Tanveer Shaheed | Senior Country Manager (Asia), Macquarie International
How long have you been at Macquarie?
I have been here for more than seven years now. Prior to my current role, I worked in the International Admissions team as the International Admissions Manager.
How do you get to campus?
By car, but I do ride-share with two other people to make it eco-friendly.
What is your favourite thing about working at Macquarie?
It is a privilege to represent the University overseas. My team at Macquarie International works tirelessly to ‘put the University on the map’.
Favourite place to spend a spare five minutes at Macquarie?
By the lake.
What are the biggest misconceptions about your profession?
I’m frequently asked “So which classes do you take at Macquarie?”
In your job, what question are you most often asked?
Due to my nature of job – I need to meet number of overseas stakeholders (mainly South Asia) including potential students for Macquarie. Most of the time the conversation starts with whether they can avail any scholarship, irrespective of their background. I hardly recall any potential students who missed to ask me this question!
If you weren’t a Senior Country Manager, what would you do?
I would be a cricketer.
What was your earliest childhood career aspiration?
To become a TV presenter and a professional MC – and I’m still working on this! I have hosted a number of functions as an MC at various community events involving federal and state ministers, MPs, mayors and councillors. I’ve even acted as an MC at a few weddings!
Favourite film, book or TV show?
Lateline, Q&A, 60 Minutes and Four Corners type of programs.
What is the piece of technology you can’t live without?
I have to keep in touch with my international stakeholders at all times – so my iPhone and laptop is must. While building and maintaining connections I’ve found different people are comfortable with different medias and apps due to their nationality or background. So, I am an active user of WhatsApp, Viber, Facebook, LinkedIn, Messenger and Tango. Let me know if there are any others left!
What would you want to learn if given the chance to learn it instantly?
I’d learn all the languages of the world. So far I’ve only captured three: Hindi, Bengali, and Urdu (to some extent), apart from English.
Something not many people know about me is …
I’m a really a talkative person. In the right environment I can talk for hours, if not days. I also love to spend my weekends and free time volunteering. Over the past 14 years my team and I have raised more than $115,000 for the NSW Cancer Council under the ‘Australia’s Biggest Morning Tea’ program.
We have also been driving a fundraising project with Rotary International to help build a cancer hospital in Bangladesh. In the last five years we’ve managed to donate more than $100,000 to the cause.
If money were no object, what would you like to achieve?
I would bring all the brightest people from across the globe to Macquarie to experience transformative learning in our safe and friendly environment. And of course, the burning desire to achieve world peace, remove poverty and improve human rights would be a priority too.