BChemEng, MBA
At St Margaret’s 1995-2003; School Captain
Elise Mawson (nee Thomson) is the founder and managing director of TaxiBaby.com, a company that aims to make travelling with children both safe and convenient. TaxiBaby.com works with private enterprise, government departments and a range of educational institutions to raise safety standards and affordability of travel solutions across South East Asia.
Throughout her time at St Margaret’s, Elise was an active participant in the extracurricular life of the school as a part of music ensembles, artistic gymnastics, school musicals, debating and athletics and she was School Captain in her final year.
After graduating from St Margaret’s in 2003, Elise studied chemical engineering at The University of Queensland and completed a semester on exchange in Canada. She worked for BHP Billiton for 10 years, starting out as a process engineer in coal mines in Central Queensland. She then became a plant foreman, leading a crew of 12 operators, mechanics and electricians across shift work. After studying an MBA in Sydney with an exchange to Harvard, Elise moved into finance, first as an investment analyst in Brisbane, then onto Singapore as a finance and risk manager.
The now Singapore-based mother of three says that the birth of her eldest son highlighted the lack of options and support in Asia for car-free families and so the idea behind Taxi Baby was hatched.
“Leaving the corporate world for the risk and uncertainty of a start-up was a difficult decision for me, but I don’t regret the leap. We are now one of the fastest growing corporations in Singapore and were recently recognised with a national Most Innovative Business award,” said Elise.
She says the values instilled in her during her time at St Margaret’s helped shape the businessperson, friend and mother she is today.
“I always remember being encouraged by my teachers to challenge the norm, question the status quo, disprove the assumption and that trait, in particular, I cherish,” said Elise.
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