Back Page Interview

Tom Curtis (OTG 2004)

What has your career path looked like so far?

It took me a while to work out what I wanted to do: I completed three internships during university in Accounting, Banking and Consulting. I landed on Management Consulting, where I acquired the skills and industry exposure I needed to secure a strategy role in Google’s advertising business.

I moved to Sydney for the role at Google and have really enjoyed it – going for a surf before work is pretty special!

Currently, I work on Google’s news products, which involves bringing new products to market, commercial negotiations, and relationship management with News and Media Companies. I also work with the government and regulators to explain how Google’s products work and how they impact the news industry and users. Google’s business is global and very complex, which means I am always learning.

What do you love most about your job?

The opportunity to work on products that people use every day. Technology continues to change the economy and our lives in fundamental ways, and it is amazing to be at the forefront of that. I also love the global nature of our business. I work with people around the world every day who always bring their unique perspective and context.

How does advocacy play a role in your work?

I lead projects for the Disability Alliance at Google, to educate and advocate for the needs of staff, customers and users with a disability. Google is in a unique position as our products (such as Voice Assistants, Live Captioning and Maps) can make a huge difference to someone living with a disability.

Tell us about your time at Trinity.

I really enjoyed the diversity of activities available at Trinity and was involved in sport, music and leadership opportunities. Highlights included the Outdoor Leaders Program, a rugby tour to the UK and organising three colloquium dinners during Year 12. When I look back at my school and university days, I am glad I was involved in extracurricular activities – once you get older you have less time to spare, so make the most of it!

What does it mean to you to be a part of the TGS community today?

I spent my most formative years at Trinity, so the TGS community is important to me and I am always proud when I see students or OTGs achieving great things.

I’m still close to many of my classmates and whenever I am in Melbourne I fill in for The Pirates, a basketball team that spun out of our TGS thirds basketball team. 18 years on we’re still playing together!

TRINITY GRAMMAR SCHOOL, KEW

This magazine has been printed on FSC (Forestry Strewardship Council) Certified paper utilising vegetable based inks. It has been produced using a Clean Green Print process which means all the processes involved with the manufacturer of this item are guaranteed to have minimum impact on the environment.