Regulating Big Tech

and human rights and she revels in her dynamic role. “It is amazing that the last two companies I worked for did not exist when I was at university. My job didn’t exist. Technology regulation and the rules that govern the internet are a very nascent but exciting area impacting us all and setting precedents for future generations.”

For Kate, there is no such thing as an average day. “Everything depends on what is happening in the world at that moment. I have worked on political coups through to terror attacks and everything in between. These are the issues people are discussing now on our platforms. There is no precedent for what we deal with – it is all so new and we need to be ahead of the trends.”

Kate Hayes (McLennan, 2002) spends her working week in the global fast lane of the vast and pioneering frontier of technology regulation, where every day is different from the last.

After roles with food security company Syngenta and Twitter, Kate is now with Meta as Policy Communications Manager at Facebook and Instagram, covering more than 40 countries in the Asia Pacific. Her focus is content, safety

With her warm and sunny outlook, confidence and humour, Kate takes it all in her stride, giving the impression that there is nothing she could not conquer. She credits Wenona with opening her eyes to possibilities and opportunities. Pondering advice for students considering a career in this ever-changing technological landscape, Kate says, “Don’t limit yourself by thinking you need a technology background – I knew nothing. This is a brand new sector and people need to go into it open-minded and forward-thinking. Focus on your skills rather than your experience. Go and see what is out there.”

Kate spent her two senior years at School as a Wenona boarder, having moved from the northern NSW town of Wauchope. “My mum Susan (Hutchinson, 1962) used to threaten me with boarding school if I didn’t clean my room. One day, I said to her, ‘Ok, I will go!’ She and my aunt Anne (Hutchinson, 1953) had talked about Wenona my whole life, so it felt a bit like I was like going home.”

Forming very close friendships with her boarding friends, Kate loved being a part of the Wenona community. “My bridesmaid Brodie Johnson (Murray, 2002) was a boarder whom I met on my very first day of School.”

After completing her Public Relations degree at Charles Sturt University, Kate went into an agency and worked for a diverse range of clients. “One was a medical device company. I stood next to a neurosurgeon performing an operation on a patient with Parkinson’s Disease. After implanting a small wire, her hand ceased shaking immediately. It was incredible.”

In 2010, she accepted a role in Singapore, planning to be there for two years. ‘Thirteen years, a husband and two daughters later, I’m still here! We have travelled the world – Asia, Europe and the USA. Thirteen years ago, I am embarrassed to say I couldn’t have pinned some of the cities I have visited on a map! I have also been lucky to meet up with my boarding family in my travels, such as Zoe Cuthbert (2002) in Hong Kong and Gale Ruttunaphon (2002) in Bangkok. That’s the special thing about boarding, you have a bond that means it doesn’t matter how many years it has been, you catch up where you left off.”