Grow Your Career Week Guest Speakers

Speaker Session Position Biography
Melanie Spandrio Design your career workshop and Donut know drop-by Career Educator, University of Adelaide

Melanie is a career development practitioner, experienced in working with tertiary students and graduates. Her philosophy centres on providing students and graduates with the tools and encouragement that enable them to actively and successfully take control and manage their own career development. Melanie graduated from the University of Adelaide with a Bachelor of Arts, majoring in Psychology and English.
Angela Qin Ace your Top 100 Future Leaders application Finalist in the GradConnection Top 100 Future Leaders Competition

Angela is a Bachelor of Teaching and Bachelor of Mathematical and Computer Science and was a finalist in the REA Group Software Engineering Award. As an international student Angela has made the most of every opportunity at the University of Adelaide and is a Student Ambassador for StudyAdelaide and one of the International Peer Mentors. Angela plays two traditional Chinese instruments, sheng and ba wu, and can often be found busking in Rundle Mall.
Ellysia Oldsen Ace your Top 100 Future Leaders application Finalist in the GradConnection Top 100 Future Leaders Competition Ellysia is a current Bachelor of Laws and Bachelor of Commerce (Accounting & Corporate Finance) and was a finalist in the Ashurst Law Award. Ellysia is a member of the Adelaide Business Student’s Society and the Adelaide University Law Students Society and frequently volunteers on university events such as Open Day and the graduation ceremonies. Ellysia is also an elite level swimmer, having competed both nationally and internationally. 
Emi Soulio Ace your Top 100 Future Leaders application Finalist in the GradConnection Top 100 Future Leaders Competition Emi is a final year Bachelor of Engineering (Honours)(Mechanical) and Bachelor of Finance student and was a finalist in the Westpac Banking, Insurance and Financial Services Award earlier this year. During her studies Emi has interned at Macquarie Group, WSP and KPMG with a focus on risk management.
Jamila Sabazova Ace your Top 100 Future Leaders application Finalist in the GradConnection Top 100 Future Leaders Competition Jamila is a current Bachelor of Engineering (Honours)(Mechanical and Aerospace) with Bachelor of Mathematical and Computer Sciences student and was a finalist in the Mars Mechanical & Electrical Engineering Award. Originally from Kazakhstan, Jamila is passionate about space exploration, gender equality in STEM and is a Robogals volunteer and a committee member. She is also an international chess player where she works to inspire students to study STEM through an outreach program. Jamila has always enjoyed various volunteering opportunities which has become her lifestyle. 
Dr Monica Kerr Graduate Research Degrees = Careers~ Director of Career & Research Skills Training (CaRST), University of Adelaide Dr Monica Kerr is the inaugural Director of the University’s Career and Research Skills Training (CaRST) program for graduate research students. A scientist by training, Monica specialises in upskilling PhDs to improve employability and career outcomes. Monica is an experienced leader, having previously held a senior management position at one of the oldest scientific organisations in the US, the New York Academy of Sciences, where she directed their international career advancement program for PhD students and postdocs. She has led initiatives to create industry-ready graduates and student-led start-ups at the Cooperative Research Centre for Cell Therapy Manufacturing and UniSA Ventures, respectively, and regularly presents on career planning strategies for PhDs. Monica obtained a PhD in Cell and Developmental Biology from Harvard Medical School, where she was also an Instructor and recipient of two teaching awards.
Kirsten Forgione Demystifying psychometric testing Senior Psychologist, Revelian Kirsten is a Senior Psychologist at Revelian; a leading psychometric assessment provider, and the first Australian provider of game based psychometric assessments. She works with some of Australia’s leading organisations, supporting the recruitment and development of Graduates, through to Senior Leaders. Kirsten is passionate about the study of human behaviour at work, particularly in understanding the uniqueness and complexity of individuals, to enable optimal well-being and performance. She has psychology and consulting experience spanning both public and private sectors in psychometric assessment, leadership and talent strategy and organisational development.
Angus Xiao All about internships panel Engineering Intern, Department of Planning, Transport and Infrastructure Angus is a current Bachelor of Engineering (Mechatronic)(Honours) student at the University of Adelaide. From November 2018 to February 2019 Angus worked with the Department of Planning, Transport and Infrastructure as an Engineering Intern as part of his Industry Placement. Angus is also a Student Engineer of Adelaide University Motorsport Team and is an Avionics Designer with ADEPT University of Adelaide, participating in the AURC Rocket Competition.
Behshid Golshani  All about internships panel Legal Intern, Dentons Behshid is a current Bachelor of Law with Bachelor of Commerce student at the University of Adelaide. She is also the current Director of Careers and Sponsorships at the Adelaide University Law Student’s Society and the Marketing and Sales Representative for Project Everest Ventures. In December 2018 Behshid undertook a 1-month law internship with Dentons in Shanghai following an intensive overseas course at Shanghai Jiao Tong University.
Brad Jones  All about internships panel Audit Intern, Deloitte Brad is a current Bachelor of Commerce student at the University of Adelaide. Brad has completed Audit internships at both Deloitte and PwC and is currently working part-time in the Audit & Assurance team at Deloitte in Adelaide. After impressing recruiters from Deloitte as both an intern and part-time worker, Brad has accepted a full-time employment position with the company where he will start as a graduate for the Audit & Assurance team in March 2020.
Brittany Pfeiffer All about internships panel Event & Marketing Intern, RSPCA Brittany is a Bachelor of Media (Honours) student at the University of Adelaide. Starting out as an Events and Marketing Intern with the RSPCA in February 2018, Brittany impressed the team and has worked her way up through numerous contract positions with the organisation including; Project Officer, Content Marketing Officer and is now the Commercial Marketing Project Officer. Brittany also has an interest in the wine industry and works casually at the cellar door of Alpha Box & Dice.
Daniel Ng  All about internships panel Software Engineering Intern, Google Daniel is a current Bachelor of Computer Science (Advanced) student at the University of Adelaide. He is also the former President of the Computer Science Club and Sponsorship Director of the Competitive Programming Club and a committee member for the Women in STEM Society at the University of Adelaide. In November 2018 Daniel undertook a 3-month internship at Google in Sydney where he worked on the Chrome OS team. Daniel has recently accepting a graduate position with Google and will be starting his position as a Software Engineer in February 2020.
Fiona Brammy Donut know drop-by Career Educator, University of Adelaide Fiona holds a postgraduate qualification in Career Development in addition to a Bachelor of Science and Bachelor of Commerce. Fiona is extremely passionate about helping individuals with their career development and seeing them flourish from students into graduates. As a recipient of the NAGCAS Best Practice Award for 2015, Fiona is deeply knowledgeable about career pathways and development. Her breadth of experience assists students to explore their full career potential and develop their employability. 
Michelle McKinnon Donut know drop-by Career Educator, University of Adelaide Michelle is a committed careers education professional and her focus is on enabling students to articulate their professional skills, values and attributes allowing them to complete globally in the labour market. Michelle holds a Masters in Arts (Economics and Japanese) from the University of Edinburgh and also has post grad qualification in career development. With a strong international background, Michelle also designs and delivers workshops tailored to the career development needs of international students.  
Steven Nield One size doesn't fit all Emerging Talent Recruitment Manager ANZ, Aurecon Steven is the leader of recruitment for Emerging Talent across Australia & New Zealand for Aurecon; a multinational Engineering and Infrastructure Advisory organisation. With over 8-years’ experience working with students, graduates and highly talented people, Steven brings with him a recruiters perspective from one of the world’s top engineering companies. Steven is also part of Aurecon’s i40+ cohort, a team of facilitators and innovators helping to drive Aurecon’s Design to Innovate philosophy. 
Craig Thompson The evolution of success Business Development Lead, Accenture Craig is the Business Development Lead for Accenture Enterprise Services for Government in Australia and New Zealand. He has been with Accenture for over 25 years performing various roles, including program delivery, solution architecture and business development. Across his Accenture career Craig has worked primarily within the Government and Resources industries with particular focus on Education, Government Shared Services and the Energy sector of the Resources industry. A graduate of the University of Queensland Craig lives near Brisbane and in his spare time takes runs a small farm in the Scenic Rim.
Ben Campbell The self-made theory Founder, The Self Made Theory Ben has been involved in business and coaching for over 30 years, working across a range of organisations from small entrepreneurial business through to a Forbes Global 2000 listed company. During his career he has worked in sectors such as manufacturing, technology and IT/telecommunications, and has held senior leadership roles in General Management, Sales, Human Resources, Finance, Operations and Technology. Ben now runs The Self Made Theory, a business coaching & advisory practice with a vision to enable organisations to Innovate, Overcome and Prosper. Ben is also the host of several podcasts, including “The Self Made Theory” where he interviews CEO’s, Founders, Innovators and Entrepreneurs about business journeys. 
Alex Kyloh Guide to graduates panel Associate, Grant Thornton Alex graduated with his Masters in Accounting and Finance from the University of Adelaide in 2017 after first completing a Bachelor’s Degree in Applied Science. He secured a graduate accounting role at Grant Thornton in their Private Advisory division whilst in his final year of University studies and is currently 18 months in to his career as a growth advisor to mid-sized business. Alex is presently undertaking his Chartered Accountancy qualification through CAANZ.
Katie Bezzoubov Guide to graduates panel Senior Project Officer, Department of Child Protection Katie Bezzoubov graduated with a Bachelor of Health Science, majoring in Health Promotion and Indigenous Health in 2016. Her passion for health promotion includes the broader social determinants of health including housing, education and employment and after her degree, Katie earned a graduate position in Housing SA as part of the Department for Human Services graduate program. During the program Katie worked on projects to improve health and employment outcomes for public housing tenants and soon landed a role as a Senior Project Officer in Disability SA where she worked to empower people with disability. Now working for the Department of Child Protection where she utilises her health promotion and project management skills to support the SA government’s reform agenda. Studying at the University of Adelaide, studying overseas and being awarded grants such as the New Colombo grant created these and more opportunities for Katie.
Remy McGrath Guide to graduates panel Process Technologist, Mayne Pharma Remy McGrath is a Process Technologist at Mayne Pharma, a pharmaceutical company that manufactures and aims to improve patient access to life-enhancing medication. Only a year ago Remy was still in the final year of her Bachelor of Sciences (Biomedical) and while she is an avid lover of all things Science, Remy realised early on that she would not be pursuing a typical career in scientific research. Remy focused all of her attention of the alternative science-related roles that were available. In her spare time you will find Remy promoting the many ‘alternative’ careers available to students in STEM degrees, spruiking why her role at Mayne Pharma has allowed her to develop as more than just science student or whipping up her prized lemon, coconut and white chocolate brownies.
Muhamad Shahabuddin Guide to graduates panel Graduate Engineer, SA Power Networks Born in Malaysia, Muhamad and his family migrated to Australia and has spent most of his life living in South Australia. Undertaking his Bachelor of Engineering (Electrical and Electronic) and Bachelor of Computer Science, Muhamad enjoyed his time as a student and the commitment, perseverance and even self-sacrifice that came along with it. At the completion of his studies he immediately secured a Graduate Engineer role with SA Power Networks where he now works in the ADMS Support Team during his first rotation as part of the graduate program.
Sarah Curnow How to invest in your biggest asset - YOU Head of Strategic Acquisition ANZ, American Express Sarah holds over 18 years’ experience in business development, customer experience and people leadership, having held a suite of roles across retail, finance and payments, as well as having run her own business. Throughout her career, Sarah has successfully lead various sized sales teams (100+ FTE) and has a track record of driving innovation and change measures to influence and increase sales outcomes while surprising and delighting customers. Originally from Adelaide, Sarah is an avid runner, having completed the New York and Chicago Marathons as well as several half-marathons, and is currently completing her Masters of Communication (Journalism). 
Amanda Culleney What recruiters wish you knew Senior Consultant Talent, EY Amanda is an Internal Recruiter/Business Partner with significant experience across a number of industries including financial services, management consulting, mining, engineering, energy and manufacturing. Her journey with EY began in December 2017 and encompasses providing support to both graduate and end-to-end recruitment for the service life of Advisory for all of SA and NT. Each day is different in Amanda’s role and includes recruitment, development of processes and procedures coaching hiring managers and employees, project management and team leadership.
Joanne Ross What recruiters wish you knew Assistant Manager Recruitment, Flight Centre Group Joanne Ross is the Assistant Manager in the Recruitment Division for Flight Centre Travel Group. Before starting her career in recruitment, Joanne worked across the sales, retail and hospitality industries in Australia and the UK, including as the Membership Executive at one of London’s most exclusive private members clubs; Home House. Before taking on her current role, Joanne worker her way up through the ranks of Flight Centre, starting out as a Sales Consultant in 2011 and quickly progressed to becoming a Store Manager. From there Joanne entered the recruitment industry and has been finding amazing candidates for Flight Centre ever since!
Peter Macdonald What recruiters wish you knew Talent Acquisition Manager, Calvary Health Care Peter Macdonald joined Calvary Healthcare as Talent Acquisition Manager in 2019, following a long career as a consultant with KPMG and as a business owner of Lloyd Morgan & Corus People Solutions in the executive recruitment & search industry. Although based in Adelaide he consulted extensively to multinational companies, recruiting across Australia & New Zealand, and has managed several large start-up recruitment campaigns. Taking a career break in 2015-2017 he was appointed as CEO of CyclingSA, managing the Superdrome at Gepps Cross and staging several international major cycling events prior to the Rio Olympics. He is an experienced and accredited Career Counsellor and Outplacement Consultant and has tutored in the Business School at UniSA. Peter is a graduate of Flinders University with an Arts degree majoring in Psychology & Biology. Peter’s current role makes him responsible for all recruitment activity across the 4 Calvary Hospitals in SA.
Ravi Moerman What recruiters wish you knew Talent Acquisition Business Partner, NewsCorp Australia Ravi Moerman studied a Bachelor of Commerce and a Bachelor of Media at the University of Adelaide and is currently a part of the National Talent Acquisition team for News Corp Australia. In this role Ravi works to source quality professionals to drive operational success. Starting his career working in retail before moving onto several other roles in support operations with Coles, Ravi developed a passion for helping people fulfil their professional potential and found it gave great satisfaction to pair talent with a suitable employer. Ravi has also worked across the local film and TV industry, including two feature films, one short film and boutique agencies where he assisted in the production of radio and TV commercials nationally.
Danielle Hudson What recruiters wish you knew HR Business Partner, Saab Australia Danielle is a Human Resources Business Partner at global defence and civil security company Saab Australia. Danielle is an experienced human resources generalist, who looks after all elements of an employee’s lifecycle from recruitment through to employment separation. Danielle’s career has spanned the mining and defence sectors in both Western Australia and South Australia. Danielle’s professional interests lie in employment relations and graduate recruitment. Danielle has worked as a recruitment specialist with BHP, and most recently redesigned and implemented the graduate and intern recruitment processes at Saab Australia. Danielle holds a Bachelor of Commerce, majoring in Management and Marketing, from Curtin University that included a placement at EBS Business School in Oestrick-Winkel, Germany.  
Sean Baxter Never Never Distillery story Brand Director, Never Never Distilling Co.

Sean is the sales and marketing guru at Never Never Distilling. Sean has been working in the hospitality industry for 18 years, busting his ass doing every job under the sun. He’s gone from starting out polishing glasses to working as a National Ambassador for a global whisky icon (even then he was still polishing glasses). He’s learnt a thing or two after years making, training and representing the best drinks and people in the business and he’s poured everything he’s learned, everything he wants in a bottle of spirit, into our products. His life would change dramatically when he successfully auditioned for the 2014 season of Masterchef, where he eventually placed 16th (he was actually 17th but we let him have the one place). While he was never destined for a full time life in the kitchen, his ability with flavour and understanding of balance make him an integral part of the Never Never team. Just don’t ask him to make flat bread.
Tim Boast Never Never Distillery story Head Distiller, Never Never Distilling Co. Tim the lead distiller at Never Never Distilling. Tim is obsessed with making stuff, brewing and distilling, and all things related to copper, malt, yeast and flavour. He’s constantly scribbling down an idea for a gin, whisky, beer, vermouth, G&T marmalade, botanical Christmas cake or raw vegan chocolate… He built a shed in his backyard with a pretty sophisticated home brewery and workshop just for putting some of these ideas into practice. When Tim isn’t making delicious brews in his back shed, he’s tearing downhill on his mountain bike. He once lost all his front teeth in an accident. Lucky his brother is a dentist and a good bloke. His great, great, great grandfather was Alfred Gilbey, who owned a number of whisky distilleries in Scotland and gin distilleries worldwide. Sadly, Tim is not in line to inherit any, but that hasn’t stopped him from carrying on the family tradition. Tim is a freedom fighter in the Juniper Revolution. I guess that’s why we call him the Guerrilla Distiller.
Josh Farr Learning leadership Founder, Campus Consultancy Josh graduated as a Civil Engineer in 2013 and within one year he made the shocking realisation that he’d picked the wrong career..! Deciding to risk it all, Josh resigned and spent two years travelling to 39 countries in search of a more fulfilling life. With a passport full of stamps but still feeling lost, Josh realised he’d been asking himself the wrong question. Instead of “What will make me happy?” he asked himself “What can I do to serve others?”. Upon returning to Australia and working in education, Josh became fascinated with social-entrepreneurship and in 2017 he founded his own business; Campus Consultancy. Through his business Josh has used his own experiences to help more than 2,300 student leaders from 17 different universities through workshops on leadership, entrepreneurship and emotional intelligence.
Emma Xie Visas and employability in SA Deloitte  
Tracey Vu Visas and employability in SA Supply Chain Graduate, Detmold Group  
Wayne Chao Visas and employability in SA iAge Media  
Sushrut Kulkarni Visas and employability in SA Operations Support Engineer, TRILITY