Meet UNSW’s 2024 Women in Business Ambassadors

The UNSW Business School is committed to gender equity and inclusion by embracing the principles of UNSW's first Gender Equity Strategy to enshrine inclusive practices and enable students and staff of all genders to feel valued, respected and able to be their authentic selves.

To this end, each year UNSW Business School appoints x5-7 Women in Business Ambassadors (WIBA) to support and uplift female-identifying students across the undergraduate disciplines where females are typically underrepresented:

• Banking and Finance
• Economics
• Information Systems and Technology Management
• Risk and Actuarial Studies

This is an exciting leadership development opportunity for 2nd or 3rd-year female-identifying undergraduate students who are studying either Risk and Actuarial Studies, Information Systems, Banking and Finance, or Economics and have a passion for the promotion of young female participation and educational development in these areas.

UNSW Business School believes it crucial for the student voice and experience to be incorporated into the work the UNSW Business School Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) team carries out throughout the year and the WIBA play a leadership role within our student engagement, representation, and advocacy as part of the UNSW Business Schools 2021+ strategy.

The UNSW Business School EDI is honoured to introduce you to one of our 2024 Women in Business Ambassadors: Jessica Huynh, Bachelor of Commerce / Economics, majoring in Business Analytics and Econometrics.

Dream career or industry to work at: I want to be a data analyst, or work within the public sector/government.

Why did you choose to a Business Degree? And what led you to study at UNSW?

I have always been interested in learning about business during high school through my participation in extracurriculars such as the ASX Sharemarket Game, Market Day, and eventually studying economics for the HSC. Furthermore, through exploring the variety of majors offered at UNSW, I found that business analytics was a bit more technical in nature. This made me want to build on the business knowledge I developed in high school, whilst also discovering a different side to commerce. With UNSW ranking within the top 50 worldwide for Economics and Econometrics, this was another factor which cemented my decision to study at UNSW.

How has your experience helped you make a positive impact in your degree, career and/or community?

My experience at UNSW has played a significant role in making a positive impact in my career, allowing me to further develop necessary skills such as communication, teamwork and problem solving through my assignments and extracurriculars. By drawing upon my experiences in group work and extracurriculars, has provided me with opportunities to gain real-work experience through internships, even before graduating. Being a WiB ambassador has provided me the opportunity to take part in pushing for gender equality within business disciplines, whereas participating in campus volunteering programs has also empowered me to promote environmental sustainability within our community.

How has UNSW prepared you to lead in the workplace and community once you graduate?

Studying at UNSW has provided me with a deeper understanding of business analytics and econometrics, allowing me to further develop my critical thinking skills through the complex problems I have faced within my assessments.

Furthermore, UNSW's emphasis on Work Integrated Learning has provided me with real-world experience and hands-on skills that are directly applicable to the workplace, such as communication, teamwork, and decision-making. UNSW's commitment to fostering a culture of diversity, inclusion, and social responsibility has broadened my understanding of ethical leadership, encouraging me to further develop the skills to be a responsible and empathetic leader who can make a positive difference in the workplace and community.

How is UNSW Business School helping to improve female representation in business? And who would you like to help improve this?

UNSW Business School aims to improve female representation in business through our annual Girls in Business Camp, which strives to encourage female-identifying high school students from years 10 -12 who are interested in exploring a future in business.

Furthermore, societies such as Women in Consulting and Women in Tech also encourage current UNSW female students to participate and gain a better understanding of the business world, through collaborating with industry leaders in events such as case competitions and networking nights. To improve on this, I believe it is the collective responsibility of all stakeholders to create a more inclusive environment where women have equal opportunities to succeed and thrive in leadership roles.

What inspires you to champion gender equality and female representation?

Despite the wide range of roles available in business, women continue to be underrepresented, and there aren't as many female role models in the industry, especially in more technical areas such as information systems, actuarial studies, and economics. In fact, only 34% of students who studied HSC economics in 2023 were female. Being a WiB ambassador is one of the ways where I hope I can encourage more women to break the gender norms and to pursue or even lead in these business-related fields.

Why did you apply to be a Women in Business Ambassador and what do you hope to achieve?

I applied to be a Women in Business Ambassador because I am passionate about promoting gender equality, along with empowering women in the business world. As a WiB ambassador, I hope I can encourage and support more women to pursue careers in areas where women are underrepresented, providing guidance to female students by sharing my perspectives.

Through our flagship events, I aim to contribute to building a more equitable and diverse landscape where women have equal opportunities to excel and lead in their careers with more confidence. I would also like to meet other inspiring women in business to learn more about their experiences and learn from their career journeys. 

UNSW Business School is committed to identifying and addressing the inequities and challenges facing women in higher education and research. We have implemented several strategies to ensure equity in student recruitment, retention, development opportunities and the promotion of women in both academic and professional staff roles.

Find out more about this and other Women in Business initiatives here.