Moguls n' Mailman
Andrew Collins talks about life after Swinburne and how education abroad opened his eyes to China and the world.
If Swinburne is ever in need of a poster boy, Andrew Collins would no doubt fit the bill.He lived and breathed campus life throughout his degree and, despite having graduated in 2004, continues to enjoy a close relationship with Swinburne as one of the key founders of the Future Leaders Program.
The two-week study tour of China is designed for high-achieving students to enhance their career prospects on a global scale and it’s no coincidence that it reflects the spirit of its founder.
Andrew’s entrepreneurial drive came to the fore at the age of six – selling marbles and unwanted Christmas presents in the school- yard – and shows no sign of slowing down after taking over one of China's largest alternative media companies and being named in Anthill Online Magazine’s Top 30 Entrepreneurs Under 30.
“Don’t sit back and do what everyone else does – differentiate yourself,” Andrew says. “You’re writing the story, take advantage of everything you can ... broaden your horizons.”
Back where it all began
Andrew’s drive might give the impression he’s had his career mapped out from the beginning, but it wasn’t until he was nearing the end of high school that he committed himself to university.
“You’re an energetic, business-focussed guy who loves to make the most of what you’re doing”, he says, remembering his career adviser's auspicious advice. “You’d be perfect for Swinburne.”
Andrew left hometown Albury-Wodonga for Swinburne’s Hawthorn campus. He started a Bachelor of Arts (Psychology) but soon found his passion lay elsewhere.
“I’ve always had a desire to run a media company,” he says. “I was fascinated by the Packers and the Murdochs. I knew I was never going to work for anyone, so I did a combination of media and management to get a rounded background.”
It was a savvy decision and Andrew has never looked back. He won a scholarship to study business in the United States in 2001 and received a Chancellor’s Award for Entrepreneurial Excellence in his final year in 2003.
View from abroad
After finishing his degree, he was selected to represent Swinburne at Arizona State University’s Global Tech Leaders Symposium.
The program gave high-achieving students from across the world the opportunity to travel to China and experience leadership in a global context.
It was an experience he says changed his life.
“First of all, it opened my eyes up to China,” he says. "Shanghai, in particular, has an incredible energy. You can really feel the buzz.
“By the time I finished university, I knew I wasn’t going to stay in Australia. I committed to going to China – I just didn’t know how I was going to get there.”
Andrew spent two years working for Jack Morton – a leading experiential marketing and communications company – as well as running his own business importing perfume.
After two years, however, Andrew got a hefty bout of travel bug. He quit his job, sold the business and travelled around the world.
Once he’d hung up his backpack and returned to Australia, Andrew set up his own mergers and acquisitions consultancy. This allowed him to travel back and forth to China and keep an eye out for his next move forward.
Moguls n’ Mailman
Andrew’s dreams of becoming a media mogul were soon realised when he came across Mailman, an alternative media company based in Shanghai.
“I met another guy from Melbourne who, funnily enough, studied at Swinburne,” Andrew recalls. “He pretty much pioneered alternative advertising in China.
"He’d been in China for nine years and wanted to get home; I was young and dumb and in a prime position to get in there. I brokered a deal, moved over there in May 2007 and started running the business in January 2008.”
Mailman is now one of the largest alternative media companies in China and boasts a monthly audience of 15 million with its 'PostKard' and washroom advertising.
Andrew is now looking to capitalise on China’s expatriate community with a new text messaging business providing English-speaking expats with an easy and convenient way to access Chinese services.
What makes an entrepreneur?
Andrew has always been the type who looks to, rather than rests on, his laurels.
For as long as he can remember he's had some kind of project on the go: whether it's selling marbles and trading unwanted Christmas presents in the schoolyard or rounding up local pizza shops to donate to the homeless each week, as he did during his university days.
He says it has a lot to do with having an identical twin brother. “Imagine growing up with a guy who looks just like you, is equivalent to you,” he says. “In a competitive nature, you must get ahead. If he wins he’s gonna let you know about it, so it’s this constant drive.”
Sibling rivalry aside, Andrew also cites Swinburne as an influence on his entrepreneurial spirit.
“Swinburne’s been a major part of my career and I think it’s fostered great people. As far as I’m concerned it’s the number one university in Australia,” he says. “It's a great university for providing students with a platform outside the course curriculum.”
Leaders of the future
Inspired by his own education abroad experience, Andrew was instrumental in establishing Swinburne’s Future Leaders Program in 2007.
The program takes in the sights of Beijing, Hong Kong and Shanghai and includes a range of cultural activities, industry visits and meetings with government officials designed to develop students’ entrepreneurial thinking and allow them to discover their own leadership potential.
Andrew helped write the original vision for the program and has a large hand in organising the groups visit to Shanghai, which includes a session at Mailman's headquarters.
“I just thought if I can harness the energy I’ve been given and re-direct some of that to other students to inspire them to do great things I want to do that,” he says.
To those students considering education abroad, Andrew’s message is plain and simple.
“Don’t sit back and do what everyone else does – differentiate yourself,” he says. “You’re writing the story, take advantage of everything you can ... broaden your horizons.”
