The Manager of Co-op Industry Partnerships said he has “checked all the boxes across the program life cycle”.
UNSW’s Co-op Program Scholarship is the largest and most prestigious of its type in Australia, with 300 scholars currently who’ll join 3500 alumni when they graduate.
An alumnus from the very first Co-op Program and Business Information Technology graduate, Luke Tristram, said that along with the invaluable industry experience, the lifelong networks he built have been equally impactful in his career.
“I’ve started, built and sold a company with fellow scholars, won an Emmy, my children count at least seven other children of Co-op scholars as friends, I edited Tharunka with fellow scholars.
“These have been some of the most formative relationships of my life. They are people who have really shaped the last 35 years for me and this is the real strength of the Program,” he said.
A global success and a Technical Emmy
Luke said he emerged from the Co-op Program with “unreasonable self-confidence”.
“As a graduate, you have years of industry experience under your belt, so there’s that confidence driving you to at least try and do something quite bold”, he said.
After graduating, Luke spent several years working as an analyst with McKinsey & Company, before he co-founded Proximity Corporation with two other UNSW alumni. The software company, which also became a sponsor of the Co-op Program, developed tools to access, convert and manage complex graphics, like those used in sports and news programming. The product was indispensable during the September 11 terrorist attacks, enabling network-wide access to graphics and data to help explain the events. Proximity achieved global success before being acquired by Apple, where Luke stayed on as a product manager for more than 17 years.
Through Proximity Corporation, Luke worked with many of the world's largest television networks, including NBC, Fox, CBS and the BBC. In 2002 Luke accepted a Technical Emmy at the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences in New York City on behalf of the company for its trailblazing technology.
Another brush with fame
While an Emmy might seem like the peak of fame, Luke cites a different brush with fame as his most memorable star-studded moment.
“When I lived in New York, I was bass player in a band called ‘The Shoots’. We were all weekend warriors, just a bunch of nerds – the lead singer worked for IBM. The opportunity to play at CBGBs – a club that was huge in the 80s – came up. Talking Heads and Blondie started there. About 100 people came, and I lived out my rockstar dreams for a night. That was the pinnacle of our fame and we’ve long since disbanded. I talk to my kids about it all the time and they roll their eyes and say, ‘Yes dad we’ve heard this story’”, Luke said.
Giving back to the program
After decades in the US, Luke moved back to Australia to spend more time with extended family. He continued working on projects for Apple remotely until October 2023 when he found himself wondering what to do next.
Luke reconnected with Michelle Morris, Head of the Co-op Program, and said the opportunity to become a team member landed on his doorstep.
“It seemed like the perfect story arc that they talked about in the film business. Coming all the way back, full circle to where I started in 1988,” he said.
As Manager of Co-op Industry Partnerships, Luke engages with current sponsors to understand their needs, where they're going and to give them perspective on how the Program can help them. He’s also engaging with new companies, that UNSW hasn’t partnered with before, to build further opportunities for Co-op scholars.
“The second piece to this role is working with the students. I think that’s one of the most compelling parts for me. The engagement with scholars is very rewarding and it helps me get a real sense of giving something back to the Program”, he said.
Throughout the latter half of this year, Luke will help to define the attributes of a successful Co-op scholar and be instrumental in setting the framework for 2026 recruitment.
As a Co-op alumnus, he is eager to establish regular feedback opportunities to engage fellow graduates, seek their input on emerging graduate skills. Luke will also identify opportunities for new scholarships with existing and new sponsors and collaborate on big-picture brainstorming to shape the Program’s vision.
What’s the best piece of advice you’ve been given?
This is attributed to Steve Jobs and was something we talked about at work. You can only understand how life’s opportunities shape your career by looking back. Always embrace new and challenging experiences, even if they seem unrelated at the time because they can be pivotal to your future success. For example, without working on Tharunka, I wouldn’t have met one of my co-founders and Proximity likely would never have existed.
Tell us something that might surprise your colleagues.
I won a small poker tournament while at a conference for Apple in Las Vegas.
What’s something that makes you happy?
Being back here and working with the students, that makes me really happy.
What’s a day in your life you’d like to relive?
Playing at CBGB’s with The Shoots!
What’s the best thing you’ve read in the last year?
I just finished reading Careless People: A Cautionary Tale of Power, Greed, and Lost Idealism by Sarah Wynn Williams. It was a scary read, it's controversial but it's super topical right now.
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