Evelyn Omala (above) started an MBA at Griffith Business School with the goal of starting a social business.
“Having worked in the nonprofit and grant-making sectors for over 10 years I came across numerous social businesses that were delivering impact alongside financial return,” she said.
“As I explored further it became evident that combining financial acumen and social good was instrumental towards driving sustainable social and environmental impact.
“With most of my prior experience being in the nonprofit sector I (felt) I did not have the business skills that I needed. It was apparent that the MBA would be my bridge into business.”
MBA Responsible Leadership Scholarships Competition
Evelyn and two other Griffith MBA grads, Kristine Luszcynski and Jordan Groeneveld, were recently featured in The Courier Mail as Griffith Business School and Queensland Business Monthly launched their joint MBA Responsible Leadership Scholarships Competition, which offers aspiring leaders a chance to apply for a full MBA scholarship and other scholarships worth up to $130,000.
A former teacher who worked her way through the education system into management and then consulting roles, Kristine landed on her feet in a state management role for a not-for-profit organisation but realised that everything she knew about managing people and conducting business came from experience.
“Embarking on an MBA was going to give me stronger business literacy and allow me to consolidate and continue to broaden my knowledge of various aspects of conducting business,” she said.
“I did a great deal of my own investigation into all tertiary education organisations that offered the MBA and I had very specific criteria.
“As I worked long hours it had to be something I could complete online. As someone who previously attended University over 20 years ago, it had to have an efficient and supportive Student Service division.
“Embarking on an MBA seemed daunting at the beginning so I needed to be sure that the teaching staff were accomplished in their own right but also supportive of my efforts.
“As I was coming from a teaching/not for profit background, elements of sustainable business practices and responsible leadership were crucial to my education and to propel my career within this industry.
“I also investigated their rankings and I was very impressed to discover that Griffith Business School is one of the leaders of business education – this cemented my choice.”
Once Kristine started her course, things happened quickly.
“Whilst completing the MBA, I was fortunate enough to gain two promotions, moving from a State role into a role with national management responsibilities. This meant that I was able to implement my newly learnt skills in real time,” she said.
“I have also just secured myself an exciting, new role supporting disadvantagedschools to close the education gap as the National Leader of Education Services for a not for profit called Australian Schools Plus, (which is) a cause that is very close to my heart.”
Jordan Groeneveld recently moved into a Senior Manager role with a specialised carbon and energy consultancy (Energetics). He credits his MBA at Griffith with helping him secure the position and a recent promotion.
“It helped me to broaden my exposure to managing teams, undertaking business development and assessing corporate strategy of our clients,” he said.
“The MBA also (helped with) self development and improving networks across different industry sectors by meeting fellow students on courses and participating in MBA sponsored events.
“I have been able to apply ideas and analytical tools from my MBA in my profession and vice versa which was not possible with my undergraduate degree.
“Apart from skills in my job the MBA has also given me awareness that will ultimately change the direction of my career to ensure that I can make a positive difference to help clients to not only survive but thrive in a low carbon economy.”
Griffith Business School and Queensland Business Monthly are giving aspiring leaders just like Justin, Kristine and Evelyn a chance to apply for a full MBA scholarship and other scholarships worth up to $130,000. Find out more.