POSTCARDS

Jonathan Lui (OS 2001)

Entrepreneur and Venture Capitalist,

Singapore

At Grammar, I was the only one within my group of friends to pursue a degree in Engineering instead of Commerce Law or Medicine, deciding to enrol in Telecommunications Engineering at the University of New South Wales.
University was quite a challenge for me in the first two years, as I never really enjoyed the act of learning for learning’s sake. Fortunately, towards the second half of my degree, I found enjoyment in learning about the fundamentals and creation of the internet and was particularly intrigued by the journey of one of our professors, who described how he had been part of a rapidly growing tech start-up (and subsequent crash) during the dot-com era prior to becoming a professor. It inspired me to try my hand at a few of my own start-up projects during university, which helped me learn more about entrepreneurship, as well as my strengths and weaknesses.

After a couple of years at IBM, I decided to join a newly founded start-up called Amaysim as the #2 employee, where I learnt a lifetime of entrepreneurial skills from the founders. I had caught the start-up bug and decided to venture off with my friend to start online services marketplace Airtasker.com in 2012, which fortunately led me on a snowball path to many new businesses and opportunities including our IPO in 2021.

Today I am living in Singapore, having moved up here in 2017 with my wife and am building our latest venture Soho.com. au, aimed at revolutionising the real estate buying and renting search experience using AI matching technology. Entrepreneurship was never a path that I thought I would have been on back in my Grammar days, but I am glad to have built up the necessary skills during school and university to make that leap!

Matt Rothschild (OS 1989)

Technologist and Eternally Curious,

San Francisco, USA

Reflecting on my time at College Street, I recall the culture that was instilled into many pupils around understanding not only the what but also the why. There was always a focus on understanding the background and foundation as much as there was the result. I guess I have carried this from my student life into my personal and professional paths over the years.

Having always been fascinated by technology, I have been fortunate to work in and explore many areas of emerging technologies initially with Nokia and then Microsoft, running their mobile division for North America. More recently, taking a break from the large corporate environments, I have moved into private consulting with my own company, Some Grey Hair, leveraging my corporate experience and global network assisting startup and smaller companies as they look to scale and grow.

Fortunately, my wife and I have had the opportunity to live in and explore many cities and regions across the world and we have made lifelong friends in Asia, the Middle East, Africa, Latin America and North America. For the last twelve years, we have resided in Silicon Valley, Bay Area.
Outside of work life, I can be found either yacht racing on San Francisco Bay, skiing or snowboarding wherever the snow is falling, golfing or road biking.

I am still in contact with many old Grammar friends, and it is great to have such a long history with such good mates.

Never stop asking why, never stop being curious and never stop learning.

Costa Boyages (OS 1999)

Rural doctor,

Berry, NSW

‘Noblesse oblige’ and ‘secular humanism’ were the clarion calls of my Sydney Grammar School mentors. Initially training in International Relations / Law, I ventured into diplomacy and international law with the Australian Foreign service. It was an immensely stimulating albeit peripatetic existence. Words had to be smithed, relationships massaged and intel gleaned – all in the name of advancing the national interest and greasing the mechanics of the international system. An epic adventure ensued: nation building in the Solomon Islands, trade law disputes with India and climate change reform across the ditch.

But in my case, a greater adventure beckoned, and I retrained in Medicine. Home base is now Rural General Practice and Palliative Care medicine in the idyllic hamlet of Berry. A medical career can be intensely colourful and varied – on any day I might be in the clinic, in a hospital, with the Army reserve, in a university classroom teaching or in the boardroom where I serve with a range of government, NGO and commercial entities.

Being a rural GP brings the sacrosanct privilege of cradle-to-grave care and your village’s confidences while nature takes its course (cue Voltaire). I see a lot of death as a palliative care doctor. For me, it affirms life. Lessons I’ve learnt are to be curious, learn resilience, train your body as well as your mind, tread lightly on the planet, commune with nature, understand science (whatever you do) and treasure your relationships. These are where true wealth resides.

Mark Hauser (OS 1975)

Founder and Managing Director,

New York City, USA

Like many, I started down one road and wound up on another. After leaving Australia to work in accounting in Toronto, then law in London, I moved to New York in 1983 under the employ of a former US Secretary of State. The timing was fortunate: Australia was experiencing a surge of interest in the global market, and this opportunity – to advise on cross-border financing – led to an unanticipated career in investment banking and private investing.

Now with three children and a grandson, I manage private equity, private credit and venture funds. Since founding Tamarix Capital in 1993, my focus has been investing in family businesses undergoing succession issues or generational change, a natural extension of the relationships I built personally and professionally with families across the globe. I speak at family office conferences and sit on family advisory boards.

I believe in giving back to the communities I am a part of, and assisting the generations to come. I am passionate about mentoring young people, in business and in life. Through participation on a school board, membership in the Young Presidents’ Organisation and in part-time lecturing at Texas A&M University, among various other philanthropic endeavours, I honour those who helped me.

I have wonderful memories of my years at Grammar, from Edgecliff through to College Street, and remain in touch with old friends. I enjoy attending reunions when possible and can be seen around the world wearing Grammar swag!

Simon Arnott (OS 1986)

Reinsurance Underwriter turned Broker,

Bermuda

I commenced a Mechanical Enginering / Science degree at the University of New South Wales but switched to another course called Mathematics of Management (BSc). While studying, I held a part-time job at a call centre for GIO Insurance in Burwood.

Once I graduated, I joined GIO Reinsurance and embarked on an insurance qualification, ultimately achieving the highest level, becoming a Fellow of the Australian and New Zealand Insurance Institute of Insurance and Finance (ANZIIF). I worked in the claims and underwriting areas, but when GIO Reinsurance was acquired by AMP I was made redundant.

I needed a job, so I decided to buy a plane ticket to London to meet with some of my contacts, which led to an underwriting position with a US company in London called CNA Re in Property. I worked there for two years until the parent decided to close their reinsurance unit. Again, I found myself looking for a new role and was presented with an opportunity of an underwriting job in Bermuda. I knew Bermuda had sunshine, so I moved there with my wife around 2001 to work with Japan’s largest insurance company, Tokio Marine & Fire. After 16 years with that company, I moved to a reinsurance hedge fund.

After 30 years working on the risk-taking side, I moved to a reinsurance broker, also in Bermuda. My expertise is property catastrophe reinsurance where companies insure insurance companies for major natural and man-made events that can generate hundreds or thousands of claims.

I have now lived in Bermuda for nearly 22 years with my wife and I have two children studying at university in England.