The UTS Business School is proud of each graduate’s achievements and draws strength from our alumni stories
The UTS Business School alumni community is a vibrant and diverse network of over 80,000 undergraduate, postgraduate and PhD graduates, each with a unique story of professional and personal efforts, achievements and wisdom.
Stories from our alumni community
Here are just some of the recent recipients of our UTS Alumni Awards.
Don Koch, MBA, executive roles and expertise in the finance sector
- Master of Business Administration 1995
- Graduate Diploma (Banking, Finance) 1994
- Graduate Certificate (Finance) 1993
- UTS Alumni Award (Business) 2021
Don Koch is an accomplished leader with global expertise in the finance sector – particularly digital banking, where he specialises in creating value by focusing on shareholder and customer outcomes.
His stakeholder and regulator relationship skills, combined with international cross-cultural awareness and market knowledge, have been utilised in senior executive roles at banks around the world.
Don started his career with various roles at the Commonwealth Bank, before progressing to Citibank before joining ING in Australia in 1999. He was the CIO and technical leader of the program to launch ING Direct in Australia and Italy. He then became Chief Operating Officer in Poland, then India, and then in Thailand with TMB Bank PCL. Don was then appointed CEO and managing director of ING DIRECT in Australia, which was followed by similar roles at ING Italia and ING Asia. He is currently Non-Executive Director and the Chairman of BNK Group; as well as Chair of the Remuneration Committee.
He is also a member of the Board of Glaucoma Australia and a Governor of the Research Foundation at the Cerebral Palsy Alliance.
Don is a highly valued member of the UTS Business School community. He is a member of the Business School’s Industry Advisory Board, regular guest speaker at UTS events and a mentor to staff and students. Together with his wife Jennifer, Don recently created a scholarship to support rural female candidates who may not have the financial means to study in Sydney.
UTS helped me to get over that barrier of thinking that university coursework is not pertinent. I’ve since done one of the micro credentials – Managing Technological Disruption which provided additional skills and tools to broaden my thinking around problems and challenges that need to be solved and how to use those tools in a non-conventional way.
David Brennan, BBus, senior executive
- Bachelor of Business 2012
- UTS Alumni Award (Young) 2020
David Brennan is a senior executive on the leadership team at U Ethical Investors, the only for-purpose fund manager in Australasia, managing more than $1.3bn of assets. Prior to this appointment, he worked at several large financial institutions as an investment professional and, outside of business hours, started to lend his finance expertise to the non-profit space.
As treasurer of the foundation, A Start in Life (which supports disadvantaged young people in rural areas), he set about aligning the organisation’s financial and strategic goals.
As a young member of the Financial Services Institute of Australasia, he helped establish mentoring and professional development events for his peers in the industry. He is now a Fellow of the Institute.
He was also the founding Chairman of the Dry July Foundation, which raises money for cancer support services and now operates in several countries.
More recently, David has focused on organisations whose goals align with his passion for health. He believes in ‘exercise as medicine’ and is currently Chair of the Australian College of Sport and Exercise Physicians.
As Director of the Society for Hospital Pharmacists Australia, David helps address issues such as the opioid epidemic. The wellbeing of doctors is in his sights as Chair of Doctors Health Service Australia. He also sits on the Board finance committee at the Royal Australian and New Zealand College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RANZCOG) and promotes equal access to healthcare for all women.
I find I’m now in a position to help educate investors, both large and small, about how they can impact things like the environment or the community by making values-based choices on how they invest their savings or superannuation. The allocation of capital is an effective way to help big business understand expectations on not doing harm and focusing on good for the community.
Madhavi Shanker, MBA, entrepreneur and founder
- Master of Business Administration (Technology Management) 2015
- Master of Engineering and Information Technology 2014
- UTS Alumni Award (International) 2020
Madhavi Shankar is an entrepreneur who is passionate about creating equal opportunities and employment for women. Following a stint as Asia–Pacific Product Manager for Vodlo, an Australian software development enterprise, she returned to India with a mission to create impact using technology in underserved sectors. In 2017, she co-founded the app SpaceBasic, a platform to manage hostels and student housing communities.
Since launching, SpaceBasic has grown rapidly and is on track to reach 1 million users in 2020. As CEO, Madhavi has pledged 1 per cent of the app’s profits to go towards educating women. In 2019 she was named as one of the Top 60 Women Transforming India by the Indian Government and the United Nations. She has given several TEDx speeches, and in 2020 was named in the Forbes 30 under 30 Asia.
Madhavi has a Master of Business Administration (2015) and a Master of Engineering Management (2014) from UTS.
Read our interview with Madhavi Shankar
Brendan Lonergan, MBus, CEO
- Master of Business (Marketing) 2006
- CEO, Beehive Industries
- UTS Alumni Award (Community) 2019
Brendan Lonergan (M Business 2006) is the CEO of Beehive Industries - a Not-For-Profit (NFP) social enterprise in Darlinghurst, Sydney, delivering high quality packaging, assembly, commercial printing and fulfilment solutions for clients while providing socially disadvantaged people a place to connect and achieve a sense of purpose. Beehive Industries currently supports around 250 seniors, persons with disability and the long-term unemployed.
In 2019, Brendan was awarded the UTS Alumni Award (Community) in recognition of his years of service to Beehive and the NFP sector more broadly raising the awareness and utilisation of social procurement.
Read more about Brendan Lonergan’ social impact
Explore more alumni stories from UTS Business School graduates
Information for our alumni community
A message from the Dean
UTS Business School has enjoyed a proud history of producing generations of graduates that have made a significant impact in practice and thinking across all spheres of business and industries around the world. UTS Business School values the life-long relationship with our alumni, from those who graduated from our first programs in 1969 to those just joining our community.
This relationship is two-way, with the Business School committed to keeping you up-to-date through ongoing news and events that draw on the vanguard of thinking across our disciplines and providing career and networking opportunities that draw on our unique building in our unique location at the nexus of Australia’s most vibrant creative, business and technology community. We also receive significant and valuable support from our alumni in providing opportunities for the next generation of business leaders through mentorship, financial assistance and engagement within the classroom in the form of case studies and guest lectures. This industry engagement has always been a hallmark of the UTS Business School experience for our students, at both the undergraduate and postgraduate levels.
Here, we provide you with details on how we can work with you, so that you can stay connected and continue to reap the benefits of your association with UTS Business School.
Professor Carl Rhodes, Dean, UTS Business School
Explore the advantages of being a UTS alumni
Alumni advantage – a 10% study saving
Thinking of further study? Why not return to UTS where alumni automatically save 10% on degree programs through the UTS Alumni Advantage program.
Stay connected
Update your details to stay informed with UTS Business School’s #think events monthly newsletter for Alumni, the UTS e:Connect e-newsletter. Providing your employment details assists us to better meet your professional needs and convey to our students the employment trends of our graduates.
Connect with the broader UTS alumni community through Facebook and Twitter or through one of the UTS international alumni networks. Visit UTS Alumni to learn about the many services and benefits available to you.
LinkedIn resources
We are committed to serving the professional needs of our alumni throughout the various stages of their career.
The UTS Alumni LinkedIn page is an excellent resource to explore the careers of 100,000+ UTS alumni. You can also stay in touch via the UTS Business School LinkedIn page.
UTS career services for alumni
UTS is expanding its outreach to alumni, especially for recent graduates. See the alumni section of Career Services website for a full list of resources available to alumni.
Our world changes fast. Keep your skills and knowledge up to date and open up new career opportunities with the UTS Short Courses and microcredentials. Visit the UTS Open website for a comprehensive list of available subjects or to find out how UTS can customise or develop a short course to meet your business needs. UTS alumni receive a 10% discount.
Visit us
The UTS campus and surrounding area have been transformed, creating an exciting vibe that also reflects the dynamic changes taking place within the University and the Business School. You can do a virtual tour of the campus from our campus masterplan website or you can self-guide your tour in person.
While in the Dr Chau Chak Wing Building, make sure you visit Cafe 80, on level.
Giving back
Help further UTS students’ career and social prospects. There are many ways you can make a difference in the lives of our students and at the same time enrich your own sense of well-being and satisfaction.
- Offer an internship for academic credit
- Support our UTS Alumni Scholarships Program
- Make a donation
- Guest speaking opportunities at UTS Business School – contact Jeff Hargrave (Alumni Relations Manager, UTS Business School)
Upcoming events
From learning about our courses at an Information Night to hearing the latest industry trends and research, our events provide insight into who we are and what we do as a Business School. Explore our upcoming events.
Be inspired
We feature the stories of our students, alumni, donors, and researchers. To find out more, visit UTS Alumni.
Meet the team
Serena Stewart
Head of Strategic Partnerships
UTS Business School
Email and LinkedIn