Associate Professor Carmen Leong understands the potential of technology to empower and enable people and communities. It’s an interest that’s driven her research and aligns with her new role as Associate Dean for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion at UNSW Business School.

Soon after completing a degree in Computer Science and working as a programmer and software analyst, Associate Professor Leong quickly realised she wasn’t going to spend her career coding behind a screen. Her skills expanded when she moved from her home of Malaysia to Singapore, and she gained some interesting insights from work experience outside of the IT industry.

“I got a job as a personal assistant to the General Manager of a big logistics company, where I learned how a business works and how leaders make decisions. And then I moved on to work in a government agency, where I learned a whole new set of skills on how to communicate, collaborate and project manage.”

Throughout her experience, Associate Professor Leong noticed a common thread in the important role that technology plays across all industries and wanted to explore this further, so she obtained a Masters in Computing (IT Project Management), then applied for a PhD at the National University of Singapore.

“Since I was a PhD student, I have been researching about how organisations in China leverage emerging technology for success. Technology in China evolves so quickly, so it was an interesting place to be and use as a study subject,” she says.

Solving social problems with technology

After spending some time researching different Chinese organisations, Associate Professor Leong’s research turned from larger organisations to the social impacts of technology in communities.

“In China, our eBay is called Taobao and back in 2013, the concept of the e-commerce village was born. People who had moved from small villages to the big cities for education and work were moving back to their hometowns with new knowledge, starting businesses online and selling their products on Taobao.”

This showed how e-commerce and technology provided more opportunities for wealth and success, while also solving a gaping social problem.

“Younger people were leaving not only their parents but their children behind to have a successful career and prosperity. If your child is born in one city and you get a job in another, you can’t take your child with you when you move, there are government limitations for population control. So the grandparents are left on their own to look after the children. It’s a phenomenon we call ‘rural hollowing’.”

However, the e-commerce village revitalised whole communities and gave Associate Professor Leong inspiration for her thesis on Digitally Enabled Community Empowerment. This also included a study into the technology-led social movement fuelled by green initiatives in Malaysia and community-led emergency communication and knowledge broadcasting during natural disasters in Thailand.

“We now know that social media is a real source and platform for people to self-organise and rally to express their unhappiness or share vital information that government-led media outlets may be suppressing. It aligns with my overall interest of how technology empowers people and is an equaliser.”

The opportunity to give back

This research eventually led Associate Professor Leong to apply for a role at UNSW Sydney and has since been living in Australia for 10 years, now working as a researcher and PhD advisor in the School of Information Systems and Technology Management.

The move gave her a new perspective on the importance of equity and diversity, and now she wants to pay forward all the support she has received to others.

“Growing up Malaysian-Chinese I just accepted a lot of things I experienced as acceptable and normal. But coming to Australia has expanded my worldview. Discrimination isn’t acceptable here and it shouldn’t be anywhere,” she says.

“But on the other hand, I’m lucky. I got a lot of help in my career and here at UNSW there is a lot of support for females, for carers and opportunities to succeed with the right support. I really want to give that back, especially in my new role as Associate Dean for Equity, Diversity and Inclusion at UNSW Business School.”

From 2021 to 2023, Associate Professor Leong served as a representative for the School of Information Systems and Technology Management on the Business School’s EDI Committee and was inspired by the passion and impact that people bring to the university community.

She took that desire to give back to her new community, approaching Campbelltown City Council with an offer for support with IT and technology-related projects.

“We ended up working with them on a project to improve their website. With councils moving online and looking to digitise their services, it was important to make sure no one was left behind in the process. Like the elderly who are not as well versed in technology or lower SES households who may not have access to the internet at home.”

Associate Professor Leong led a team of colleagues on the project that advised the council on how to prioritise and effectively execute digital advancement. She was thrilled to be able to turn research into something that could be meaningful and useful. The project earned her the UNSW Business School's Staff Excellence Award: Research Impact in 2023.

“Because I didn’t grow up here, I didn’t realise the diversity of this area of Sydney and the range of services the council needed to provide. It was quite rewarding to do this for my community and see the impact.”

And now as Associate Dean EDI, she’s aiming her focus on Western Sydney engagement for some future initiatives.

“We want to be strategic about the future of our EDI initiatives at the Business School and I’m taking my time to settle into the role and decide how we’re going to do our best for the students, staff and the wider community. 

Associate Professor Leong is proud to be using both her technology-led research and role in leading the UNSW Business School’s EDI team to enable and empower people to be heard and included.

 

Click here to learn more about Associate Professor Carmen Leong

Find out more about UNSW Business School’s EDI team