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October 15, 2015

Silicon Valley leader named as one of UOW’s most inspiring alumni

The man tasked with finding the next generation of ‘Googlers’ wins Alumni Award for Professional Excellence.

If someone had suggested to a young Sunil Chandra that he would one day be charged with hiring 7,000 people each year (from more than two million applicants) for one of the world’s biggest tech companies, he would not have thought it impossible. 

“It just goes to show that no dream is too big a dream to have and nothing is impossible, no matter where you start!” the Bachelor of Engineering (Class 1 Honours) graduate said.

As the Vice President of People Operations at Google, Mr Chandra leads the team that not only hires and assesses the best candidates to work at the ultimate tech-heads’ dream job, but supports them once they’re on board.

Mr Chandra’s team has revolutionised the way in which Google handles its recruiting and human resources operations—which at a workplace of roughly 55,000 employees in 100 locations is no small feat.

“We invest a lot of time and energy to find amazing people. We want to keep them happy,” Mr Chandra said, adding that the best way to do that is by constantly providing opportunities for people to learn and take on new challenges.

“This doesn’t take a lot of money. We have a program called G2G, where Googlers teach other Googlers just about anything – this offers a growth opportunity for both the teachers and the students.”

After leaving UOW in 1995, Mr Chandra learned the way in which the art and science of computer engineering can come together in a seamless transition, a lesson that was instrumental in attracting the attention of Google.

Supporting employees at some of the world’s largest and most influential organisations has been a hallmark of his career. From his first job at Coopers and Lybrand in management consulting services dealing with customer care, to his position at Barclays Capital as the COO of Global Services Technology providing technology services in 13 Asia Pacific countries, supporting 2,000 employees and indirectly providing infrastructure for another 25,000.

So looking after tens of thousands of employees was not new to Mr Chandra when he took up the position at Google in 2007.

Even with such a seemingly monumental task, Mr Chandra said the culture at Google inspires not just him but all those fortunate enough to get their foot in the door at the company.

“Talent comes in all forms, so there is no single archetype – the trick is to always to keep an eye out for brilliant ideas from all corners and then find ways to say yes to an idea (rather than no).”

Mr Chandra is a firm believer that Google hires the best from everywhere in the world regardless of background, and he is passionate about encouraging more women into the often male-dominated world of computer information technologies.

“Women have always had a profound impact on technology. From trailblazers like [computer scientist] Grace Hopper to Australia’s own Frances Rosamond, who not only made her mark in computer science, but was passionately committed to removing barriers for women to study and work in STEM [science, technology, engineering and math],” he said.

“There’s lots more to do here and at Google we’re always looking for women who want to do things that can change the world. That’s really what creating new technology is all about—making people’s lives better. And the more women joining the effort, the better
job we’ll be able to do for our users.”

Mr Chandra said he also looks close to home, Australia and UOW, when searching for the next generation of Googlers.

“There is a tonne of great talent in Australia, which is part of what motivated Google to open an office in Sydney. We know there are great people there and have been able to build some pretty key products including Maps and Drive for Mobile out of our Sydney office as a result of the calibre of talent in the continent,” he said.

“Australian graduates tend to have a very can-do approach, tend to have great exposure to multiple cultures at university and beyond, and obviously have extremely strong skills—which makes for a great hire.”

Mr Chandra said he is “humbled and honoured” to be recognised with the 2015 UOW Alumni Award for Professional Excellence.

“It brings back many memories of the great experiences: a faculty that really cared, a campus small enough to feel personal, but big enough to have all the facilities.”