Zubin Appoo has scaled the heights of the global tech sector, but he never forgets how it all began.

The CEO of WiseTech, Australia’s largest listed tech company, says his public schooling in Western Sydney set him up for the hard-earned success he now enjoys.

"Blacktown South Public and Girraween High School played important roles in my earlier years” Mr Appoo said.

“They're where I found friends, figured out who I was, and built the foundation everything else came from.”

Mr Appoo is now a public-school ambassador, a role he jumped at when invited by the NSW Department of Education.

And the first thing he wanted to do was return to his old schools.

“These are the Western Sydney schools that shaped who I am today,” he said.

“Recently becoming CEO of WiseTech felt like the right moment to go back and give something to the students the way those schools gave something to me.”

“Walking those hallways again meant a lot and brought back many happy memories. My love for technology started when I was in high school, and being back in that environment was very rewarding.”

Girraween High School Principal Leigh Crangle said his address to the school struck a chord.

“He spoke so very well, and the students were so engaged,” Ms Crangle said.

“It also gave the teachers some common language to use with students!”

Zubin Appoo’s message to the students was simple.

“I told them I didn't have a career plan at their age. What I had was curiosity and I wasn’t afraid to be out of my comfort zone, which is where the growth happens.”

“The skills that ended up mattering the most in my career are more relevant than ever today as we see rapid changes with AI, such as communicating clearly, solving problems with other people, and sticking with something even when it got hard. School taught me those skills, even though I didn't realise it at the time.”

And it seems Mr Appoo got as much out of his visit as the students did.

“Returning to Blacktown South and Girraween High reminded me of something I already knew, but don't say often enough: great teachers shape lives in ways most of us only notice years later,” he said.

“The impact they have on young people is hard to overstate. I'm genuinely grateful for the education I had, and it meant a lot to go back, see some familiar faces and be welcomed the way I was.”