The Melbourne Business School’s annual Valedictory Dinner finished up on an exciting note with husband and wife, Mohammad Barghash and Karen Allardice, both receiving awards on the prestigious occasion.
Both Karen, who won the John Clemenger Memorial Prize and Scholarship, and Mohammad, who received the ACIL Allen Consulting Group Prize for Community Service, were extremely honoured to win their respective awards and recognised the high standard of the MBA program at MBS.
Karen, who completed the 12 month full-time program, decided on MBS after speaking with previous MBS alumni.
“I had met a lot of MBS students who spoke very highly about the quality of the teaching faculty and the calibre of students in the cohort. Many of the senior partners at my firm [BCG] had studied at MBS and recommended the school. I loved the idea of a high-intensity 12 month full-time program, and was particularly impressed by its innovative structure and teaching methodology.”
Karen also acknowledged how the Rupert Murdoch Fellowship, which she received on her admission to the MBA program, also allowed her to study full-time with full fee and living allowances provided for.
“This made it possible for me to do the MBA at MBS and the financial support made it possible for me to spend three months in London on exchange at the London Business School which was an incredible experience.”
Mohammad, studying part-time, separately found that the MBS MBA program also checked all the boxes when searching for his school of choice.
“I had specific criteria in mind: strong brand, teaching professors and an opportunity to build both Australian and global networks. When I did my due diligence, I found that MBS really met my selection criteria.”
Currently working as a Projects Manager for the Asset Management Council, Mohammad believes the MBA program provided him with much more than just a degree.
“I got much more out of my time at MBS than just the theoretical knowledge. First, I learned how to be effective in a community and that my actions could impact peoples’ lives in this community. Second, I met a great network of very diverse individuals, who will become great future business leaders in leading organisations.”
With both husband and wife now completed their MBAs, they hope to use their knowledge and experience to build strong career paths and impact the community. While Mohammad has plans to one day own his own Private Equity firm, Karen is enjoying the prospect of bringing her MBA experiences to her current consulting position.
“I love the diverse range of challenging work and plan to build a strong career path in Management Consulting. I’m keen to keep working on projects that impact the community and that challenge me to think differently.”
