AGSM achieves gender balance in Full-Time MBA program

Some of the AGSM 2019 Full-Time MBA Scholarship recipients (L to R): Trisha Shastri, Luminis AGSM Wharton Business Innovation Scholarship; Surzhana Baiaskhalanova, Marietta Delvecchio, Emily Feng and Serena Lu, AGSM Women in Leadership Scholarships

The AGSM @ UNSW Business School’s latest Full-Time MBA cohort is the first to include an equal number of male and female students. The cohort is 51% female (27 out of 53 students) and includes students from 20 different countries.

Last year the AGSM overhauled its recruitment and scholarship programs with a focus on attracting a more diverse cohort of high-quality MBA candidates.

“AGSM has always been a program that attracts and celebrates diversity of gender, experience and thought”, said Dr Michele Roberts, AGSM Academic Director. “By completely recalibrating our scholarship program, we attracted the best candidates – more globally mobile, higher GMAT scores, more community experience – than ever before. We are delighted to offer places on our MBA program to really exceptional candidates – half of whom are women,” she said.

AGSM awarded five Women in Leadership scholarships to domestic and international students and for the first time the prestigious Luminus AGSM Wharton Business Innovation Scholarship, that includes an exchange to the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania, was awarded to a woman.

“Having completed an undergraduate degree at UNSW, I knew AGSM was the right choice for me and I am grateful for having this opportunity to study the Full-Time MBA with the support of the Luminis AGSM Wharton Business Innovation Scholarship,” said Trisha Shastri, the 2019 Luminis AGSM Wharton Business Innovation Scholarship recipient, previously Senior Consultant at KPMG Australia. “It is a unique opportunity to experience the best learning environments in both Australia and the US. I look forward to being actively involved in the AGSM and Wharton communities, expanding my global network and exploring career opportunities in both geographies,” she said.

"Receiving AGSM’s Women in Leadership Scholarship is not only recognition of my career experience but also an investment in my future potential, and that’s an incredible privilege and confidence boost, said Marietta Delvecchio, AGSM Women in Leadership Scholarship recipient. “Without it, I wouldn’t have been able to take the time off work to study full-time. The fact that we are a gender balanced cohort reflects the AGSM’s commitment to equality and diversity, and the level of support offered on a day-to-day basis feels infinite. It’s the best career decision I’ve ever made,” she said.

In the lead up to International Women’s Day, it’s appropriate to acknowledge the importance of diversity in management education and the role women play in leadership positions in business, government and for-purpose organisations,” said Dr Roberts. “The entire cohort experience is one of the most important and transformational aspects of any MBA program,” she said.

“The AGSM Full-Time MBA cohort is the most balanced – and the most diverse - we have ever assembled. We also introduced what we believe is the first LGBTI Community Leader Scholarship in an MBA program in Asia Pacific and have awarded three of them to stand-out candidates who are leaders in their communities in Australia and overseas.”

“Creating an environment where future leaders collaborate with people with lots of different life experiences and wide-ranging interests sets them up to be contemporary leaders who are equipped to respect diversity of thought and contribute to a progressive society,” she said.

To find out more about the AGSM Full-Time MBA scholarships, click here