{"id":19294,"date":"2023-11-01T13:19:27","date_gmt":"2023-11-01T03:19:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.mbanews.com.au\/?p=19294"},"modified":"2023-11-01T13:51:34","modified_gmt":"2023-11-01T03:51:34","slug":"australias-top-mba-students-revealed","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mbanews.com.au\/australias-top-mba-students-revealed\/","title":{"rendered":"Australia’s Top MBA Students Revealed"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Australia’s top MBA graduates have been recognised with the winners of the sixth annual MBAAustralasia (MBAus) Awards For Excellence, unveiled at a cocktail party in Melbourne last week.<\/p>\n

MBAus Director Ross Barclay said the MBAus Awards provided recognition to outstanding members of the MBA community.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe want to shine a spotlight on them, their career, and their actions,\u201d he said. \u201cThis is an opportunity for outstanding business and management graduates to be recognised, and will bring together the most talented alumni, universities, and colleges from around Australasia.\u201d<\/p>\n

Most Outstanding MBA
\nDr Claudia Giurgiuman (The University of Queensland)<\/h3>\n

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The Most Outstanding MBA Graduate award is the pinnacle of recognition for recent MBA graduates who have demonstrated excellence in every aspect of their academic, professional, and personal lives.<\/p>\n

This award acknowledges individuals who have not only excelled academically but also made a meaningful impact in their professional fields, and have been actively involved in extracurricular activities.<\/p>\n

2023 winner Dr Claudia Giurgiuman has combined a lifetime of academic excellence with a distinguished career in medical research to affect positive change in the world around her.<\/p>\n

Completing her MBA at The University of Queensland in July this year, Claudia was most recently the CEO of the Wesley Medical Research Institute, where she worked with a diverse team of donors, volunteers, researchers, clinicians and professional staff to push the boundaries of medicine and deliver real impact to patients around the world.<\/p>\n

“My MBA has been such a big part of my life recently, and to be honoured with the award is incredible,” she said. “It is not something I ever thought would happen.”<\/p>\n

Like many of her fellow finalists, Claudia was encouraged to do her MBA by a former boss who thought it would help develop her leadership and management skills.<\/p>\n

“I actually had three different people, including a former manager, tell me an MBA would be really valuable if I wanted to take the next step in my career,” she said. “It has been such an incredibly rewarding experience, and I would recommend it to anyone.<\/p>\n

Among Claudias’ many other achievements, she has served as President of Women in Technology where she worked to advance, connect, and empower women to pursue their science and technology passions. She is also Chair of the Sunshine Coast Hospital Foundation (Wishlist) Research Advisory Committee and is a member of the Queensland Academy of Arts and Sciences.<\/p>\n

Community Impact
\nJanine Wood<\/a> (Edith Cowan University)<\/h3>\n

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This Community Impact award celebrates individuals or teams who have made significant contributions to their communities through projects, initiatives, or social endeavours, showcasing the transformative power of business for social good.<\/p>\n

This year’s winner Janine Wood is the co-founder of not-for-profit No Limits Perth.<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cNo Limits Perth started with me and two police officers seeing the unmet need around us, we decided to join our network and become do-ers. We\u2019re a not-for-profit charity providing essential emergency support services across Perth\u2019s northern suburbs to the most vulnerable and at-risk members of the community. We assist community members by providing them access to basic needs such as food, transport, furniture, hygiene and personal items and facilitates access to emergency accommodation,\u201d\u00a0 Janine said..<\/p>\n

The aim of the organisation was initially to fully furnish empty homes for those needing a new start.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe reached out to victims of domestic violence via our Facebook page and we quickly realised that we needed to be a lot more flexible in our thinking. Crisis included everything from victims of domestic violence, house fires, those who were forced to relocate due to sick children receiving care, unemployment, newcomers to our country, single parented families, grandparents raising grandchildren and the list goes on,\u201d Janine says.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe extent of our free service was not just to furnish homes; we also have three days of food distribution per week to families in the local area. We also supply, toiletries, toys, linen and other items to those doing it tough. All our donations are 100% free of charge and so is our service.\u201d<\/p>\n

MBA Innovation
\nJessica Kahl<\/a> (Griffith University)<\/h3>\n

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The MBA Innovation Award recognises exceptional creativity, ingenuity, and forward-thinking in developing innovative solutions, strategies, or practices in the business world. This award highlights individuals who have demonstrated an ability to challenge the status quo and push the boundaries of conventional thinking.<\/p>\n

2023 winner Jessica Kahl did her MBA after winning the 2020 QBM Griffith MBA Responsible Leadership Scholarship after founding not-for-profit Dream Big Australia<\/a> that aims to empower young women to dream and succeed in STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts and maths) careers.<\/p>\n

Jessica accepted her award from London where she is Strategy Manager at Thames Water and recently caught up with MBAAustralasia Director Ross Barclay as part of the MBA Success podcast.<\/p>\n