Andrew Smith - Bachelor of Business - 1997
What was your first job after leaving University?:
ANZ Business Banking in Martin Place Sydney
Did this first job influence your career path and has your career path changed over the years?:
It was a huge influence as an exposure to a national leading business. I met the CEO of ANZ at the time and had a very broad set of clients from (cinema owners to Lindt the chocolate maker) which gave me a very high level view of business whilst working hard on the detail. From there for the early part of my career I largely stayed working in large enterprises as Finance, Commercial and Transformation Programme Manager with Diageo PLC in London. I moved into Strategy as Head of International Strategy for GrainCorp and then finished in 2016 as General Manager of Strategy with GrainCorp and then moved into the tech world as Commercial Director for Formbay. Taking these learnings and leveraging my financial background I've founded a business called evenground.com.au which aims to be an end to end digital finance broking service and am co-founder of another tech venture in the property industry.
What attracted you most to your current job?:
My current job as Founder and Owner was attractive for someone who had always worked closely with the leaders of businesses and with plenty of interactions with Boards and corporate advisers. It makes you wonder how you would behave and whether you would succeed in your own venture as a leader. I've also been very interested in the digitisation of financial services and property as through personal experience there is a lot of room for improvement!.
Where did your drive and commitment come from?:
My upbringing on a family farm in Adelong, near Wagga. When you've grown up with a family that works very hard but loves what they do it's something that stays with you forever.
What are/were the strong influences in your life?:
Family, friends, learning and experience. I've never stopped learning, travelled widely and built friendships around the world but also experienced a lot of ups and downs in the process. My wife is a rock and we support each other in our careers and in personal life and this has been very important.
What advice would you give to young graduates just starting out?:
Work hard to find what you're good at and success can follow. At times you will run into life's barriers. Sometimes it's wise to keep going. Other times it's wise to take the learnings and try something new. Only you will know. The main thing is enjoy the process and continue to learn, building your skills and knowledge always.