Tanda
Four QUT graduates who co-founded TANDA, a global workforce management company, were named 2019 Young Alumni of the Year.
Josh Cameron (Business/Law), Alex Ghiculescu (Information Technology), Jake Phillpot (Business) and Tasmin Trezise (Business) took TANDA from a small self-funded start-up to an international company employing more than 140 people in Brisbane, Chicago, London and Manila with a $20 million turnover in only eight years.
TANDA is now used by more than 5000 companies across a range of industries including accommodation, hospitality, fast food, care services, medical and retail with clients including Dominos, Bunnings, Telstra and the UK’s Tesco and Manchester City Council.
Geek Girl Academy
QUT alumni Sarah Moran, Lisy Kane and Tammy Butow are co-founders of start-up company Girl Geek Academy, which encourages women, who are still underrepresented in the gaming industry, to learn and create using technology.
Miss Bliss
Bachelor of Nutrition graduate Jacqui Toumbas shared what she was learning at QUT by starting the Get Fit Chicks blog.
At a time when Brisbane was inundated with food fads and quick health solutions, the Get Fit Chicks blog led to friends and followers requesting Ms Toumbas stop sharing recipes and actually make her bliss balls, which led her to stock the Miss Bliss Balls in cafes across Brisbane.
Following the success of the wholesale demand, Ms Toumbas opened the first Miss Bliss Whole Foods Kitchen in West End in 2015.
Gluten-free institution
After being diagnosed with coeliac disease in 2009, a visit to a local bakery would leave QUT alumnus Kate Williams disappointed (and hungry!) at the limited options.
She made it her mission to bring the fun back into gluten free food, and in 2014 she launched Nodo Donuts - combining her love for hospitality, business, and marketing.
Today Nodo's gluten free, ‘baked not fried’ donuts are a Brisbane institution, with people lining up at stores in Newstead, the CBD, and Camp Hill.
Ms Williams credits her marketing degree with providing a well-rounded education and strong foundation to pursue her dream of owning her own business.
Skedulo
QUT alumnus Matt Fairhurst launched Skedulo in 2014, alongside co-founder James Davies, to help enterprises and organisations manage a moving workforce.
In the early days, Fairhurst was the only salesperson at the startup, and living in Brisbane he found himself working through the night, selling to and supporting American clients.
Skedulo is now headquartered in San Francisco, with offices in Brisbane, Sydney, Vietnam, New York and London. It has a staff of 120 people, which is expected to double within the next 12 months.
