The winner of this year’s $54,000 QBM Griffith MBA Responsible Leadership Scholarship wants more women to follow in her footsteps.
The winner of this year’s QBM Griffith MBA Responsible Leadership Scholarship is the founder of an organisation called Dream Big Australia.
The not-for-profit’s vision is to empower young women to dream and succeed in STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts and maths) careers.
Ms Kahl, who recently accepted the role of corporate development project manager at Sunwater, is a chartered civil engineer and would like more women to follow in her footsteps. The 25-year-old hopes the Griffith MBA will help her make this a reality.
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READ NOW“This MBA really aligns with what I am trying to do,” said Ms Kahl who started Dream Big Australia while completing her undergraduate degree in 2014.
“In my experience ... diversity within an organisation improves its ability to solve complex problems, collaborate and deliver innovative outcomes.”
Ms Kahl’s scholarship is valued at more than $54,000. The competition’s runner up Daniel de Vries, a 35-year old Asia Pacific customer service manager for defence contractor CAE, has picked up a half scholarship worth more than $27,000.
Mr de Vries also hopes the MBA will be a game-changer for him, broadening his career options as he climbs the leadership ladder.
“The long term goal, I hope, is that it will give me the ability to change industries,” said Mr de Vries, who ultimately wants to work in the technology, telcos or fintech sectors.
Four other finalists - Briony Low, Cameron Taylor, Jaimi Webster and Ronan Clinton - will each receive scholarships to the value of three Griffith MBA courses.
It is the fifth year QBM has joined Griffith Business School to offer the popular scholarship competition.
Griffith University Pro Vice Chancellor (Business) Professor David Grant said the winners and finalists were chosen from a competitive field.
“The standard of applicants for this important scholarship continues to impress me, as does their desire to study the Griffith MBA program, which is not only highly regarded with a consistent national Top 5 ranking, but one that is truly values led,” professor Grant said.
“These values, founded on the principles of responsible leadership, sustainable practices, and a global orientation, set our MBA graduates apart from others and gives them a distinct career advantage. We have embedded these values into our courses because we take the responsibility of developing the next generation of business leaders seriously.”
Mr de Vries said honesty, integrity, transparency, kindness and compassion were the qualities he valued most highly in leaders, and why he was drawn to Griffith’s Responsible Leadership MBA program.
“We all have a responsibility to make the world a better place to live,” he said.
His employer CAE has rolled out mental health training for its leaders over the past year and he believes, especially due to the impact of the COVID-19 crisis, there will be a greater need for this in all workplaces over coming years.
“I think it’s going to creep up on us and it is going to have unforeseen consequences that we have not yet realised or recognised,” he said.
It is an area of study he wants to explore as part of his MBA.
“I want to leverage (a workplace focus on mental health) so that people are happier and more satisfied in their jobs and feel more engaged - which leads to better outcomes for the individual and the company. It’s a win-win,” he said.
Associate Professor Stephanie Schleimer said the Griffith MBA program showed it was possible to turn the world’s most corporate degree into a transformational journey that centres on empowering leaders to create a better future for everyone.
“Our graduates lead the way with creativity, future-ready thinking and acting in a world where purpose means more than profit,” said associate professor Schleimer, the Griffith MBA director. “We continue to shape their minds to be thought leaders in their industry sectors and change makers that show the way into a better future.”
Ms Kahl has already got runs on the board as a young leader in her profession and hopes the MBA will give her the skills to take her career to the next level.
“I am confident that an MBA at Griffith University will enable me to gain the multifaceted skills required to create a future where Australia is a world leader in addressing gender gaps, women’s career advancement and public policy targeting gender inequity and discrimination,” she said.
She has been recognised as a shortlisted nominee for the 2021 Young Australian of the Year Award, was named among the “100 engineers making a difference’’ by Engineers Australia and she spoke about the next generation of STEAM leaders at the World Engineers Convention in Melbourne.
And her plans for Dream Big Australia are not small.
“As the name itself signifies, we would like it to be something pretty big,” she said, including potentially expanding the concept overseas.
Ms Kahl started the not-for-profit when she realised there were not enough opportunities to showcase to school students, especially girls, how studying STEAM subjects could lead to exciting and fulfilling careers.
There were only seven women in Ms Kahl’s civil engineering university intake and she was the only one who graduated.
“I have personally experienced the barriers faced by women in significantly male-dominated industries,” said Ms Kahl.
Dream Big Australia collaborates with teachers, industry leaders and university academics to provide workshops and events as well as networking and mentoring opportunities to encourage more women into traditionally male-dominated professions.
And this year, due to COVID-19 restrictions, it has launched a careers podcast.
She also wants to make it easier for women to advance their careers.
“(I want to encourage) organisations to embrace diversity practices, commit to addressing the gender imbalance and better support women pursuing careers in these industries.”