25/05/2026
St Mark’s recently held its annual Science, Technology, Engineering, Architecture and Maths Faculty Evening, which was superbly organised and hosted by Academic Coordinator Hugo Hemmings.
Guests included Old Collegians Simon Emms, Chief Executive Officer of ElectraNet, and Darren Bain, a Senior Electronic Engineer at BAE Systems; as well as Sam Carrodus, a Senior Mechanical Engineer at Silentium Defence; James Lim, a Software Engineer at Optigrid; and Gabrielle Annese, an Aerospace Engineering Consultant at Nova Systems.
The guest speakers were welcomed and introduced to the members of the faculty over drinks and canapes in the Learning Commons before joining them for a special Formal Hall.
The topics of the Q&A discussion after dinner ranged from the benefits and risks of using artificial intelligence in the workplace, navigating imposter syndrome, working in a male dominated industry as a woman, standing out as graduates, and moving into management and leadership. Growth and grit were common themes of the conversation with all guests encouraging students to lean into discomfort in order to grow and learn and impress, and not be afraid to ask questions in the workplace. The speakers all encouraged students to reach out and connect with people who can serve as mentors or offer insight into an organisation or role, and all generously offered this sort of support to our students.
Congratulations to Hugo for assembling this brilliant panel and facilitating such a successful event, and thanks to our guest speakers for so generously sharing their time and expertise and offering so much practical advice to our students.
