Carmelita Salgado - MBA 1965
With a career spanning more than four decades across business and education in the Asia-Pacific, Carmelita Salgado (MBA 1965) says that, today, she remains “honoured to be recognised as the first woman to graduate with an MBA in Australia.”
Carmelita came to MBS from the College of Business Administration at the University of the Philippines (UP), Manila. The trend at the time was for UP faculty to pursue graduate studies at US universities. However, in Carmelita’s case, the Dean of the College – later to be the Prime Minister of the Philippines – decided it would better enhance the collective competencies of UP faculty if she were to study for the MBA somewhere other than the USA – namely Australia.
Now, as she reflects on her MBA experiences, Carmelita sees differences and parallels with the program offered today: “One subject we took was an introduction to computers! It’s hard to imagine our globalised world without the unprecedented developments in technology which were only just beginning back then.”
“What’s remained the same is the challenge of keeping up with the demands of an intense course,” she comments. “That was certainly the case for our class. However, the camaraderie of such a close-knit group created a genuinely helpful and supportive atmosphere, from which we formed long-term friendships that have stood the test of time.”
“And, of course, the learnings from the MBA have been valuable to me throughout my career and professional development,” she continued. “Being a broad-based program, the MBA gave me the confidence and ability to integrate business, organisational principles and my own specializations of accounting and financial management.”
Today, Carmelita has a number of senior roles. She is Senior Professorial Lecturer at the University of the Philippines, a member of the Board of Trustees at the University of Asia and the Pacific, a trustee at the Parents Educational Foundation and Vice-President of the not-for-profit Philippine Foundation for Cultural and Educational Development. She also finds the time to run her own consultancy, which she says keeps her on her toes with business locally and globally.
Having devoted her career to both education and business, Carmelita says her motivation is to “contribute to the integrity and professional development of individuals, whilst fostering business growth that uplifts the parts of our society that are burdened by poverty.”
Asked how she would like to be remembered Carmelita answers simply: “as an effective mentor and educator.” And she remains clear about her future goals: “I want to continue my professional growth and to contribute more to the well-being of the people and communities around me.”
