Alumni profile

Jamila Gordon is the Founder and CEO of Lumachain and a Global Ambassador of the International Women's Entrepreneurial Challenge Foundation.

Notable Positions:

• Former Global Delivery Program Executive at IBM
• Former Group Chief Information Officer at QANTAS
• Former Non Executive Director & Global Chief Information Officer at Get Swift

She is also currently an Advisory Board Member for VentureCrowd and Non Executive Director of Jayride.

Jamila holds a Bachelor of Business (Information Technology) from La Trobe, and is a member of the Class of 1995.

She was born in Somalia, but due to the ongoing Somali Civil War, she fled to Australia via Kenya.

“My father realised Somalia was heading towards a civil war," Jamila said.

"If he didn’t get us out... we would be all killed. [Her family] all ended up scattered over the world as refugees. I ended up in Kenya.

“I remember a friend of mine from Kenya telling me if the Kenyan police found me, I would be taken back to the border. I don’t think I would’ve survived. 

“I was really fortunate enough to meet an Australia backpacker who sponsored me to Australia. And that’s one of the moments that changed my life."

After Jamila arrived in Australia, she began studying at La Trobe's Bendigo campus.

“La Trobe was the only university that accepted me," she said.

“Bendigo was very peaceful. I felt welcomed at all levels – the lecturers, the teachers and the students.

"I remember one of the lecturers spending time with me and ensuring I followed my passion. As a result of that, I switched from accounting to an IT degree."

For her excellence in IT, Jamila was awarded the La Trobe Univeristy Distinguished Alumni Award in 2008.

“It was an absolute honour to be a distinguished alumni of the university and I was so happy," she said.

"La Trobe University has given me so much. I owe La Trobe a huge debt of gratitude. I hope I can give back even half of what [its] given me."

Distinguished Regional IT and engineering

Last updated: 9th April 2019