Tackling the EMBA adventure takes some courage

"I'm starting to think more like a general manager. I see things in a more global context, which makes me more mindful of action and long-term effect, and I can see things from a far more strategic position."

Caroline McKean
Project manager
PDL Toll (Part of the Toll group of companies)

Caroline McKean likes adventures. After 11 years in the Defence Force working as a logistics officer, she worked for a British company in the Middle East for a year, for the United Nations in Africa for a year, and finally for her current employer.

She's just returned to Australia to embark on her EMBA studies after spending a year managing a multi-disciplinary project in the Solomon Islands.

Each job, except for her current role has involved managing teams of between 10 to 80 people.

Back in Melbourne, in-between her EMBA study she works for PDL Toll, part of the Toll group of companies, as a logistics consultant for a variety of commercially sensitive clients.

She chose the MBS EMBA course because of the convenience of the modular format.

She says, "You can become completely absorbed in this kind of program. It's more palatable because you're not force-fed - the chunks [of learning] are easy to swallow, then you can go back to work and actually start applying some things that you know you've learnt properly. The benefits of the program are immediate.

"I'm starting to think more like a general manager. I see things in a more global context, which makes me more mindful of action and long-term effect, and I can see things from a far more strategic position. I'm also able to see meaning in things I previously didn't. For example, there's synergy between different processes and systems and as a senior manager you can affect positive outcomes by understanding relationships between these various aspects of a business."

After graduating Caroline plans to move into a general management role in one of the business's profit centres, a move that should net about a 30% increase in salary.

BA (Hons.) University of NSW, 1998, EMBA Class of 2009