Alumni and Supporters

Bachelor of Business (International Business and Finance) (2018)

When Jasmine Head gave the Valedictorian speech at the 2019 ECU graduation ceremony, she had some parting words that still resonate today.

“I said that one person's success shouldn’t be defined by someone else,” Jasmine says. “And it's not focusing on where you want to be in five or 10 years, but looking at an opportunity and what you can learn from that, taking it on and see what you want to do next.

It’s advice that Jasmine has lived by since graduating from ECU with a Bachelor of Business (International Business and Finance) five years ago, and in that time has carved out a successful career in the finance industry.

From the time she started her higher education journey Jasmine was a high achiever, receiving a slew of awards including the Vice Chancellor’s Award for Engagement, Regional Universities Network Award Winner, and was named in the Australian Financial Reviews’ Top 100 Future Leaders.

Jasmine was also the founding president of ECU Women in Business – an academic society aiming to support female students entering business environments.

“I was involved with a lot of clubs and activities on campus, and it really enhanced the experience,” she says. “And having those extra-curricular activities on your resume was a game-changer.

“I did the study tour to the Royal University of Bhutan which related to the international business major that I did - I believe it was the first time there was a deal brokered between the universities, and that was incredible. I stayed on campus for three or four weeks – it was an amazing experience and probably one of the key highlights of my time at university.”

Jasmine says she loved the hands-on nature of the ECU course, which prepared her well for the industry.

“Reflecting on my experience at ECU, it’s clear they have a very practical focus,” she says. “There were resources that we had access to, such as a Bloomberg Terminal room, which a lot of universities don’t get access to. It’s a software that a lot of real-world finance jobs use day to day.”

Taking every opportunity that came her way, Jasmine did everything from networking to internships, which led to her first job with ANZ.

“I did four or five internships during my degree. I didn't really know what I wanted to do, so I thought trying it out in the summer break was the best thing to do - you can find out what you do and don’t like.

“My final internship was with ANZ, I spent two months in their Natural Resources team, and ended up getting a grad role in the Institutional team.”

Jasmine learnt the ropes with ANZ in Perth, rotating through different teams in the graduate role, before taking up the opportunity to complete the program in Sydney, where after six months she secured a role as an Analyst.

"I’ve been in a lot of different environments and I think adaptability is important."

Moving to the other side of the country for a young person starting out in their career is tough at the best of times, but Jasmine did it concurrently with the Covid-19 pandemic.

“I moved to Sydney three or four months before lockdown, and did the first six months of my analyst role from a one bedroom apartment, away from my family and trying to settle in,” Jasmine says.

Showing her resilience and work ethic, Jasmine threw herself into her job, working long hours in a high-pressure environment.

“I ended up in a role in the ANZ Corporate Advisory team - you need to get stuck in, have a go at things and learn how to do it on the job.

“Uni prepared me well for my first two jobs at ANZ. The finance major was particularly helpful in that it teaches you the theoretical and the practical side.”

Her hard work paid off, and she was promoted to a Manager of Corporate Advisory at ANZ, before taking a role as an Investment Associate with Minderoo Foundation, working on a wide range on investments.

Jasmine has recently taken on a new role, now working as a Private Equity Associate with Cbus Super Fund in Sydney, and considers one of her greatest professional achievements to be her adaptability.

“I’ve been in a lot of different environments and I think adaptability is important.

“Looking at my career, in a short amount of time I’ve been fortunate to have access to a number of different opportunities which has allowed me to gain skills across finance and investments.”

When asked about advice for new graduates, Jasmine says she sticks by her words at the graduation ceremony, as well as working as hard as possible when starting out in a career.