Philippa Butt, was working at Neami National, a not-for-profit organisation in Western Sydney that provides community-based mental health services
Philippa Butt, was working at Neami National, a not-for-profit organisation in Western Sydney that provides community-based mental health services, when she was awarded the 2019 Emerging Female Leadership Scholarship to study a Full-Time MBA at the Australian Graduate School of Management (AGSM).
As the Service Manager for the Nepean region, she managed a team of 12 supporting 50+ clients with severe and complex needs before becoming a Project Manager in the Business Opportunities and Development team.
Philippa intends to use the skills and knowledge gained through her MBA to develop new insights about the social factors of health and the wellbeing of the most disadvantaged in society.
“I’m passionate about social impact and have worked in the not-for-profit sector for the past seven years,” she said. “When I moved to Sydney I started working in Merrylands supporting people living with severe mental illness. This was a side of Sydney that many are unaware of, and I felt privileged to have worked with such a resilient group of people. This experience inspired me to think seriously about how I could use my skills to make real change within the community,” she said.
“My goal after the MBA is to establish a social enterprise that examines ‘wicked social problems'. I want to test new solutions that will capitalise on communities' strengths, promote health and prevent trauma happening in Australian homes.”
In 2018, AGSM overhauled its recruitment and scholarship programs with a focus on attracting a more diverse cohort of high-quality MBA candidates. AGSM’s latest Full-Time MBA cohort is the first to include an equal number of male and female students and includes students from 18 different nationalities.
“I felt very honoured to be awarded the Emerging Female Leaders Scholarship. I am proud to be part of the AGSM, in a cohort where 51% are strong, talented, passionate women who want to have a transformative influence within the community,” Philippa said. “Receiving the scholarship meant a huge amount to me, it demonstrated that AGSM was committed to social impact; that they believed in my abilities to learn and grow; and opened up the door to an MBA, making what seemed impossible, possible.”
Recruiting a diverse cohort provides more opportunities for students to network with peers from around the world and the smaller cohort size enables students to really get to know each other and the staff on a more personal level.
“Everyone genuinely cares about you and your personal development. The lectures are interactive learning sessions where the facilitators actively encourage dialogue and experiential learning. The careers team made a concerted effort to find out what our career ambitions are and how they can help each of us achieve our goals,” she said.
“I am passionate about increasing equality and knew that the AGSM MBA would give me the foundations and tools to tackle complex problems. It has also allowed me to be part of a network of international, creative and inspiring thinkers who share my desire to have a positive global impact.”
The AGSM Emerging Female Leaders Scholarship provides the opportunities for high achieving women in the early stages of their career access AGSM’s leading Full-Time MBA program and a world-class business education.
The Emerging Female Leaders Scholarship is just one of the many full and part-time tuition scholarships AGSM offers. To find out more about AGSM Full-Time MBA scholarships, click here.