I’m the co-founder of Austern International. We headhunt superstar students from all over the world and connect them to innovative companies.
I was honoured to be invited to deliver guest lectures at universities such as Macquarie University, University of Western Sydney, as well as at industry events including TEDx. I’ve also been featured as the best educator on Channel 9, Anthill 30under30 and received a nomination for the Pride of Australian Medal. For me however, it’s never about the success or the claim but to know that my talent and abilities are being used in a way that serve others.
Key facts about myself:
√ 7+ years of experience dedicated to advocacy within the field of education
√ Pedantic about design
√ Creative but analytical in my approach
√ Prefer design thinking methodology and project-driven work
√ Less autocratic in my leadership style (I don't micro-manage & don't like to be micro-managed)
√ Driven by passion and live to create
√ My colleagues describe me as professional, ambitious, passionate and full of vitality
√ When I'm not working, you can find me exploring Asia with an iPad, yoga mat and coconut!
Co-Founder, Director Brand & Partnerships @ From the beginning, our goal and vision was to connect ambitious students to employers and to help companies find talent.
Why is this important?
Just starting in our hometown, 25.4 billion is spent each year in Australia on college tuition, yet 67% graduate students feel like they have degrees that they can’t apply in the workforce. Employers spend $72 billion annually to hire entry-level talent but complain that 20 to 30 percent of their hires are bad ones.
Here at Austern, we aim to close this gap; this is a place where students are given the opportunity to help companies solve real-world problems. Examples include tackling innovation challenges related to delivering services in different markets, developing wireframes to optimize operations, producing prototypes for new products and present their ideas to companies at formal meetings.
Congratulations, you're about to work directly with some of the world's most innovative companies and entrepreneurial learners. There will be stress, there will be tears, but it will be also be fun and you will learn to accept failure and criticism productively.
We love what we do, and we welcome you to join us on this ride.
Awards:
2015- Global Youth Travel Award 2015, Best Work Experience Provider
2015- Anthill 30Under30
2014- AMP Tomorrow Maker
www.austerninternational.com From April 2015 to Present (8 months) Co-Founder & Advisor @ Kassy (previously Kids at Switch) is a global entrepreneurship education program revolutionising the way children learn. Designed for children from ages 5 - 12 we provide a fun and educative "mini economy" with a unique platform for children to learn about financial literacy, leadership and entrepreneurial skills. WeChat Account: 开思小富翁
√ Set up the new company structure for the Chinese market and rebranded the company from Kids at Switch to Kassy (开思小富翁). In Chinese, Kassy means open-minded
√ Craft the vision, oversee all digital content properties (including translations), and manage strategies for high-visibility collaborations
√ Extensive involvement in all levels of relationship building, marketing and program development
√ Assist in translating the full detailed lesson plans for financial literacy and entrepreneurship into Chinese From February 2015 to Present (10 months) Digital Architect & Innovation @ Study Group offers access to Higher Education, English Language Education, and Career Education for over 60,000 students from 45 institutions and seven countries annually.
Within the team, I have the responsibility for all parts of the students' lifecycle, including driving launches, new initiatives and strategies to actively engage 23,000+ students across ANZ. As a former teacher, I'm a firm believer in the power of cause-driven organisations and advocacies, and personally aims to be able to make education for the youth more engaging and collaborative through technology.
Key Roles and Responsibilities:
√ Craft amazing digital experiences to more than 23,000 students across ANZ
√ Proactively engage with multiple internal and external stakeholders, including designers, developers, engineers and consultants to define project goals and frame solutions
√ Leveraging other technology and social media platforms
√ Convey ideas via sketches, wireframes, user stories, product roadmaps and prototypes
√ Measuring outcomes and preparing weekly engagement reports
√ Copywriting, editing and proofreading for web and a range of online marketing materials
√ Executing new launches and marketing campaigns From January 2015 to June 2015 (6 months) Founder @ We all want to have a place where we can dream and escape anything that wraps steel bands around our imagination and creativity. Kids at Switch is a place where educators dream big with children, where subjects are not divided into compartments but are woven together into beautiful projects. Inspired by Stanford's Design Methodology, the children no longer act like a spectator or passive learner, they're innovators, leaders and young entrepreneurs.
√ When you are working 7 days a week on your business and you also do contract work for another company, you either build and refine your time management skill, or you burnout. I capture, clarify, organize, reflect, and engage with tasks that are demanding my attention—and come away with a clear head and a clear focus
√ More than 7 years of experience in education and mentoring
√ Developed a framework to improve the sharing of institutional knowledge, improving efficiency of weekly communication and eliminating 50% of all-staff meetings
√ Invited to speak, participate and coach at various conferences and workshops such as TEDx
√ Wrote press releases that secured client placement in regional media
√ Been featured and quoted by various mainstream media outlets including Today Tonight, Yahoo 7, My Child Magazine and The Daily Telegraph, amongst others
√ Managed all marketing, advertising, branding, and promotional activities
√ Recruited 1 software engineer, 2 UX designers and 4 rockstar teachers and re-trained the entire team to apply design thinking and agile development
√ Owned team building and employee satisfaction; saw zero employee turnover during 18 months in the role
√ Developed corporate sponsors and recruited community donations and launched various fundraising events
√ Liaised with thought leaders and sought feedback and input during the development of a new disruptive education framework From January 2012 to January 2015 (3 years 1 month) Member @ Mission is ‘to help raise the standards of 21st century teaching, training and learning across the entire learning life-cycle within Australasia and Asia-Pacific’.
http://www.edutech.net.au/ From 2013 to 2015 (2 years) Marketing Assistant @ Saving the world using the power of social media and brand ambassadors.
√ Actively producing social content for Facebook, Websites, newsletter etc.
√ Followed-up and responded to all the comments and customer feedbacks no later than a day
√ Worked with the marketing manager on branding as well as new product launches, exhibitions and events ideas
√ Paw Paw TV commercial campaign went national! Increased brand awareness by at least 17% From 2012 to 2013 (1 year) HR Coordinator @ In 2009, I joined Nature's Care and within a short period, went from Custer Support to becoming the youngest HR coordinator at the time assisting in managing more than 200 employee's contract and interview process.
√ Utilised analytical skills and business knowledge to address HR and business problems related to the employee's area of specialisation and other HR disciplines
√ Participated in implementing Business Unit talent strategies, processes, metrics and routines including peak performance
√ Directly managed activities such as employment contracts, induction, onboarding and other people related activities for office and site based staff
√ Prepared of offer letter packages and coordinated onboarding processes
√ Kept the management team running smoothly through creation of monthly meeting agendas, posting board minutes, and managing follow up of agreed-upon action items From 2010 to 2012 (2 years) Customer Support @ I solved all the complaints and handled more than 50 client calls per day.
√ Outstanding communication skills, high energy levels, positive attitude and strong motivator
√ Strong team builder with emphasis on quality, product delivery and brand presence
√ Promoted into the role of HR Assistant within 12 months for exceptional client relations and leadership skills From 2009 to 2010 (1 year)
Principal of Finance @ Harvard Extension School From 2010 to 2010 Bachelor's Degree, Education @ Macquarie University From 2007 to 2010 Pymble Ladies College From 2000 to 2006 Jamie Lee is skilled in: Entrepreneurship, Leadership, Strategy, Teaching, Business Strategy, Education, Leadership Development, Marketing, Public Relations, Sales, Classroom, Management, Experiential Learning, Social Entrepreneurship, Financial Education
Websites:
http://www.austerninternational.com,
http://www.ceciljames.com