Born Global: Returning to Australia
Returning home for a holiday is one thing, but returning home permanently after living overseas is another. Those of us who choose to return home, do so for a plethora of reasons, be it lifestyle, family or career opportunities. When we decide to make the big move home, we bring with us an incredible breadth of skills, insights and networks, that are invaluable to enhancing Australian companies and industries. Many of us have learned new business models, new social and political systems, new techniques, and the intricacies of how institutions, companies, creative enterprises and nonprofits operate in other parts of the world. We also bring with us time spent in different cultures which can only be of value to our home country.
It’s no secret that the lifestyle in Australia is inimitable, its capital cities consistently being voted some of the most livable in the world. However, acclimatising to a different culture or environment, no matter how familiar, isn’t always easy.
We spoke to some of global Australians who have or are about to move home after working in international cities, and how valuable their experiences abroad have been, and how they’ve found the experience.
Meet our members who have returned home
Jessica Rudd is a global Australian who’s quick on her feet. She has realised the potential of the online retail market in China, launching Jessica’s Suitcase – an online business venture selling Australian goods to Chinese consumers – well before her competitors picked up the trend and followed suit.
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Jason Yat-sen Li is a first-generation Australian born to Chinese parents. Born and raised in Sydney with a professional background in law, he runs corporate advisory firm – Yatsen Associates, chairs investment firm Vantage Asia Holdings, serves on the Senate of the University of Sydney.
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John Waye Parr is a household name in the global Muay Thai community. He is an inspirational athlete, both in skills and spirit. Earning his 10 world champion titles didn’t come easy, especially in a sport where injuries are commonplace, training intensive and notoriously tough. John faces these challenges head-on. Incredibly he is just one victory away to accomplishing 100 fight wins.
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Michael Fox returned to Sydney in 2017 following 2 years working in Hong Kong spicingup the city’s culinary scene as head chef of ‘Carbone’, a New York-Italian cuisine under the management of Black Sheep Restaurants Group.
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At only thirty-six years of age, Griffin Chan has trained and worked as a stunt person in nine countries – Brazil, USA, Canada, Hungary, Japan, Malaysia, China, India and New Zealand, returning home to Australia more than 20 times!
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Six months ago, James Cameron relocated from Silicon Valley to Sydney to take up a post as a partner at AirTree Ventures, an Australian venture capital firm with over $300 million to invest in Australian start-ups and “scale-up” businesses.
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Three decades ago I left Australia to study anthropology in America. That journey took me to the heart of Silicon Valley. My job was to put people back into the process by which technology is made. Eight months ago I came back to Australia.
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Beginning his career in Sydney at PwC as a Chartered Accountant, Derek Youdale has been on a serious global journey. Working in Asset Management, Investment Banking, Treasury, Retail and Corporate sector roles, he spent seven years in London and eight years in New York altogether.
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Emma Dunch touched down in Sydney after spending two decades living and working in New York City. The reason she returned to Australian soil was to commence one of her biggest roles to date: the CEO of the Sydney Symphony Orchestra.
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One of the most difficult things about being an Australian expat is returning home after a period away. Relocating is hard enough, let alone finding a new job, a new house and everything that comes with it.
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Chris McGreevy started his career at Cochlear in Sydney in the company’s coveted graduate program and has since dedicated his life’s work to medical devices and their design, improvement and management.
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Tony Frencham has been with Dow Chemical for the past 20 years, and as such, has witnessed countless industry trends, spent a cumulative 17 years abroad, and has a succinct insight on what Australia needs to change to ensure it remains innovative and competitive.
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Returning home to Australia after over a decade abroad was a “15-year time capsule” according to Derek Youdale, Global Data COO for HSBC and treasurer of Advance.
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“I came back to Australia because it was time to take stock and consolidate what I had gained both professionally and personally.”
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Anjali Rao’s passport is not in danger of underuse. Having grown up in Hong Kong, been educated in London and now living in Australia – she knows first hand the experience of an International life.
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