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ROHAN McDOUGALL

Rohan McDougall. Picture: Steve Ferrier/The West Australian.

Set targets and give your staff the space to shine, Curtin University’s director of IP and commercialisation tells Nick Sas.

Biggest or best career break?

I graduated from Murdoch in biotechnology, then went to work at the Australian patents office and I guess it was when I landed a job as a patent and licensing officer at Unisearch, the commercial arm of the University of New South Wales. This job introduced me to commercialisation of early stage technology and Sydney as a city.

Describe your leadership or management style.

I would say I have a fairly laissez-faire style. Once we have set priorities and targets I tend to trust people to get on with it and execute their duties. Just let everyone do their work.

Most memorable corporate moment?

Towards the end of my time at Unisearch we were focused on starting up companies based in tech, mainly in the medical and bioscience area. And I guess the most memorable was drinking champagne at the Australian Securities Exchange in Sydney on the listing of Biosignal, a company we listed based on a new antibacterial technology from UNSW. It turned out to be a bit of a rollercoaster ride, and the company didn’t survive as it failed a clinical study right when the global financial crisis hit.

Best way to improve workplace productivity?

Make sure you have people who are interested and engaged in their work. Personally, my role is a bit of a sales role as you’re trying to package technology and make it sellable and market it to potential buyers, so I need people who are interested in sciences, technology and the sales side of things.

Do you use social media? If so, how?

I wouldn’t say I’m a heavy user but I use LinkedIn to keep in touch with business contacts, sometimes to find new contacts and keep contacts up to date with our activities. My friends are not heavy Facebook users but I use it to promote some of our events and keep in touch with personal and professional contacts. The guys that we deal with from Silicon Valley are really big on it, so I try to keep up there. I use Twitter semi-regularly to promote some of our events and start-up companies as well as circulate articles and announcements of interest.

What do you do in your spare time?

I like to spend time with my family. We live in South Fremantle and have a great street community so I tend to hang out at home or close by at the beach or Freo. I also cycle — been doing it for about two years now, cycling to work.

Best Australian holiday destination?

Last year we spent a couple of weeks at Ningaloo Marine Park and liked it so much we are going back again this year. It’s also pretty hard to beat Rotto.

Last book you read?

I am good at stacking up half-read books on my bedside table and now it’s my iPad taking that role. I am most motivated to finish Daniel Kahneman’s Thinking Fast and Slow. I am interested in the way people think and make decisions.

Can Perth be a serious player in the global tech scene?

I think Perth is already a player in the technology-based mining and resource service sector. We certainly have the capacity to start world-class tech businesses here. The question is their ability to scale into major companies from a WA base. The advantage of going into the mining services area is we have these people on our doorstep, but I also think there’s an opportunity to diversify into other areas. We’ve been looking at using the advantages of the Square Kilometre Array project. It’s about having access to skilled people to grow, and there are only a few places in the world where that’s feasible, but maybe as the Perth market grows that will happen.

Most common mistake made by tech start-ups?

Not focusing on sales. It sounds simple but I see a lot of companies and entrepreneurs who build products they think people want but find out people don’t want them enough to pay for them.