5 Minutes With... Beau Tydd MACS Snr CP
8th September 2020
Highlights
- Our valued volunteers are the heartbeat of the ACS, and it is a very well-deserved win for Beau Tydd MACS Snr CP who recently received the ACS President’s Award.
- Read more about Beau’s impressive career journey and volunteer work supporting the ACS, our members and the wider tech community.
1. Congratulations on your recent ACS President’s Award, recognising your valued work with ACS, and your impressive career journey here and abroad. What have been the highlights of your ICT career journey to date?
Firstly, I am honoured to receive the President’s Award Holly and I would like to thank everyone at ACS as it is a team effort.
A significant part of my career has been working in the Solomon Islands and PNG, and when I look back over that time I have had the opportunity to meet some amazing people and had some adventures that wouldn’t be typical of a technology professional. It is very hard to pick a one or two highlights but when I am asked this question I always think of my memories of introducing Electronic Counting to the PNG Elections in the Highlands of PNG and Bougainville. There are many stories here about how technology changed trust in a government process but this is for another time, let’s just say that PNG is the land of the unexpected.
More recently I am grateful of the opportunity to work with universities and to try and bridge the gap between our industry and universities. I have been able to see events like the James Cook University Sprint with help from Industry partners like the ACS grow into an event that is internationally recognized.
2. You’ve had a long involvement with ACS as a volunteer. What have been the best parts so far?
Five years has gone fast Holly. Some of my ACS Queensland Gold Coast Chapter friends and colleagues have been a part of the ACS for 50 years, which is really impressive.
By far the best part is the opportunity to meet and become friends with many successful and emerging leaders and to meet the passionate professionals in our industry.
Some of my personal highlights include having the opportunity to host a panel at the Reimagination Thought Leaders’ Summit and being a lead judge in the National ACS Digital Disruptors Awards.
I think if I reflect the best part has been the opportunity to work with the team at ACS to try and bring people together and to be a part of a community that is passionate about making a difference.
3. In your role as Vice Chair on the ACS Queensland BEC, what do you hope to achieve to support our members in 2020/2021?
I will answer this question as I do when people ask me why I am involved in the ACS. When I came back to Australia five years back, I had been an overseas member for about 10 years and didn’t really know what ACS did. I thought the easiest way to understand what the benefit and value of the ACS was to me was to get involved and not sit on the sidelines.
Since then I have been involved with ACS on a number of events, Committees and Boards and found that the value in ACS for me is the ability to learn from everyone person I meet through the ACS. Everyone has a story to tell and I am genuinely interested to see if I can help. I have had a few people in the ACS guide me along my career journey so far and it is time for me to give back and be a part of others career journey. My goal is to encourage and support all members who are sitting on the sidelines involved in a part of the ACS. It is obviously difficult times with COVID but we are an innovative bunch, so I’m sure we will come up with new ways to support each other.
4. Tech changes fast. What’s your strategy for keeping your tech skills current?
I have no set strategy but I am generally a very inquisitive person so if there is something that I am not sure of I am the type of person to give it a go and the first thing I do is to connect and learn from people who know more than me. I may not get to an expert or professional stage (golf is a good example of this) but I think all of us need to be well rounded with the changes happening in our industry.
No matter where you are in your career, and I am sure many of the readers can relate, you will still be asked to fix your grandmothers iPad, reset the Netflix password or give an opinion on the pros/cons of some new app. Our goal should always be one continuous learning and seeking out the new before it seeks us out.
5. You’ve led large teams here and overseas. How would you describe your leadership style?
This is a question probably best left to the teams I have worked with. I will let you answer that Holly. Editor’s note - In my experience working with Beau on the ACS Queensland Branch Executive Committee, Gold Coast Chapter and a range of other projects and events I would say Beau is innovative, collaborative, and a great connector of teams and people. Plus having a good sense of humour is also a helpful attribute! Holly Bretherton, State Manager, ACS Queensland.
6. How do you best juggle the demands of tech leadership and your project work, family and wide-ranging volunteer roles? What are your top tips for managing work/life/balance?
This is a tough question. No matter which stage you are at in life or your career, you will need to make choices that are difficult and sacrifice will more than likely be a part of these choice. Some will be in your control and some won’t be. COVID, for myself and a lot of others has been an example of needing to change priorities. So my advice would be to say yes to any opportunity that is presented, if you don’t know how to do it you will learn, if it doesn’t work out it was a learning opportunity, do things you enjoy, be sure to take time out for yourself and for your family, and finally make sure you are being a part of the solution and not part of the problem. Be a part of something bigger than you, like the ACS.
7. How has ACS membership supported you throughout your ICT career?
The ACS membership is like a door to the unknown. If you don’t open the door you don’t know what is on the other side. For me the membership given me great opportunities to not only meet likeminded people and have experiences that I will never forget but it also gives me the ability to be in the game and not sit on the sideline.
"5 Minutes With..." is a series of articles showcasing exceptional ACS Members and their amazing, innovative, and game changing stories. Representing over 48,000 tech professionals across Australia, our Members work across industry, government, research, and education organisations and each edition highlights the role they are playing in making Australia a world leader in technology talent, fostering innovation, and creating new forms of value.