How to Get Ready for a Job at TPG Telecom [IN-PERSON]

Vanessa Hicks is TPG Telecom’s Group Executive People Experience following the merger of TPG and Vodafone Hutchison Australia in July 2020. She joined Vodafone Australia in 2006 and was appointed VHA’s Director of Human Resources in 2017. She has served in several senior roles within the company, including General Manager of Business Customer Operations and General Manager Human Resources. Ms Hicks is responsible for all human resources functions including organisational culture, leadership, internal comms, OHS and facilities. Ms Hicks has been an active board member of the Vodafone Foundation since 2010, serving as Chair of the Board from 2010 to 2014 and recommencing as Chair from February 2022.  Ms Hicks has served as an Advisory Board Member of the Telco Together Foundation since 2017.  Ms Hicks is a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors (GAICD).

After graduating from UTS, Diana Venardos started her career in agency recruitment specialising in Business Support and Finance. She then made the move to internal recruitment and joined Vodafone Hutchinson Australia in 2019 as a Talent Acquisition Advisor. Diana then moved into a Business Partner role and did a short secondment as a People Experience Consultant. Her current role is a Talent Acquisition Manager, with a total of almost 5 years at TPG Telecom. In Diana’s current role she manages a team of 4 who look after the recruitment for Technology, Enterprise Government & Wholesale and Corporate Support Functions. She also looks after our Employee Value Proposition across TPG Telecom, which is something she is very passionate about.

In 2017, Aushma Sapkota embarked on her academic journey to pursue a Bachelor’s degree in Criminology, where they delved into the intricate workings of criminal behaviour. Eager to expand her expertise, she then pursued a Master’s degree in Criminology and Cyber Security Analysis, blending traditional Criminology with technological insight. During her final year of study, Aushma joined TPG Telecom through the early career’s program. Through strategic rotations within the Technology Security team, she honed her skills and gained invaluable insight into the intricate complexities of safeguarding data and infrastructure. Starting in the project delivery team and moving into the engineering team, this hands-on experience provided her with a comprehensive understanding of the multifaceted aspect of security. 

Corey Nicholson completed a Bachelor’s degree in Cyber Security and Behaviour at Western Sydney University, ending in 2023. As he approached the final semester, he began his career in Cyber Security by joining TPG Telecom’s early career program. Initially he joined part-time, which transitioned into a full-time position upon the completion of his degree. This experience allowed him to gain real world experience while completing his studies and seamlessly stepping into a full-time role. Corey joined the program within the Technology Security sector, where he had the opportunity to work across multiple teams. His first six months were spent with the Incident Response team, focusing on safeguarding TPG’s infrastructure against cyber attacks. This seemed fitting, as outside of work Corey volunteers as a firefighter to protect the community’s assets. Currently, he is within the Security Operations team, concentrating on the operational processes of incident detection. 

Leo Leung is a Solutions Architect and has been in this role for seven years, six of those with the great people of TPG Telecom (previously Vodafone Hutchison Australia). He is originally from Brisbane but moved to Sydney back in 2017; the primary reason to accept an offer in the Vodafone Graduate program. This allowed Leo to switch from his previous career as a QUT Microbiologist. He studied a double degree in Applied Science and IT. Leo did some work at CSIRO, as a Software Engineer, where he coded dynamic, real-time graphical representations for a surgical training simulator. Now Leo works at a greater scale of pulling together various systems to ensure the digital ecosystem is capable of moving information precisely and efficiently. Collaboration is a central focus; and has had the pleasure of working with a multitude of talented software engineers, and testers, to general managers, and great leaders. Leo says his journey has been challenging yet worthwhile, full of ambitious endeavours that speaks to his adventurous spirit. 

With over 25 years working in Telecommunications, Alison Bourke’s career started as a young Irish backpacker (recent Communications graduate) working in a call centre. She quickly moved to working with Network Operations and began her career in technology. Alison worked in a number of roles both within Network and IT, including operational roles such as Change Manager, Network Manager, OSS Manager and then into Delivery. She has worked across Vodafone, Nokia, Optus, VHA and TPG. Alison’s current position is GM BSS Digital, managing all the technical and commercial delivery for IT, Networks, EGW, Consumer and COPS. She is also accountable for all engineering and application management for over 400 applications. She has a large team based across Australia and Manila supported by multiple vendors in multiple locations.