Alumni champions ready to share their wisdom and experience

Torrens University is proud to have a strong and active alumni network.

We are so thrilled that five of our talented alumni will join us on Wednesday 23 June at our Virtual Industry Connection Fair. They will share reflections on their student journey, their introduction into industry, the twists and turns of their careers, and answer questions from our students.

With just a few hours to go until the Fair, we want to introduce you to our expert alumni panel of industry champions.

Melanie Tran | Designer, innovator, activist, and social entrepreneur

Melanie Tran is an extraordinary woman. Melanie studied a Bachelor of Digital Media (Interaction Design) and a Master of Philosophy – Design and Health at Torrens University.

Named one of the Top 100 Women of Influence 2019 by the Australian Financial Review, Melanie’s work as a User Experience (UX) Designer and social entrepreneur has been recognised internationally, including being named the winner of the Laureate International Universities Global Here for Good Award 2018.

Her lived experience, skills and knowledge allow for her work to span the disability, health and technology sectors. With over eight years’ experience, and through her role as a UX Designer at Hireup, Melanie specialises in bringing together the worlds of business, design and social impact. A sought-after international public speaker, she is driven by a deep sense of empathy and a passion for using her talent to make the world more inclusive and accessible for the one billion people living with a disability. 

Maraea Walker | Junior Art Director at FCB New Zealand

Maraea Walker studied at our Media Design School in New Zealand from 2013-2019, completing the Diploma in Digital Creativity, the Bachelor of Media Design (Interactive UX/UI Design) and the Graduate Diploma Creative Advertising.

During her studies at Media Design School, Maraea, who is a wahine Māori (Māori woman), created a campus advertising campaign to promote the use of the genderless Māori pronoun ‘ia’. This idea formed part of Maraea’s portfolio which was selected as the top portfolio by Auckland-based Colenso BBDO, one of the world’s most creative advertising agencies, in 2019.

Maraea is now a Junior Art Director at FCB New  Zealand, a marketing and advertising agency committed to delivering change for their clients.

Caspar Schmidt | Founder & Managing Director at QCC Collection Group Pty Ltd

Caspar Schmidt graduated from the Blue Mountains International Hotel Management School in 2001. He is a leader in the hospitality sector known for his expertise in hotel branding and as a pre-opening specialist with 25 years’ experience in operating and leading all aspects of multi-million-dollar hotel portfolios around the world. 

In 2019, Caspar founded the QCC Collection Group – a boutique hotel management company, working with investors on projects around the globe. QCC specialise in Hotel Management, Operations Management, Design and Technical Services, Master Planning, Project Management, F&B Management, Hospitality Start-ups and we advise owners/investors on hotel projects as well as investments.

Caspar’s goal? To stand apart in the overcrowded markets, and to be creative through value innovation.

Betsy Westcott | Chief Revenue Officer at Fupay & Financial Wellness Coach at betsywestcott.com

Another graduate from the Blue Mountains International Hotel Management School, Betsy’s career began in hotel and resort management, where she was passionate about creating memorable experiences for her guests. But her career path soon took an interesting turn, when she was approached by a bank to form a new customer-centric cohort of bankers working to change the culture from the inside out. It was in this role that Betsy discovered her calling, in the world of finance.

Betsy, who has gone on to become a qualified financial advisor, has worked as an advisor to some of Australia's most wealthy and influential people. She also has experience in the operational and technical side of the banking world, creating a brand-new digital bank and driving innovation and transformative change at the Macquarie Group.

Today, Betsy proudly holds the role of Chief Revenue Officer of FuPay – a growing fintech helping Australians to manage and spend their money.

She also runs her own business as a Financial Wellness Coach, to achieve her personal passion of improving the financial lives of others.

Betsy an active member of our alumni network, serving as Chair of our Blue Mountains Alumni Board, and she co-hosted our 2020 Graduation Without Borders broadcast.

Nicola Miethke | Clinical Naturopath & Nutritionist

Nicole Miethke thought she wanted to be an architect. But it was a personal search for natural alternatives to address her own health issues that triggered a passion for holistic wellbeing and led her to studying a Bachelor of Health Sciences (Naturopathy) at Torrens University.

Nicola ran her own naturopathy practice in Sydney for two years, where she is committed to helping her clients wade through the plethora information about what is and is not good for our health, and create manageable, individualised treatment plans that help them achieve the best possible results and she worked alongside another Torrens University alumni in an established Sydney naturopathy practice.

She runs corporate wellbeing programs and spreads her holistic approach to health by connecting with the community through group presentations – and she has been a wonderful ambassador for our health science programs.

We can’t wait to share the stories, skills and insights from our wonderful alumni panel with our students today.