Solange Cunin grew up ‘off the grid’ on her parents’ eucalyptus plantation in northern NSW, inspired by the bright Milky Way.
She fostered a passion for technology and space and continued on to study aerospace engineering at the University of New South Wales. Whilst studying, Solange co-founded Cuberider, a start-up that sent Australia’s first payloads to the International Space Station, inspiring thousands of Australian students in Science Technology Engineering Maths.
Current Work:
After successfully exiting Cuberider in 2018, Solange launched Generation STEM at CSIRO, a $25million initiative to increase the STEM-capable workforce pipeline in NSW.
In her current role at Amazon, Head of Product for Seller Success and Delivery Experience, Solange is focused on enabling the success of marketplace merchants by driving improvements in customer and seller experience.
Talking Points
STEM & technology
Solange delivers her keynotes through the lens of an engineer and STEM education leader. She shares her experience of what technology broadly is being developed and what that holds for society, particularly in space. She also talks about what the future of work, in general, entails with these technological advances and strategies to encourage the next generation of STEM leaders.STEM & technology
3 Key Takeaways:
- Reflect on how the future of work looks for your business with the rapid advancements in technology
- Building sold strategies and mindsets to succeed in STEM leadership
- Identify the external implications technology will have and how this will shape the business landscape
Entrepreneurship
In this keynote, Solange shares her experience of starting a business in the tech space, overcoming challenges both big and small, and the pros and cons of cultivating entrepreneurship. Solange reflects on her experience as a woman in a start-up and reveals opportunities that can arise within this area of business. She also shares her viewpoint on innovation philosophy and how this translates into some of the Big Tech companies she has worked with. Entrepreneurship
3 Key Takeaways:
- Learn how to build resilience in the face of adversity
- Learn about the opportunities and pathways for women in start-ups
- Unpack the importance on innovation philosophy
Innovation & digital products
Solange’s innovation philosophy has been informed and shaped by her entrepreneurial experience and engineering background. Focusing on the customer perspective, Solange talks about framing innovative decision making around their perceptions and using data to enhance their experiences. Innovation & digital products
Solange also dives into how innovative decision making can help to redefine your company culture to be more innovative and organic.
Solange’s keynote also extends to digital product design and management where she speaks on the trade-off of viable product which is popular in the start-up space, versus delivering products that meet customer expectations.
3 Key Takeaways:
- Learn how to centre your innovation around the customer perspective
- How to properly utilise data in innovative decision making
- Redefine your company culture with innovation
