Australia’s top MBA students, teachers and graduates have been recognised at the 5th Annual MBA Australasia MBA Excellence Awards in Sydney with energy industry executive Julia Heslop (Warwick Business School) taking out the prestigious Most Outstanding MBA Graduate Award.
More than a hundred nominees and supporters gathered at Sydney’s Daltone House on October 17 for the awards, which were hosted by MBA Australasia Director Ross Barclay.
MBA Australasia President Masud Hossain said the standard of nominees and winners for the annual awards continued to grow each year with the task of identifying winners becoming more difficult.
“We had some exceptional nominees this year but unfortunately we can only choose a few winners,” he said. “Congratulations to everyone involved on another successful event and we look forward to seeing you all again next year.
The 2024 MB Australia MBA Awards winners were:
- Most Outstanding MBA Graduate – Julia Heslop (University of Warwick – Warwick Business School)
- Distinguished Citizen Award – Debra Spence (Ducere Global Business School)
- Innovation Award – Scott Barker (UQ Business School)
- Business Excellence and Leadership – Leeanne Bond FAICD FTSE HonFIEAust (UQ Business School)
- Community Impact Award – Michelle Steele (QUT Business School)
- Most Inspirational MBA Lecturer – Arezou PourMirza, PhD, ACE (Torrens University Australia)
Most Outstanding MBA Graduate winner Julia Heslop is an asset leader at EnergyAustralia’s Jeeralang OCGT power station in Victoria.
Earlier this year she completed a MBA research dissertation at Warwick Business School looking at the impact of female leadership on the energy transition. The MBA complements a PhD in Chemistry she earned in her native Wales where she worked in the energy sector before moving to Australia in 2021.
“I want to say thank you to everyone who supported me in achieving my MBA. Really special thanks to all inspiration female leaders who kindly allowed my to interview them for my research dissertation,” she said.
“My drive to an MBA was to learn more about business and leadership and it has delivered that and so much more. i have learnt so much about myself and what i am passionate about as a leader.
“The biggest thing I have taken away is my research I conducted into the impact of female leadership on the energy transition and I am really motivated to use my research findings to support other female leaders in the energy industry.”
