Adelaide MBA equipped graduate for success in leadership role

“I felt out of my depth and thought I needed to take on further education to help build my foundations for success in this role,” she said.

“After some investigation, I decided that the Adelaide MBA was the best tool to equip myself with more leadership, finance and accounting skills.”

A crucial consideration for Ms. Brunton was the face-to-face delivery. An in-person connection was vital to her studies.

“I believe in-person connection forms the best relationships and I needed to develop a local network here in Adelaide.”

On top of gaining local connections, Ms. Brunton undertook a global learning experience to Europe, spending time in Leipzig, Germany, followed by a week in Prague, Czech Republic.

“On this trip, I met lots of people from different countries who were all doing an MBA. We had great fun together visiting Porsche, Skoda and other companies. 3 years after the exchange, we still have our occasional chats on WhatsApp and Facebook.”

Fast forward to 2021 and Ms. Brunton, in her role as Commercial Manager at OZ Minerals, is part of one of their newest projects in Australia.

“I play a key leadership and commercial role on the West Musgrave Project, which is located approximately 1,300 km north-east of Perth in Western Australia. My goal is to maximise project value and be a visible leader who supports a strong culture in line with OZ Minerals’ and the Project’s aspirations. This includes actively challenging the team to ensure shared value is derived for all stakeholders through thinking and acting differently.”

Ms. Brunton also manages the application and governance of the risk framework.

“I ensure all aspects of project delivery is assessed through a risk lens, that means looking at opportunities and threats, and advise and lead the direction of all commercial aspects of the Project for successful delivery through the study phase and beyond,” she said.

On reflection of her most enjoyable MBA courses, Ms. Brunton says it's hard to one.

“I enjoyed the finance and accounting courses, as they provided me with knowledge that subsequently enabled me to explore a different career path. The leadership and negotiation courses formed the foundation of my leadership style and skills. And the international exchange widened my network.”

“But if I had to pick, I’d say the most valuable learning came being able to have discussions among my fellow Adelaide MBA classmates, who often had different and interesting perspectives,” Ms. Brunton added.Jane Brunton