Henry Chiu

Graduate secures great gig at Telstra

Not long out of uni, Henry Chiu (BBiomedSc 2016, BE 2016) has happily landed in Telstra’s Networks Technology Graduate program. He’ll soon be rotating through different areas, but for the moment he’s working on integrated products and solutions within the Managed Data Networks team.

“I look over the technical capabilities of networking equipment, the processes ensuring an excellent customer experience, and the commercial demands and projections of the market,” Henry explains. “My role requires end-to-end knowledge of the product and the systems/infrastructure on which the product sits.”

Before coming to Telstra, Henry held a software engineering position at Invetech, where he developed software in medical instruments. He says, “Thanks to the company’s smaller size, I gained exposure to technology, quality control and close customer relationships.” Henry then switched to illion Australia and New Zealand, a financial services company. As a project analyst there, he developed custom, automated solutions to make decisions based on credit reports. Both roles helped prepare him for his current position.

While a student, Henry volunteered for Robogals, an international, non-profit organisation that aims to inspire young women to consider studying engineering and related fields. He assisted with financial tasks, and organised and ran robotics workshops. This experience developed his networking skills and improved his understanding of good teamwork. “It changed the way I approached work,” shares Henry. “I’d definitely recommend spending time in an organisation like this to get a bit of perspective.”

Henry also urges other graduates to go for different opportunities even when they’re not totally sure it is right for them. After all, everyone has to start somewhere! He believes it’s important to “make and take more opportunities.”

Pondering recent technological developments, Henry remarks, “Advancements in machine learning and artificial intelligence have made science fiction a reality. For me, the biggest ‘wow’ moment came when Google gave a demonstration of Duplex – a machine that can call up and make appointments while appearing completely human. I was awestruck. And a little bit scared at what we might do in the future.”