As a national manager within the financial sector, Dina Kotsopoulos has always been determined to stand out from the rest.
“Financial services is a really competitive industry, and we’re always looking for ways to differentiate ourselves,” she said.
“For me, the MBA was a way to stand out from the pack. I have a passion for learning, so I was very much interested in the content of the study, and I wanted to gain some confidence in my everyday life as well as in my professional career – this was a perfect way for me to do that.”
It was a perfect melting pot of circumstance that led the BT Financial Group National Manager to seek out an MBA education at the Australian Institute of Business (AIB).
“I’m located in Sydney, so I began by looking at MBA programs there,” Kotsopoulos said.
“What I found was that they weren’t really flexible; they weren’t going to fit in with my everyday life.
“Once I picked up some information about the AIB program, it became really clear to me that it would be a good fit, and that was the key reason.
“There was a really supportive environment, online tools and it was affordable,” she said.
Alignment between MBA and workplace
Before starting her MBA studies at AIB, Dina’s senior role at BT Financial Group saw her manage cash and investment portfolios in order to maximise the business’ returns and ensure their customers and shareholders could retire well and meet all of their financial goals.
She said her MBA education gave her a unique boost to tackle the everyday responsibilities in enlightened ways.
“The content was around leadership and strategic thinking, financials and operations, and that’s what I do every single day,” she said.
“So I’ve been able to practically apply everything that I’m learning to lead my team a lot better than I was before, understanding different parts of the business and how they all meld together.
“I probably wouldn’t have had the ability to understand all of those things and how they connect if I didn’t do this study.
Enhancing career aspirations
Not only did her AIB MBA education help her in her job, but it also helped Kotsopoulos reach new and previously unattainable levels.
“A couple of months ago I received a promotion at work, and it was a role that I was angling for such a long time.
“I think the reason that I was successful in getting that role was because I was able to demonstrate that I was committed to learning, and had that discipline around continuously challenging myself.
“The MBA absolutely opened up those doors for me,” she said.
“I think moving forward, what the MBA will give me is that sense of courage, resilience and confidence in my ability to do anything, whether it be in my professional career or my personal life.”
