Simon Malian

Simon Malian always wanted to study a course with an IT focus. In Year 12 Simon found out about the Bachelor of Information Technology Co-operative Scholarship course and decided to apply. He was impressed with the list of sponsoring organisations and attracted by the scholarship. The central, convenient location of UTS and the new IT building were an added bonus too.

"I thought the course would be intellectually challenging and liked that it included some integrated work experience. The ease of finding a suitable position upon graduation also sprang to mind - being a scholarship student and also having well regarded work experience would certainly help."

Throughout his course Simon was impressed with how well the course was managed and how the students were so well looked after by the faculty staff dedicated to the program.

"Their guidance and advice was invaluable and I benefited from the course in so many ways. The industry placements really allowed me to gain a better understanding of how IT is implemented in a workplace. They also helped me to decide on the sort of position and type of company I would like to work for after finishing my course. I had first-hand knowledge and didn't need to rely on what others told me."

In his first industry placement Simon worked for IBM Business Consulting Services within the Application Innovation and Services Delivery team. Simon worked on the Commonwealth Bank Netbank Renewal Project - developing the prototype for the 'new' Netbank. He also worked on the David Jones JOLTS-2 stock management system.

Simon's second industry placement was within the IT function of Westpac Institutional Bank - the investment banking arm of Westpac. While at Westpac, Simon conceived an SMS alert system for the bank in response to his manager complaining about being woken up in the middle of the night while on call. He developed a prototype, negotiated a contract with an external SMS provider and made a business case for it to be established as a proper system within Westpac. It got the green light and was implemented. For his efforts, Simon was given a company recognition award and a financial incentive. Westpac has continued to gain from Simon's talents as he accepted a graduate position with them after finishing his course.

After only six months with Westpac, Simon has been chosen for a special assignment as the Westpac Group Chief Information Officer's Intergenerational Advisor. He commented, "it has certainly been a once in a lifetime opportunity to work directly with senior corporate executives and participate in executive decision making activities at such a young age. My first weeks within the role were a bit of a challenge due to the steep learning curve involved, but I have found the role to be very rewarding".

While still at university, Simon was also the catalyst, driver and key inspiration behind the very successful Malian Foundation - a pioneering, global philanthropic initiative established in 2004. The Malian Foundation has revolutionised the way non-profit organisations around the world gain access to management advice and technology solutions by allowing them to bypass extravagant consultancy fees and redirect their savings to serving their constituents. The success of this Foundation led to the award of the highest level membership by the World Association for Non-Government Organisations (WANGO), which recognises non-profit organisations who have made a significant, positive impact upon the international non-profit sector.