Mandy Ross, Chief Information Officer, Wotif.com

Mandy Ross has always had an interest in computing and technology and decided to specialise in ICT during her first semester at UQ.

She enrolled in the Bachelor of Information Technology to further her interest in software development and graduated from UQ with honours (class 1). Mandy is currently the chief information officer for Wotif.com and manages ICT teams in Brisbane, Sydney and Phuket.

"When I was deciding which university to attend, UQ really stood out to me as the university of choice in Queensland, particularly in the fields of ICT and software engineering."

"Remembering back when selecting programs, I took into account my personal interests and strengths whilst balancing the expectations of my family."

"Whilst studying at UQ, I found that the natural campus environment, location, the diversity of the program and the ICT facilities were excellent," Mandy said.

"Since graduating, I have found that UQ has a fantastic reputation in the ICT industry and many potential employers valued my UQ qualifications very positively. Completing my degree was one of the hardest yet gratifying things I have ever done in my life and studying at UQ is an experience which I will always remember fondly," said Mandy.

"The Bachelor of Information Technology at UQ gave me a solid ICT foundation which put me ahead of other colleagues in the industry."

Mandy is now responsible for overseeing all of the software development and technology aspects of Wotif.com on both a daily basis and a strategic level. "Being predominately an online business, technology support is much of what we do at Wotif.com and this certainly keeps me busy," said Mandy.

"During my studies, I obtained excellent practical and theoretical knowledge across an array of ICT disciplines and now find myself applying these elements everyday in my role at Wotif.com."

"In the future, I aim to work in roles where I can truly make a difference and have fun at the same time."