Peter Tanswell has achieved so much in his life. After completing a business degree, he forged a successful career in Information Technology (IT). He spent 20 years with firms such as Ernst and Young and KPMG, where he focused on information systems, auditing and consulting.

Peter was ‘before his time’ and became interested in computer security (now cyber security) before the concept became common place. He notes ‘in the early 1980s people knew about the internet, it was used in universities. The rate of technological change did not happen until the internet became available on mobile phones. In fact, the current IPhone is more powerful than the large mainframes I worked with in the early 1980s.’

Peter has always been passionate about cricket. Fun fact- Peter went to the same High School as famous Australian cricketer Richie Benaud!!  When Peter decided to complete a Doctorate, he chose to focus

Peter completing his moot

on the popular sport. His PhD thesis was entitled ‘The Dynamics of Change in a Complex Sporting Environment: Australian Cricket.’

In Peter’s PhD Abstract he notes ‘During the period 1995 to 2005, Australian cricket was considered by most of their opponents to be the world leader in the sport in terms of innovation, strategy and tactics. The expertise on and off the field was chiefly responsible for this success. However, this was insufficient to ensure its commercial competitiveness among sports organisations in Australia. This required Cricket Australia to undertake a series of significant organisational changes. This study investigated the reasons for undertaking these changes, factors that led to the successful implementation of the selected change initiatives and the factors that enabled these changes to be sustained. The setting for this study is Australian Cricket and the changes that were implemented between 2005 and 2015.’

Peter who was recently admitted as a solicitor, enjoyed many of the subjects he completed with UNE. For obvious reasons, Peter really enjoyed the Sports Law unit with Dr Ciprian Radavoi. Furthermore, he liked Natural Resources Law with Dr Andrew Lawson and Property Law with Dr Andrew Lawson and Dr Kip Werren; Succession Law with Dr Stephan Janes; and Technology Law with Professor Michael Adams and Bridie Nolan.

In relation to people who are thinking about studying Law Peter notes ‘Give it a go. When I started, I had no idea what I was doing- I just wanted a refresher in Contract Law. Having a good understanding of the legal system is an excellent skill set to have to complement any career!!’

Thank you, Peter, for sharing your story with us!