Life for Monique Hutchinson (nee Austerberry) (Wyvern 2003) is far removed from her time on Tweddle and second north studying arts/law, in every sense. As the commercial and external affairs manager for a US energy company, Monique is based on Bioko Island, off the west coast of Africa, part of Equatorial Guinea.

“My role is really varied and requires me to have a strong understanding of our business and operating agreements, as well as our governance requirements and government relations. I work very closely with the company president and operations director. I have a team of 12 whom I am working to develop, mentor and upskill. My team and I are also responsible for our company’s corporate social responsibility program which includes a malaria elimination project that has significantly reduced malaria prevalence on the island, for more than 20 years, saving many lives with its innovations and interventions.”  

After 10 years in the role, Monique still loves what she does.

“I can utilise my legal qualifications and experience to make decisions that are best for the business without getting bogged down in legal minutiae. I particularly like the multi-cultural environment, which makes for a really interesting dynamic. I get to work with people from all over the world – not only Equatoguineans, but American, British, Indian, Filipino, Lebanese, Romanian, Venezuelan people, and so many more. I’m also really enjoying the work we do supporting the local community, not only eliminating malaria but also fundraising for books and educational resources for schools on the island. It has really improved student outcomes, and it’s nice to be able to get out of the office and see the impact we have outside our core business operations. On top of that, I love our work schedule. My commute to the office is only three minutes and we typically work a 10-week-on, 3-week-off rotation. This means for 12 weeks every year, we are away from work and can travel anywhere in the world.”

Monique came to Queen’s from Castlemaine, having heard it was a College to which other country students gravitated.

 “Queen’s was where I met my best friends, the girls from second north are still my closest friends today. I really value their friendship and I’m so glad we still make time for each other. Whenever we catch up or chat, it’s like nothing has changed since we were all 20 years old, living on the same corridor.  At high school, I didn’t feel like I was surrounded by many like-minded people so it was nice to finally find some people at Queen’s who I really clicked with. It gave me a sense of belonging. It also helped me develop my social skills, and got me out of my comfort zone.” 

Monique is very happy to hear from Queen’s students or fellow Wyverns via email – hutchinson.moniquen@gmail.com  Instagram – monhutchy, or LinkedIn.