Melbourne Business School

LinkedIn’s inaugural ranking of top MBA programs is out, and we’re #1 in Australia 🏆

Based exclusively on LinkedIn data that evaluates career outcomes, the methodology is based on five key pillars: hiring and demand; ability to advance; network strength; leadership potential; and diversity measures.

To be eligible, MBA programs must be full-time programs and accredited by AACSB or Equis. Programs must have at least 1,500 total alumni, with at least 400 of them graduating within the recent cohort (2019-2023).

This analysis represents the world seen through the lens of LinkedIn data, drawn from the anonymised and aggregated profile information of LinkedIn's members around the world.

To learn more, visit https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/linkedin-top-mba-2024-100-best-business-schools-grow-your-z0qkc/

What's the perfect number for an effective group dynamic? 👥

In a recent interview with David Astle on ABC Melbourne, Professor Jennifer Overbeck spoke about the essential elements of successful group dynamics, including why having an odd number might be key.

Jen also discussed the importance of psychological safety, stability of leadership, having a common goal and ensuring diversity within groups to avoid groupthink.

You can listen to the discussion here, beginning at 2:35:25: https://www.abc.net.au/listen/programs/melbourne-evenings/evenings/104254772

Registration for our upcoming Women in Leadership Dinner ends on 4 September 🍽️

This year, we’ll discuss the impact that ensues when we Invest in Women alongside our distinguished panel of inspirational speakers:

• Christine Holgate, CEO of Team Global Express (keynote guest)
• Anna Lee, CEO of Flybuys
• Clare Morgan, Group Executive, Australia Commercial, ANZ Australia
• Leah Armstrong, Regional Manager, Australia, International Funders for Indigenous Peoples

The panel will be moderated by Professor Jennifer Overbeck, our Associate Dean, Research and the event will be hosted by Libby Ward-Christie, Executive Director, Social Purpose Centre.

Professor Jenny George, the Dean of Melbourne Business School, will give the welcome address and engage in a keynote chat with Christine Holgate.

Join us at this year's dinner on Thursday, 19 September, at the Glasshouse in Olympic Park. Get your tickets at https://mbs.edu/events/2024-09-19-women-in-leadership-dinner-2024

Completing our Women in Leadership Dinner guest panel is Clare Morgan 🍽️

With over 20 years of experience in banking across Australia and the United States, Clare is known for her strategic acumen and leadership as the Group Executive, Australia Commercial, at ANZ.

In addition to customer coverage and product, she has focused on technology, risk and controls, strategy development and ex*****on, developing and retaining high performance teams and executing complex change.

She will be at a panel alongside keynote guest Christine Holgate, CEO of Team Global Express, Anna Lee, CEO of Flybuys, and Leah Armstrong, Regional Manager, Australia, International Funders for Indigenous Peoples, to speak about the impact that ensues when we Invest in Women.

The Women in Leadership Dinner is one of Melbourne Business School's longest running and most-loved events.

Over three decades, the event has featured speakers including the first woman judge of the Supreme Court of Victoria, the first woman to become chair of a top 50 company in Australia and the first woman to become CEO of one of Australia's big four banks.

Join us at this year's dinner on Thursday, 19 September, at the Glasshouse in Olympic Park. Registrations close this Wednesday, 4 September. Get your tickets at https://mbs.edu/events/2024-09-19-women-in-leadership-dinner-2024

Meet our third Women in Leadership Dinner panellist Leah Armstrong 🍽️

A Torres Strait Islander, Leah is the Regional Manager for Australia, International Funders for Indigenous Peoples, where she collaborates with Philanthropy and Indigenous-led funds and communities to share learnings and amplify Indigenous Philanthropy.

Leah is a senior professional with over 28 years’ business and not-for-profit experience, and has played a pivotal role in national Indigenous affairs.

During the dinner, she will be at a panel alongside keynote guest Christine Holgate, CEO of Team Global Express, as well as Anna Lee, CEO of Flybuys, to speak about the impact that ensues when we Invest in Women.

The Women in Leadership Dinner is one of Melbourne Business School's longest running and most-loved events.

Over three decades, the event has featured speakers including the first woman judge of the Supreme Court of Victoria, the first woman to become chair of a top 50 company in Australia and the first woman to become CEO of one of Australia's big four banks.

Join us at this year's dinner on Thursday, 19 September, at the Glasshouse in Olympic Park. Registrations close on Wednesday, 4 September. Get your tickets at https://mbs.edu/events/2024-09-19-women-in-leadership-dinner-2024

Learn to lead with clarity amid change at our next virtual masterclass 🌊

In this one-hour lunchtime session on Friday, 6 September, discover how you can tailor your communication approach to secure greater buy-in for change. Get insights on the different ways people deal with change, as well as how to help transform potential conflict into value-creating moments.

The session will be led by Aviva Berzon, a leadership systems specialist, a former lawyer, a conflict-resolution expert and the Program Director of our Managing and Leading Change short course.

Register for free at https://mbs.edu/events/2024-09-06-the-dynamics-of-change-masterclass

Meet Women in Leadership Dinner panellist Anna Lee 🍽️

Anna is the CEO of Australia’s most loved loyalty program, Flybuys, and the former COO of Sydney-based fashion and lifestyle online retailer The Iconic. As the CEO of Flybuys, Anna leads a team of over 300 professionals focused on giving Australians more of what they value beyond the checkout.

Known for her authentic, constructive, and empathetic leadership style, Anna is passionate about diversity, inclusion and creating a culture that isn’t ‘business as usual’.

Anna will be at a panel alongside keynote guest Christine Holgate, CEO of Team Global Express, to speak about the impact that ensues when we Invest in Women.

The Women in Leadership Dinner is one of Melbourne Business School's longest running and most-loved events. Formerly known as the Women and Management Dinner, it has celebrated some of Australia's most prominent women leaders over three decades.

Over three decades, the event has featured speakers including the first woman judge of the Supreme Court of Victoria, the first woman to become chair of a top 50 company in Australia and the first woman to become CEO of one of Australia's big four banks.

You're invited to join us at this year's dinner on Thursday, 19 September, at the Glasshouse in Olympic Park. Registrations close on Wednesday, 4 September. Get your tickets at https://mbs.edu/events/2024-09-19-women-in-leadership-dinner-2024

Make the most of the new right to disconnect with these tips for managers🔌

"Together with the new right to disconnect, the consideration of a right to work from home could unlock an opportunity for smart organisations to reengineer modern work practices — to their own benefit, as well as their employees’," writes Professor of Management and Associate Dean, Research, Jennifer Overbeck.

Learn how leaders can optimise flexible work arrangements and take steps towards the new regulation at https://mbs.edu/news/How-the-right-to-disconnect-could-benefit-workplaces.

Risk-averse CEOs are less likely to engage with social issues. Fact or fiction? ⚖️

New research by Melbourne Business School Associate Dean (Faculty) and Professor of Management Alex Newman has shown that financial performance can change the way a CEO engages with corporate social responsibility, upending well-established assumptions.

“CEOs who were motivated to minimise losses and mitigate risks … were actually more likely to engage in CSR when profits were down,” said Professor Newman. “For boards looking to understand their CEOs and their motivations towards CSR commitments, this is important.”

The research was published in the Journal of Business Research and co-authored by Dr Jian Liang of QUT (Queensland University of Technology), Associate Professor Ameeta Jain of Deakin University, Associate Professor Matt Mount of Adelaide Business School and Assistant Professor Jooyoung Kim of Deakin University.

Learn more about it at: https://mbs.edu/news/Why-some-CEOs-back-social-activities-when-profits-are-down

It was great to see so many people for the Charles Goode Oration with Andrew Ang 🎤

Andrew spoke to a packed lecture theatre last week about how he and his team at BlackRock utilise AI and alternative data to shape their investment strategies, as well as his reflections on being an immigrant twice over and the importance of diversity in business.

The oration was followed by a Q&A moderated by our Dean, Professor Jenny George, who crossed paths with Andrew as a fellow PhD student at Stanford University.

Rated in the top 0.1% of economists worldwide for citations, downloads and views, Dr Ang is the Head of Factors, Sustainable and Solutions for BlackRock Systematic and the former Ann F. Kaplan Professor of Business at Columbia Business School.

The Charles Goode Oration was launched in 2010 to celebrate the impact of philanthropist and business leader Charles Goode AC, former chairman of ANZ, Woodside Energy and The Ian Potter Foundation.

In recent years, guest speakers have included Martin Wolf, Chief Economics Commentator for the Financial Times; James Gorman, CEO of Morgan Stanley; and Cecilia Rouse, former Chief Economic Adviser to the White House.

Join us at our next event later this month to hear Eytan Lenko, the climate entrepreneur and CEO backed by Mike Cannon-Brookes, in conversation with Professor Glenn Hoetker, Director of our Centre for Sustainability and Business.

At a breakfast event on Thursday, 29 August, Eytan will share how he and his team at Boundless Earth blend technology, philanthropy and activism to tackle critical climate challenges. Online and in-person tickets are available here: https://mbs.edu/events/2024-08-29-in-conversation-with-eytan-lenko

BHP is investing in our shared vision for an economically powerful Indigenous Australia 🤝

BHP has today announced it will invest $20 million to support Indigenous business education and research at Melbourne Business School, including the work of the Dilin Duwa Centre for Indigenous Business Leadership which is focused on growing the Indigenous business sector and building the capacity of Indigenous business leaders in industry and academia.

Indigenous business is critical to the Australian economy, contributing over $16 billion in revenue each year and employing more than 116,000 people, footing a wage bill of $4.2 billion. Indigenous businesses are growing at an estimated average of 7.9 per cent year on year.

Associate Professor Michelle Evans, Director of Dilin Duwa, said the investment would enable the Centre to expand its program of work and advance progress towards a shared goal of Indigenous economic empowerment.

You can read more about how this partnership will support Indigenous business here:

New partnership with BHP to support Indigenous business BHP is investing $20 million to support Indigenous business education and research at Melbourne Business School.

We just couldn't get enough of AI at the Melbourne Business Analytics Conference 🤖

Hundreds of business executives, practitioners and academics from around the world came together at the Grand Hyatt Melbourne this week to discuss redefining the future of business with AI at MBAC 2024.

At the top of the morning agenda were how AI and machine learning are transforming property purchasing, business moats and retail, thanks to some of our keynote speakers Owen Wilson, CEO of REA Group; Professor Gad Allon of The Wharton School; and Leah Weckert, CEO and Managing Director of Coles.

In between networking tea and lunch, attendees fanned out across three conference halls to hear how leaders can embrace generative AI, why 80% of AI projects fail (and what to do about it) and how generative AI helps alleviate price discrimination in the housing market.

Speakers from AustralianSuper, Deloitte, EY, T2 Tea, NAB and the National AI Centre also shared about how AI is transforming industries including media, advertising, marketing, healthcare, finance, tech, consulting and the public sector.

A special thanks goes out to our afternoon keynote speakers Robyn Hill of Amazon Web Services (AWS), Professor Maxime Cohen of McGill University and Cindy Saw of BDO Unibank.

Finally, a big congratulations to Suncorp for winning the SAS Practice Prize yet again, this time for their work on climate analytics.

"In seven years’ time, we will meet here, maybe, again, and I think we will marvel once again at how the world has changed," said Professor Jenny George, Dean of Melbourne Business School, in her opening address.

"In seven years’ time, we will look back and be proud of what we have achieved here."

Thank you to everyone who came along to this year's conference. We're also grateful to the following organisations for supporting the event. See you next time!

Ab Initio Software
Amazon Web Services
Australian Super
City of Melbourne
EY
Gurobi Optimization Optimisation
NAB
SPP
SAS
Suncorp Group

Christine Holgate is joining us for the 29th Women in Leadership Dinner 🤵‍♀️

Ranked among the 20 most powerful businesswomen in Asia by Forbes, Christine has navigated – and conquered – some of the most turbulent waters in corporate Australia with unflinching direction and purpose as the CEO of Blackmores, Australia Post and now Team Global Express.

Next month, Christine will join Professor Jenny George and a line-up of remarkable women speakers to shine a spotlight on the profound impact that resonates when we Invest in Women at WILD 2024.

The Women in Leadership Dinner is one of Melbourne Business School's longest running and most-loved events. Formerly known as the Women and Management Dinner, it has celebrated some of Australia's most prominent women leaders over three decades.

Since it began, the event has featured speakers including the first woman judge of the Supreme Court of Victoria, the first woman to become chair of a top 50 company in Australia and the first woman to become CEO of one of Australia's big four banks.

You're invited to join us at this year's dinner on Thursday, 19 September, at the Glasshouse in Olympic Park. Get your tickets at https://mbs.edu/events/2024-09-19-women-in-leadership-dinner-2024

Come say hi to us at the The University of Melbourne Open Day 👋

Check out our campus and our friendly team will be there to answer your questions about our degree programs and short courses.

Drop by on Sunday, 18 August, from 10am to 4pm. Register for free at https://www.eventbrite.com.au/e/open-day-university-of-melbourne-come-visit-us-tickets-952429100077

Addressing societal problems isn’t just for non-profits. It’s for businesses, too 🔧

That's why the new Social Purpose Centre at Melbourne Business School – spearheaded by its inaugural Director, Professor of Leadership Will Harvey and Executive Director Libby Ward-Christie – is focused on providing organisations with evidence-based insights on complex problems that relate to creating, managing, delivering and sustaining social and economic value.

“We want to ensure that organisations, regardless of their sector, are equipped to help address some of the most wicked problems facing society today,” said Professor Harvey.

Meet the team behind our new Social Purpose Centre here: https://mbs.edu/news/Meet-the-team-behind-our-new-Social-Purpose-Centre

Meet the team behind our new Social Purpose Centre Melbourne Business School's new Social Purpose Centre is helping organisations across all sectors deliver sustained and meaningful social impact.

Hear from the climate entrepreneur backed by Atlassian co-founder Mike Cannon-Brookes 🌱

As the CEO of Boundless Earth, Eytan Lenko is rapidly emerging as a leading voice in the fight against climate change, aiming to make Australia a renewable energy superpower by 2030.

At our next In Conversation event, Eytan will discuss Australia’s pivotal role in the global fight against climate change and share how he and his team at Boundless blend technology, philanthropy and activism to tackle critical climate challenges.

Eytan, the Deputy Chair of the Australian Environmental Grantmakers Network (AEGN) and former Chair of Beyond Zero Emissions, will sit down in conversation with Professor Glenn Hoetker, Director of our Centre for Sustainability and Business, and take questions from the audience.

Join us for a networking breakfast on Thursday, 29 August, in person or online. Register at https://mbs.edu/events/2024-08-29-in-conversation-with-eytan-lenko

Congratulations to alumni Jessica Morrison for winning bronze at the Paris Olympics 🚣‍♀️

Jessica clinched Australia’s first rowing medal of the 2024 Olympics after competing in the women’s rowing coxless pair this weekend alongside teammate Annabelle McIntyre.

It’s the pair’s second Olympic medal after winning gold in the women’s four at Tokyo 2021.

We are so proud of you, Jessica!

Revisit our 2021 interview with Jessica, a graduate of our Part-time MBA program and now a manager at EY-Parthenon, after she won her gold medal: https://mbs.edu/news/why-jessica-morrison-values-an-mba-as-much-as-her-gold-medal

Andrew Ang just set a new record as this year's Charles Goode Oration speaker 🤯

Tickets to hear the BlackRock Managing Director deliver the 2024 oration in person sold out in hours when we sent an email invitation to alumni. Since then, we've been scrambling to find some extra space.

Now we've opened up a second lecture theatre, where you can watch Dr Ang's oration live on the screen as it happens. Guests in the second theatre will be able to participate in the Q&A through Slido and join the networking drinks afterwards.

If these tickets sell out as well, you can always join us online.

Rated in the top 0.1% of economists worldwide for citations, downloads and views, Andrew is responsible for transforming the way assets are managed today as one of the pioneers of factor investing.

As our 2024 Charles Goode Oration speaker, Andrew will share insights from a career that has taken him from studying economics at Macquarie University to advising the King of Norway.

Along the way, he also crossed paths with our Dean, Professor Jenny George, as a fellow PhD student Stanford University.

Register here to join us after work on Tuesday, 13 August: https://mbs.edu/events/2024-08-13-charles-goode-oration-with-andrew-ang

What happens when a team of women leaders share an immersive leadership program? 💪

Senior leaders Jorja Cleeland and Angela Pendleton are building momentum for positive change at Fonterra, sharing what they’ve learnt with colleagues and implementing new initiatives after attending our Women in Senior Leadership Program.

They were among the three leaders at Fonterra given the opportunity to participate in the program that aims to empower senior women leaders.

Learn what it was like for Jorja and Angela at https://mbs.edu/news/How-Fonterra-is-empowering-its-senior-women-leaders

How Fonterra is empowering its senior women leaders Sharing an immersive experience at Melbourne Business School has helped Jorja Cleeland and Angela Pendleton feel more confident than ever to bring about positive change. Read more.

Good luck to our alumni competing at the Paris 2024 Olympics next week 🥇

Jessica Morrison from EY-Parthenon will represent Australia again in the Women's Pair rowing at Paris 2024, after winning gold at Tokyo 2021 as part of the Women's Four team. Jessica also competed with the Women's Eight team at Rio 2016 while studying her MBA.

"My dad did an MBA at Melbourne Business School and said it was a great thing to do, and part-time study allowed me to train throughout the day and do classes at night," she said in an interview with us after Tokyo 2021.

Peter Bol is an alum of our Blue Nile Program and will be representing Australia in the Men's 800m race. He competed at Rio 2016 and placed 4th at Tokyo 2021, the highest achieved by an Australian male in an individual track event.

Born in Sudan and raised in Perth, Peter holds the current national 800m record and was last year's WA Young Australian of the Year, as well as working as a coach, mentor and speaker.

Jessica's first competition is at 2.30am local time on Monday, 29 July, while Peter's will be at 3.55am on Thursday, 8 August. We wish both of them luck! If there are any other students or alumni who are competing, please give them a shout-out.

You can find out more about our Blue Nile Program for African Australian entrepreneurs, professionals and NFP leaders here: https://mbs.edu/short-courses/blue-nile-program

And here's our 2021 interview with Jessica, after winning her gold medal: https://mbs.edu/news/why-jessica-morrison-values-an-mba-as-much-as-her-gold-medal

We’re helping empower future leaders for an impactful social purpose sector 💪

We have launched a new Emerging Social Purpose Leaders program that aims to support the development of talented, up and coming leaders in social purpose and not-for-profit organisations.

Created by our Social Purpose Centre, the course will be delivered in three two-day sessions over 12 weeks and has been designed to fill the gap that exists in business and management education for social impact leaders.

Professor Will Harvey, Director of the Social Purpose Centre, said participants will explore issues and opportunities unique to their sector and be able to directly apply their learnings to their own work.

Several scholarship opportunities are available thanks to the generous support of the Helen Macpherson Smith Trust, with all applicants from the not-for-profit organisations automatically considered.

You can learn more about the scholarship opportunities and how to apply here:

Emerging Social Purpose Leaders Develop your business and leadership skills as an emerging leader in not-for-profit and other social purpose organisations. Find out more.

What types of trust are violated at work, and what can we do to repair them? 🫶

In a recent conversation with CPA Australia’s monthly business magazine In The Black, Professor Mara Olekalns explains the difference between competence-based and integrity-based trust, and steps we can take to repair them when they're broken.

Professor Olekalns teaches negotiations in our Senior Executive MBA and Part-time MBA programs, is the past President of the International Association of Conflict Management, and previously chaired the Academy of Management's Conflict Management Division.

Read the full piece at https://intheblack.cpaaustralia.com.au/careers-and-workplace/6-steps-repair-broken-trust-at-work

Smart companies will leverage Australia’s new workplace laws, writes Jennifer Overbeck 🏋️

The Federal Government has this year proposed two major changes to Australia’s workplace laws in 2024 – the ‘Right to Disconnect’ Bill and a review of the modern awards which is exploring whether the right to work from home should be enshrined in the minimum terms and conditions of employment.

Both changes have numerous implications for organisations and their employee, but they also signal opportunity.

In this piece, Professor Overbeck shares the steps leaders can take now which will help unlock benefits for both their organisations and their employees.

Learn about how to prepare for the proposed reforms to Australia’s workplace laws: https://mbs.edu/news/How-the-right-to-disconnect-could-benefit-workplaces

How the right to disconnect could benefit workplaces Smart organisations will use the new right to disconnect and a potential right to work from home to their advantage. Read more.

How can Australian businesses remain competitive in an increasingly data-led world? 🏆

In a recent episode of Data Conversations, Anita Arbogast, Executive Director of the Centre for Business Analytics talks about the best ways to advance digital and data analytics capabilities in Australia – including the importance of industry and academic partnerships, and growing capabilities within organisations so that change can come from the top.

Tune in as she talks with co-hosts Michael Bridgeman and Danny Tyrrell about the critical role of education in shaping future data leaders. She also gives a sneak preview into what attendees can expect from our 2024 Melbourne Business Analytics Conference.

Tune in here: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/elevating-analytics-forging-industry-partnerships-and/id1725083854?i=1000659488151

If you’re a social impact leader who needs management and leadership training, read on 💌

Our new short course, ‘Emerging Social Purpose Leaders’, is designed for not-for-profit and social purpose organisation leaders have little or no prior business management training, and who want to generate greater social impact and improve their organisation’s financial stability.

Topics we will cover include: Social purpose strategy; impact measurement; financial management fundamentals; negotiations; social purpose governance; leading people; and stakeholder management and communications.

The course will be facilitated by Social Purpose Centre Executive Director Libby Ward-Christie and Social Purpose Centre Director and Professor of Leadership Will Harvey. The program combines the expertise of our academic faculty with insights from leading industry practitioners, helping you to apply theoretical knowledge to the real world of social impact.

Generous scholarships available. Learn more and apply at https://mbs.edu/short-courses/emerging-social-purpose-leaders

What role can metrics play in strategic success? Find out at our next masterclass 📏

The interplay between metrics and strategy in everyday practice can determine the success or failure of an organisation. In this free online masterclass with Associate Professor of Strategy Brandon Lee, we delve into the vital connection between strategy and metrics, and discuss how to craft effective metrics that will increase the probability of achieving your strategic objectives.

Join us at this free masterclass on Tuesday, 23 July, from 12pm to 1pm. To get the Zoom link, register here: https://mbs.edu/events/2024-07-23-metrics-and-strategy-masterclass

Congratulations to the winners of our Microsoft Case Challenge hackathon! 🪟

As part of our intensive three-day MBA Summit concluded last weekend, MBA students were asked to pitch solutions that could help businesses, not-for-profits and governments overcome organisational issues that limit their ability to adopt AI. Teams were judged according to their presentation skills, as well as each solution’s uniqueness and viability.

Amara Haqqani, Fleur Cattrall, Rohit Prakash, Tendai Mudavanhu and Harsh Nair won the Corporate category for their idea of an AI-based, customised avatar that would help users understand how to use AI in their jobs every day in the workplace.

Hannah Ervin, Jennifer Prabhakar, Kaleb Roberts, Stefano Guiulfo, Lakshmi Chilamkurti won the Not-for-profit category for an AI-powered solution that focuses on helping non-profit organisations streamline their volunteer, donor and grant management systems.

Ben Marriott, Ben Rushbrook, Alessio Albrile and Sudhanshu Malik won the Government category for a job-specific digital assistant that applies a human-centric design to chatbot-like functionality, enabling employees to use existing AI capabilities and government data to unlock innovation, boost productivity and embrace transformation.

Thank you once again to our alumni who served as hackathon mentors and judges for our Online MBA students last weekend. See you at the next summit!

Our Practice Prize is back with SAS — plus three big firms among the finalists ✨

SAS have thrown their support behind our Centre for Business Analytics Practice Prize, coming onboard as the official sponsor.

The SAS Practice Prize as it is now known is awarded annually at the Melbourne Business Analytics Conference and recognises outstanding applications of business analytics with significant organisational impact.

Craig Jennings, Vice President and Managing Director of SAS Australia and New Zealand, said the partnership built on the company’s 10 years of collaboration with the Centre.

Teams from Coles, Forethought and Suncorp Group have been selected as finalists for this year’s $10,000 award and will now present their cases as part of the Melbourne Analytics Business Conference on Thursday, 15 August, with the winner announced at the end of the session.

Learn more about each of the finalists’ projects here: https://mbs.edu/news/SAS-to-sponsor-our-Practice-Prize-for-analytics-innovation

If you’d like to hear them present their cases, register for the Melbourne Business Analytics Conference at https://mbs.edu/centres/centre-for-business-analytics/melbourne-business-analytics-conference

SAS to sponsor our Practice Prize for analytics innovation Top analytics companies supports Melbourne Business Analytics Conference Practice Prize. Read more