高清福利片

An alumna of the Master of Business Administration (MBA) at the University of Sydney Business School, Samantha Cook, has been admitted to the High Court of Fiji.

Samantha, who graduated from the MBA in 2018, described the appointment as 鈥渁 career milestone鈥� to be admitted to such a prestigious position in another jurisdiction, and an incredible opportunity to drive social change in the region.

鈥淭he MBA helped me in countless ways to get to the point I am at in my career. Of course, there are all of the practical teachings from the course 鈥� finance and marketing, for example, which I use regularly in my work. But the MBA also instilled 鈥榖est practice鈥� leadership skills and values that I have taken with me,鈥� said Samantha.

鈥淢y time in Fiji has shown me that while cultural practices can differ from Australia, the qualities in a strong leader are the same 鈥� empathy, resilience, effective communication and leading with purpose.鈥�

Scholarship supporting future leaders

Samantha was awarded the $60,000 Emerging Leaders MBA Scholarship by the University of Sydney Business School and the Australian Financial Review BOSS Magazine in 2015 for her passion and impressive legal accomplishments, particularly in the area of cross-border and international business transactions.

MBA Program Director聽Professor Guy Ford聽congratulated Samantha on the incredible achievement. 鈥淟eadership sits at the very heart of our MBA program, no matter which fields our graduates study in. We are delighted about Samantha鈥檚 appointment and to hear how her studies in the program have assisted her in her accomplishments.

鈥淪amantha鈥檚 use of the leadership, collaboration and stakeholder management skills gained through the program to enact social change and empower the region through the private sector in Fiji is exactly the type of universality the MBA program is designed to deliver. We are sure this new position will allow an even greater positive impact.鈥�

Contributing to Fiji鈥檚 economic recovery from COVID

Samantha reflected, 鈥淏eing in-country and having recognised qualifications presents significantly more opportunities to drive social change. I have always been passionate about utilizing the private sector as a means to enhance economic prosperity within the region.

鈥淲e are only starting to witness the economic impacts on Pacific countries as a result of COVID-19. The Fijian economy is heavily reliant on tourism, and so many businesses will require assistance to reset and rebuild 鈥� this is something I can now become more actively involved in at a grassroots level. I hope I can contribute to this in a more meaningful way alongside many of my Fijian professional colleagues who are providing such in-kind support and assistance within their local communities.鈥�