Chris Smith

Chris Smith - BCom (1981)

Candidate Summary
Hi to all my fellow alumni! I am proud to have contributed to our faculty since joining the Alumni Council in late 2013. I remain highly enthusiastic to continue the task of building the best alumni cohort in The University of Melbourne.

To achieve this I will bring to the Faculty's Alumni Council my personal and professional experiences and values founded in:

  1. A belief that communication and engagement is the basis for building a genuine valuable cohort of alumni who can support and assist each other to capture life opportunities in an increasingly international professional world.  Creating an easier way to connect with alumni of all ages is one objective I have for building a stronger cohort
  2. My passion for mentoring others to assist our undergraduates and alumni to transition into their first and subsequent professional positions and to expand networks to alumni of all ages and locations
  3. Using my experience living and working in Asia to bring a regional perspective to the future needs of our alumni particularly to become fully equipped executives capable of excelling in conducting business in Asia

I look forward to receiving your support and meeting as many of you as I can in future, thank you.

Biography
Chris has 30 years' experience in roles in chartered accounting, investment, corporate and institutional banking and private wealth management. His experience spans Australia, New Zealand and 11 countries in Asia. Commencing his career with Deloitte, Chris gained a professional foundation in audit, accounting, tax and business advisory. He pursued his interest in corporate finance and advisory at Maracorp, until its acquisition by Bank of Melbourne. Chris spent 5 years in commercial property development and investment finance. He then returned to investment banking at Hambros where he developed his skills and passion for the Food, Beverage & Agribusiness ("FBA") sector. This led in 1996 to Chris joining ANZ to commence the FBA industry specialisation model in Melbourne. The success of the model led to national, Trans Tasman and Asian roles. In 2010 Chris brought together his rich career experiences in a Private Wealth Director role focused on UHNW and Family Office Clients in the ANZ Private business. This role encompassed all aspects of wealth management, asset allocation, estate planning, risk management, capital structure and philanthropy. Chris holds a Bachelor of Commerce from the University of Melbourne, a Diploma in Financial Planning and is a Chartered Accountant.