The remarkable story of Paul and Sue Taylor

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Tags: summer-2012

Paul and Sue Taylor

When husband and wife Paul and Sue Taylor talk about their Brisbane upbringings, they describe their parents setting a strong example of civic commitment by participating in Rotary, raising funds for community groups and volunteering.

“I look back on my life, education and work and see people who mentored me, and realise that I’m basically in the position I’m in because other people spent hours and hours helping me learn, and for me that’s sort of a link to philanthropy,” Mr Taylor said.

Now the couple’s view is that, in whatever capacity they can, they want to give back to places and organisations that have influenced their lives and have an observable impact on the community. They describe it as a “circular concept”.

Mr Taylor graduated from UQ with a Bachelor of Business in 1991 and a Bachelor of Commerce in 1992 and spent a number of years with various management consultancies. In 1997 he received a scholarship which allowed him to return to university and study for a Masters in Finance at the London Business School. Mrs Taylor, who had graduated from UQ with a Bachelor of Arts, majoring in Psychology in 1986 and with Honours in Psychology in 1987, taught primary school to help support the couple.

“As a student, financial help is invaluable, and the scholarship made our lives much easier. Thinking about the future of Australian higher education, and how important it is to compete on the world stage, we need to head in a way where we think much more about alumni’s role in helping to financially support universities.

“It’s probably going to become harder and harder for government to fund tertiary education, therefore it will be up to alumni, business and the community,” Mr Taylor said.

After graduating from the London Business School, Mr Taylor began working as an investment analyst at Fidelity in London. He went on to lead the global financial services team and now leads the company’s Sydney office. Throughout the years, he has been able to travel the world recruiting university graduates and has watched how international students often embrace lifelong relationships with their universities.

“We have many international friends and one thing that always strikes me is their level of financial commitment and loyalty to their respective universities. It seems they are instilled with a great appreciation of the value of higher education and have a desire to give back so others can benefit,” Mrs Taylor said.

The Taylors see in Australia an untapped opportunity to match Australian values of compassion and camaraderie with the need for higher education philanthropy.

“I think generally in Australia we are very keen to help people,” Mr Taylor said.

“In Queensland, you can easily see that with the flood relief. People were happy to help with money and, more impressively, with their time. But if we think about giving proactively instead of from a reactive need, like when disaster strikes, then we can actually help charities plan and move forward.”

“There are many wonderful charities that get and deserve support, but perhaps Australians need to consider universities as worthwhile beneficiaries as well. I consider it a privilege to have gone to university, and appreciate the opportunities my education has provided me,” Mrs Taylor said.

Over the last few years Mr and Mrs Taylor have given to a variety of programs at UQ and they continually look for areas to give which will have a broad and significant impact.

“The Student Welfare Fund is a good example of visible impact,” Mr Taylor said.

“Through various circumstances people can experience temporary financial difficulties and when that happens, financial help can make a huge difference.”

The couple have also given to the library, the UQ Annual Fund and the Queensland Brain Institute. The Taylors’ explain they are just getting started and plan to donate a specific percentage of their income to organisations around Australia and around the world for many years to come. Some of those places already include The School of St Jude in Tanzania, The Northern Beaches Refugee Sanctuary and Youngcare, which helps Australians with full-time care needs.

For more information about giving to UQ please email giving@uq.edu.au

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