, providing a service that meets their needs and making it as easy as possible for them. “We don’t put employers through endless hoops and box-ticking. It’s about what they need, how we can help and how we can add value.”
graduates, but that’s not correct - we do,” says Mitchell. “It’s just that students don’t realise the great value they have to an employer is their skillset, not necessarily their knowledge set.”
“Career services are about hopes and dreams, and I believe in the transformative power of employment,” she says.
Mitchell says many top-tier law firms have been going to market with significantly fewer positions to fill, because often they have sourced talent almost exclusively through their internship program.
“Our students do amazing things, they change the world, yet there is no clear journey to employability. This is where I think we have carved our expertise around employability.
“This leads to disappointment for a lot of students, and that’s why our employability focus has to start from day one.
“My vision is 100 per cent placements for a Bond degree. We’re not a factory, however people expect a return on investment for their education so really it’s about positioning students at the end of their degree to be ready to take that next step.
“That’s why we have a process where we will help a student source internships and work experience. Typically it’s with an SME, but they can use that experience to make them more competitive in the careers market.” Mitchell says Bond alumni are increasingly playing a part in this process. “Alumni are always keen to help and we have a handful we work with who will often advocate for their organisation either to come to campus or to list vacancies.”
Mitchell says a key platform for improving engagement lies in Beyond Bond, which she says is “driving a cultural change around employability”.
Mitchell says alumni connections have become more important as Bond is now 25 years old and many alumni are “reaching senior positions that influence whole of organisations”.
“That culture has always been there, but I think it’s never been made as explicit as it is now,” she says.
Mitchell says the process begins with getting to know the students and playing to their strengths.
The Core subject is designed to keep students focused on their career path beyond the degree, as well as boost the number of students seeking placement during their studies.
“We really have some good checks and balances to get to know our students and then we work with the employers,” she says.
“Employers are forever criticising universities for not producing real-world
Mitchell says the level of interaction with students will increase through Beyond Bond, along with placements.
The Career Development Centre had 307 placements in the May Semester following 1400 face-to-face consultations.
“Whether that’s a post-grad degree, employment, a gap year sitting on a beach at Ibiza, I don’t mind as long as they are making that decision willingly. “I want to know 100 per cent where our students go. With Beyond Bond we have an incentivised framework. Currently we are only seeing students when they want help, and usually that’s 10 minutes to midnight, or when they want internships. But we’re only seeing about 50 per cent of students. “What that does is change us from ‘just in time’ to a proactive service where we will be monitoring and tracking the student journey. “I want to know where all students go, the things they have done throughout their degree, what have they learnt, and whether it is what they expected to learn. “In 18 months’ time I’ll be delivering on it. Then, in five years’ time, I will have length and depth data around quality costs and outcomes.” www.arch.bond.edu.au
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ALUMNI
CLASS NOTES SUMMER 2014
1996 Jesus Franzuela was assigned to the Philippine Embassy in Damascus, Syria, in March 2009 and is currently assisting its efforts for the mandatory repatriation of Filipino nationals in Syria due to the ongoing military conflict.
1998 Abubakar Siddiq is working in Bali, Indonesia, at an IT company that serves the Australian custom software development industry.
Bond University is proud to have been part of the journey of the below graduates who are forging paths of success and reaping rich rewards in their respective fields. Be inspired by fellow Bondies on the following pages and check out what some of your class mates have achieved. Success stories are grouped according to alumni year. 1990
2002
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Jittirat Methanukhor is a Senior Airport Services Officer (Landside Operations Department) at Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok, Thailand. The Master of Public Relations graduate is responsible for implementing strategic plans in keeping with the high service standard of airport facilities and amenities throughout the terminal.
Jess McDo
2002 Noriaki Numata secured a position at Hokuriku Electric Power Company in Toyama City as the Deputy General Manager of the General Affairs Department.
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Daniel Wardana completed a Master of Film and Television with focuses on Film/Video and Photographic Arts and is sharing his experiences and learnings at Mecubuana University in Jakarta, Indonesia, as a Lecturer.
John Nolan has been globetrotting since graduating, accepting jobs in various different countries. After graduating in 1992, the now father of two worked for PwC in Dublin, Ireland, before taking up a job in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, seven years later. He is currently the Managing Director of Transguard Group, where he manages more than 25,000 staff. “Life in Dubai is very dynamic and fast paced so there is never a dull moment,” he says.
Jack Wever has been given the opportunity to pursue a PhD at the Police Academy of the Netherlands. The subject of his dissertation is the history of the fight against drugs by the Dutch Police.
Coralie Cornet (Chatard) is living the dream in Paris, France, working at Apax Partners (an investment fund) as the Communications Director.
2000
Yuko Nemoto studied a Bachelor of Laws and Master of Business Administration/ International Business at Bond and has since acquired a position as the Global Business Consultant and Lecturer at Jubliee Consulting.
Sharmila Soorian started work as an articled clerk and then lawyer at Blake Dawson, Brisbane (now Ashurst), after graduation. She then went on to work as an in-house legal counsel at Morgan Stanley in Sydney for several years before having three children. The mother is now the Legal Headnoter for the Australian Law Reports publications with Lexis-Nexis Australia.
1999
1996 Karen Chaston graduated with a Master of Accounting in 1999, with CPA status in February 2001. Seeking further opportunities, Karen moved to Sydney in 2003, landing a Financial Controller role and then Chief Financial Officer role for a publicly listed company. Since the tragic, unexpected passing of her son Dan, followed by redundancy a year later, Karen has found a new passion and now spends her days
inspiring women to "become their own best friend" through her website - karenchaston.com.au. Karen’s vision is to help women in a corporate, business and professional background to rediscover their natural intuitive abilities and has just released her first book A Journey to Become Your Own Best Friend - A Woman’s Guide to Getting Out of Her Own Way.
Delwyn Webber successfully had her Bond Law degree recognised by the Nevada State Bar and became licensed to practice law in the State of Nevada in February 2008. She is currently a Partner in the law firm, Lawyers|West, Las Vegas, and most notably appeared before the Justices of the United States Supreme Court and was admitted to the United States Supreme Court Bar.
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2003 Nadine Hamilton completed a Postgraduate Diploma in Psychology and has stayed on the Gold Coast to manage her own private psychology and coaching practice. She is now incorporating animal-assisted therapy as part of her services.
2004
Mereoni Lutuciri was the first Fijian female graduate of the Institute of Sustainable Development at Bond University. This has led her to attend the Pacific Island Development Forum as an observer and delegate for two consecutive years. “My experience at Bond University is rather viewed as a significant contributor to me being passionate about the topic of sustainable development in Fiji and the Pacific,” she says.
2010
Jonathan Haysom entered Telstra as a graduate after completing a Bachelor of Commerce. Growing to manage Telstra Broadband products, he was later headhunted for a role in Qatar managing the national fibre rollout and product group for the telco.
Sabbi Rohit used his Post Graduate Diploma of Business to secure a position at Mylan Laboratories Limited as the Talent Acquisition and Talent Development Specialist.
2007 Trevor Rickard departed Bond with a Graduate Certificate in TESOL only to return to be employed as a relief English Language teacher at BUELI – Bond University English Language Institute.
2011
Alan White is the Marketing Communications and Fundraising Coordinator for Oxfam Trail Walker Australia. Recently, his home town event in Brisbane, which this year raised a record $1.1 million, was recognised as the Best Outdoor Event in Queensland at the Queensland Government’s Outdoor Recreation Federation Awards.
2006 Tsuyoshi Tanabe is living in Vietnam working as the Marketing and Sales Manager, Cargo Sales Manager and Administration Manager for All Nippon Airways.
2008 Maximilien Laussu worked for three years on the Gold Coast after graduation as a Project Manager within Tactile, an IP company specialising in building materials and renewable energies. In 2012, he moved back to his hometown of Paris, France, where he worked as a Business Development Manager in the French subsidiary of a training provider in project management. He is now being transferred to the HQ of this company, based in New York.
Dannielle Hill recently completed the re-brand for nutrition and sportswear for Body Science International in her role as the Creative Coordinator of the company.
2009 Michael Klenk last month embarked on a PhD in philosophy after two years of working in management consulting. Although he says it was quite a radical change, it was a very welcome one with the chain of events that brought about this development leading back to his year at Bond University where he took his first course in philosophy – an experience that changed what he wanted to do with his life.
Jon Cover is currently working for Leighton Contractors in Perth as a Quantity Surveyor, delivering part of the $2.6 billion Elizabeth Quay Project.
Brianne Moylan is a Procurement Agent at Boeing Military Aircrafts in Saint Louis, Missouri. Although she loves her job, she says she misses the sunny beaches of the Gold Coast.
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Alexia Majidi is currently living in Vancouver, Canada, working at a personal injury firm and is expecting to write the BC Bar exam in late April 2015.
Rhys Selby recently finished up working for a government agency and has now just commenced a grad position at Datacom, a regional ICT company.
2012 Kirsty Petersen completed a Master of Business Law, Dispute Resolution and is now a nationally accredited mediator and family dispute resolution practitioner at CoParenting for your Kids.
Hannah DeMilta studied abroad as an undergraduate at Bond in 2008. She then moved to Sydney and spent four years working in digital marketing before recently returning to the US to start a new role with The Education Abroad Network (TEAN) in Chicago, the very same company she studied abroad with when she studied at Bond. She is loving the opportunity to help new study abroad students start their journey.
2009
Jackson Dean started a consultancy company for sales training and became an ASX-accredited derivatives advisor after Bond. The Bachelor of Commerce graduate is currently establishing a joint venture in a new trading company called MyTradingAdvisor.com and has five companies under management at just 21 years of age.
Manuel Da Costa e Silva started a postgraduate program in International Relations and graduated a year and a half later. After completion, he returned to Timor-Leste to step into the country’s political, economic and security scene.
2007 Jürgen Himmelmann graduated in 2009 with a Bachelor of Urban Development, however took a career U-turn and established a fast-growing youth travel brand – The Global Work and Travel Co. At just 25, the Bondy employs close to 100 staff across three countries and recently won the Gold Coast Young Entrepreneur of the Year award in the Professional Services category.
2010 Shane Cooper completed his graduate year at Corrs Chambers Westgarth where he acted in a variety of large commercial transactions and disputes. He then went on to use his Bachelor of Law degree to join Adecco Group - the Australian arm of a global resourcing company, in the position of In-house Legal Counsel.
Grace Callan scored a gig at TAFE Queensland South West in Toowoomba as the Promotions Officer. The Bachelor of Communication graduate says she gets to work on "awesome" events and "gets paid for spending time on social media".
Anastasia St. Hilaire obtained a Minor in Japanese Language at Bond University before heading home to complete a degree in Corporate Finance and Accounting. She is now working towards achieving a Master degree in Accounting at Bentley University, Boston.
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Mark Eggink recently resigned from his position as District Manager with 7-Eleven to pursue a new career challenge. Having successfully graduated from the Master of Construction Practices, he has been offered a position as an Assistant Estimator with a retail shop fitting company in Brisbane. Interestingly one of their clients is 7-Eleven along with Nextra Newsagencies and Amcal chemists. “Having more than 15 years of retailing experience and Bond credentials was instrumental in securing this position,” he says. “I’m really looking forward to commencing my construction career and I do hope this position will enable me to experience a wide cross-section of experiences.”
Claire Vincent studied Communications at Bond only to return home to France to enrol in a cooking course at the Cordon Bleu Paris. She hopes to utilise the marketing skills she learnt at Bond to launch a cooking business that she aims to open with a friend in the near future.
2012 Stewart Hazelton assumed the role of Emergency Response Fund Coordinator at FSG Australia after finishing a Postgraduate Diploma of Counselling. In May 2014, he then returned to Bond to take part in the University’s medical program with a dream of one day graduating as a Doctor and practising in rural-remote areas.
Eric Zama won the CAS-TWAS Presidents Fellowship after completing a Master Degree in Environmental Science. He then moved on to enrol for a PhD in Soil Sciences at the University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.
The ARCH Magazine now on iPad. Download it today
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PLUS 2012
Martina Jahodova finished her Master Degree in International Relations and opened a restaurant called Double Zero in Broadbeach, Gold Coast. The Pizzeria and Bar features soft and fluffy Neapolitanstyle pizza, using the finest and freshest ingredients and traditional as well as contemporary Italian recipes.
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The magazine is also currently viewable on non-Apple tablets – including Android, Windows and BlackBerry – along with laptops, desktops and smartphones in an ‘app-free’ edition at the www.arch.bond.edu.au website.
SUMMER | 2014
FOR GING B E YOND
YE AR S
THE FIR ST
Sense of Pride
Accolades for Bondies
Life's a beach
Daydream jobs for students
Biting study
Perils of the ocean in focus
Sporting high
Big year on the pitch wraps up
Bond University alumni committees are critical for alumni, opening doors and facilitating a networking forum on a regional, national and international scale.
Join your local alumni committee now
www.alumni.bond.edu.au/ alumni-committee-nomination