AR OUND CAM PUS
New-look Alumni Advisory Board to boost digital connections
Dr Jennifer Cronin
W
ith a new Chair of the Alumni Advisory Board comes the opportunity for a new global direction, with a laserfocus local perspective. Dr Jennifer Cronin (Class of 1989) believes a digital communications strategy is the key to the future path and a priority of the incoming Board. Dr Cronin, who holds a Master of Business Administration and returned again completing her PhD in 2016 and is President of Wharf Hotels, is looking forward to the University sharing ‘more good news with alumni’. “We plan to move forward with a robust digital strategy to further promote interaction with alumni and build on the excellent alumni engagement established by previous boards,” she says. With a PhD in crisis management, Dr Cronin is well placed to not only successfully steer Wharf Hotels through a global pandemic, but also re-assess Bond’s alumni engagement, when on a global scale we cannot currently rely on in-person interactions due to COVID-19. Previous chair Derek Cronin (Class of 1989),
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who spent seven years on the Board, including five as Chair, says the Board has achieved great success in data KPIs to improve contact details and connectivity for alumni, which places the alumni community in a strong position to benefit from a more digitally focussed strategy moving forward. “I am really pleased to be handing over the baton to someone with the skills and experience of Jennifer, particularly at a time when we are all ready to reconnect with each other and hopefully to spend more time at alumni events. I have enjoyed my time on the Alumni Advisory Board and I have appreciated the time I have been able to spend catching up with Bondies over the years, including at our events in London, New York and Hong Kong.” Both Dr Cronin and Mr Cronin share a true passion for Bond and the same surname, but they are not related. On the 2021 Board, Dr Cronin is joined by one returnee and five newcomers. Yasuhiro Kawane (Class of 2015) resides in Tokyo where he is an Associate Manager. He holds a Bond University - BBT Global Leadership MBA. Andrew Dibden (Class of 2010) holds both a Bachelor of Laws and a Bachelor of International Relations. He lives in London where he is Manager, Tax Disputes at PricewaterhouseCoopers LLP. Edward Brockhoff (Class of 2002), who served on the Board the last two terms, also has a Bachelor of Laws and Bachelor of International Relations, plus a Postgraduate Diploma in Legal Practice. He is the General Manager, Operations, at Ollie Pets Inc. New York. Damien Vanderwilt (Class of 1997) is the Co-President, Head of Global Markets, Galaxy Digital New York. He graduated with a Bachelor of Commerce in 1998. Gold Coaster Sanjana Bhatia (Class of 2015) graduated from Bond with a Bachelor of Commerce. She is a Senior Adviser at KPMG.
Another Gold Coaster is Nikki Christmas (Class of 2007) who completed a Bachelor of Property and Sustainable Development in 2009. She is now Director, Christmas Urban Planning Pty Ltd. Bond University Vice Chancellor and President, Professor Tim Brailsford says the Board plays an integral role in building a lifelong partnership between the University and its alumni, alongside other members of the academic and professional and wider community. “The Board is essential to foster and promote interaction and communication with our global alumni community and engage them with the University in meaningful dialogue.” Professor Brailsford thanked the outgoing Board and its Chair for its dedicated service over the past two years. “The outgoing Chair Derek Cronin and his fellow Board members have been wonderful. The last 12 months during the pandemic have been particularly challenging, but the Board pushed through and they have given the University some learnings and suggestions that are being taken onboard. “Moreover, the juggling of multiple time-zones spread across several continents has required strong commitment from the Board members, often outside of business hours.” Dr Cronin says she is looking forward to meeting her fellow board members in person but until then they would “push on across the cyber skies and keep the Bond family informed and energised on all the success stories of our Bondies, as well as finding new meaningful ways to be engaged.” “Our Bond global village is a diverse one in so many ways and only continues to inspire us to do more, both now and into the future,” she says.
