Alumni profiles
Bridging the digital divide
Cool in a crisis
Degree: Bachelor of Business / Bachelor of IT and Masters of Information Technology Campus: Online Graduated: 2005 and 2009 Advice to new graduates: Say yes to everything until you work out what you want then say no and double down on what you want to do.
Degree: Bachelor of Arts (Television and Sound Production) Campus: Wagga Wagga Graduated: 1995 Career highlights: Hosting a press conference for Prince Harry at Macquarie University Hospital and being part of the team to announce Sydney had won the Invictus Games.
In this age of connectivity, it’s hard to believe that twothirds of Australian farms have little to no access to reliable mobile service or internet.
Public affairs specialist Susan Redden Makatoa spends her days media training executives, overseeing campaigns, and rolling up her sleeves to tackle thorny challenges in complex stakeholder environments.
Dan Winson of Wagga-based tech company Zetifi is on a mission to bridge this digital divide, developing a wireless networking system that promises uninterrupted coverage on demand for those usually forgotten by telecommunications providers. “Being able to make a simple phone call is something we take for granted, but a lot of farmers can’t even do that. “Or they might have broadband access in the house but not in the paddock where they need it to make use of the agtech available with their machines. “I knew we had the technology to do it. It had just never been applied before. At Zetifi, we’re building on standard wifi technology but making it tougher, easier to install and more power efficient. We have come up with the first truly scalable solution for high bandwidth, long range connectivity for rural and remote locations.” For the past 20 years Dan has been building wi-fi networks and teaching how to build them at TAFE NSW and Charles Sturt for the past 10. When he became aware of the connectivity problem facing farmers, his next career move seemed obvious. In 2018 he started a side hustle and it soon received funding from investors. Quitting his day job in 2019, Dan now devotes all his efforts to commercialising this new technology and bringing it to market, and he’s on track for an international launch early next year. Zetifi is one startup to keep your eyes on!
18
Thrive
Public relations is an industry built on a lot of inperson engagement, but just weeks after joining global communications agency Edelman Australia as Group Managing Director Australia in February, Susan found herself suddenly working from home like countless others. “I was only in the office for four weeks before the COVID-19 crisis. We had to adapt quickly. I now have Zoom, Chime, WebEx, Teams, Google Meets to engage – all while in my trusty tracky pants! Susan says, like many other industries, the communications profession has unfortunately seen job losses, reductions in hours, and in pay. “There are already signs of recovery, though, and the industry estimates a further 12,000 roles will be created in the next few years. And I can tell you that employers look very favourably on Charles Sturt graduates! “The change we've seen just in the last few months has been, to use a very clichéd word, unprecedented. Yes, it's been difficult and I'm deeply empathetic with those who have most felt the impacts. But it's also been thrilling to watch people do things differently. There's been some fantastic actions from companies during COVID-19 of acts of extraordinary generosity and interesting ways of evolving. “I'm really proud to be a member of PRIA (Public Relations Institute of Australia), which rolled out a series of webinars to help the industry. If you are underemployed or furloughed, this is the time to tap in and keep adding to your skillset. We will come back from this but making sure your skills are current is going to be key.”
