SYDNEY, AUSTRALIA – 28 October 2025 – The University of Technology Sydney (UTS) has named Rob Castaneda, Founder and CEO of global technology services company ServiceRocket, as a Fellow of the University in recognition of his exceptional contributions and long-standing support.
The UTS Graduations Office conferred the award at a graduation ceremony on Friday, 24 October, where Castaneda delivered the occasional address. This honour recognises Castaneda's contributions to UTS through active service as an inaugural member of the North American Advisory Board, as a philanthropic donor, speaker and mentor, and as an Industry Partner in the UTS Transdisciplinary (TD) School.
Castaneda (BSc Hons, University of Technology Sydney) founded ServiceRocket while still a UTS student in 2001, transforming it from a Sydney start-up into a global tech-enabled services organisation. Under his leadership, ServiceRocket has become a strategic partner for major software vendors across North America, Europe, Latin America and Asia.
ServiceRocket pioneered an integrated model combining product, services, education and content to drive software adoption and customer outcomes—an approach now widely adopted across SaaS ecosystems. The company's work has been recognised with industry awards, including CIO Review's Top Atlassian Services Company, San Francisco Bay Area Top Workplaces in 2023 and the 2024-2025 Atlassian Partner of the Year Award for Co-Selling Excellence.
Castaneda has become a sought-after keynote speaker at major industry events, including Atlassian conferences, where he shares insights on scaling software businesses, customer success and ecosystem strategy.
Castaneda is a long-time supporter of UTS. Before finishing his degree, he began teaching as a casual lecturer in the Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology from 2000 to 2007. He regularly employs and mentors UTS graduates and interns through ServiceRocket and has sponsored students through scholarships.
In 2024, ServiceRocket committed to a three-year industry partnership with the TD School at UTS to deliver an elective subject entitled 'Technologies Reimagined in a Complex World', with ServiceRocket serving as lead industry partner.
Castaneda was awarded the UTS Chancellor's Award for Excellence and Engineering and Information Technology Award at the 2017 UTS Alumni Awards. He currently serves as a UTS North America Advisory Board Member.
Beyond his responsibilities with ServiceRocket, Castaneda serves on multiple boards and dedicates significant time to mentoring through entrepreneurial networks, including as president-elect of Entrepreneurs Organisation in San Francisco, a global peer-to-peer network of entrepreneurs, and through Endeavor and the Global Scaling Academy. He was listed three times as one of Australia's top 30 entrepreneurs under 30 and featured in the 2014 Silicon Valley Business Journal's 40 under 40.
"On behalf of members of Council and the University community, this is a richly deserved recognition of Rob Castaneda's contributions to UTS," said UTS Chancellor Catherine Livingstone.
"Mr Castaneda's vision for ServiceRocket extended beyond just business success; it manifested in defining a set of core values and leadership behaviors that guide the company's culture and operations. These leadership behaviors, which apply to everyone within the organization, emphasize qualities such as being a team builder, developing and empowering others, being a good listener, and acting with integrity and accountability. This commitment to strong values and ethical leadership has been integral to ServiceRocket's growth and recognition," said Andrew Parfitt, Vice-Chancellor and President, UTS.
"It is a great honour for the University of Technology Sydney to confer Mr Robert Castaneda to a Fellow of the University, in recognition of his generous contributions to the UTS Faculty of Engineering and Information Technology and to the broader technology sector," said Parfitt.
“Being recognised as a UTS Fellow is the highest honour for me,” said Rob Castaneda, founder and CEO of ServiceRocket. “UTS has shaped my journey and every chapter of ServiceRocket’s story. Growing up in Toongabbie in Western Sydney, UTS opened my eyes to opportunity and gave me a community that believed in what was possible. My UTS mentors taught me that success isn’t just about building a global company, but about lifting others up — through leadership, craft, and service, and a spirit of mateship that helps us all reach greater heights.”
The University of Technology Sydney (UTS) is a leading university of technology ranked among the top young universities in the world. Located in the heart of Sydney’s innovation precinct, UTS is known for its practice-based learning approach, strong industry connections, and research that drives positive social, technological, and economic change.
ServiceRocket is a global technology services company and Atlassian Platinum Solution Partner with expert teams across Australia, the United States, United Kingdom, Europe, South America and Asia Pacific. Since 2001, ServiceRocket has delivered trusted Atlassian solutions that help organisations simplify complexity and maximise the value of their software investments, people and platforms.
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