Steven Brown graduated from a Bachelor of Commerce in Banking and Finance in 1996 from the º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ. Steven's journey through University resulted in his immediate appointment with Ausindustry. Steven is now a Director of Economic Futures Australia a consulting firm working in the interface of government, research and business leaders to help drive the knowledge economy.

Family support and the specialised Banking and Finance degree brought Steven to º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ having commenced his degree in Newcastle. Graduation from º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ proved to him that the journey is often more important than the destination and he says, "My º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ degree had propelled my career before I had even finished the course."

During one of the last subjects Steven completed at º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ, they had a guest lecturer from Ausindustry. Completing an assignment on the subject of this lecture provided the insight and context to get a job assessing finance arrangements for Ausindustry. "They explained the complex system for Research Development Syndication, a complex structured finance arrangement based on the Research and Development tax concessions to fund large R&D projects," Steven recalls.

During Steven's time at Ausindustry he helped uncover a major tax loophole that saved hundreds of millions of dollars for the taxpayer. "My career was up and running and my º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ learning experience was directly responsible," he says.

Steven missed his graduation ceremony as he was in the US helping design a new venture capital program for the Commonwealth Government, known as the Innovation Investment Fund (IIF). "I don't have a picture of me wearing the gown and hat but my degree is framed and hangs proudly in my office," he says.