Kyong Khabbaz

Whilst for many students a major motivator to start an MBA is to increase their earning potential, this was not necessarily the case for Kyong. Having worked with one major organisation for a big part of his career, Kyong was ready to expand his horizons and take his thinking to the next level.

Around 15 years ago, Kyong’s career with the Woolworths Group started out in Store Operations. After 3 years, Kyong was looking for a different challenge, and when a maternity leave relief position became available in HR, he jumped at the opportunity and never looked back.

Over the next 12 years, Kyong would develop his expertise in Human Resources across many different parts of the Woolworths Group, including BWS, Woolworths Supermarkets, Shared Services, and most recently, Big W, where he has just been promoted to the role of People Lead.

Now having worked his way up the corporate ladder with a household corporation, we wanted to find out more about Kyong’s motivation to study an MBA and what part he believed his MBA would fulfill in achieving his career goals.

What was your motivation to study an MBA?

I was seeking to diversify my knowledge and bring a different perspective to how I think and operate at work. With 15 years with the one organisation I wanted to stretch my thinking and mindset when approaching a new project or problem.

Did you generalise or specialise?

I chose to generalise with my MBA as I felt that this would provide me with a strong platform to learn and to challenge myself.

What was your biggest fear before starting?

My ability to juggle family responsibilities with full-time work commitments and if I had the ability to commit the time to my MBA

What would you say to anyone feeling the same?

Everything can be juggled but you need to set yourself up for success and plan your time accordingly.

How would you describe your experience studying at AIB?

I enjoyed AIB’s freedom around how you learn and what best works for your schedule. The forums are great and the Lecturers are extremely responsive if you have any queries about the course content or you require assistance with an assignment.

Have you had any success that you attribute to your MBA?

Completing my MBA has certainly broadened my horizons and allowed me to better understand some parts of the organisation that I would partner with but not necessarily fully understand eg. finance, supply chain and so on.

I believe that my studies have contributed to my recent promotion as it allowed me to consider how different parts of the organisation come together to deliver on the business strategy, something my new role requires me to do on a broader scale.

Do you think the MBA has helped you improve as a leader? And do you believe others who want to be better leaders would benefit from the course?

I believe my MBA has assisted in shaping my contribution as a leader and how I coach others in the organisation. For anyone wanting to critique and improve their own leadership style, they would certainly find undertaking an MBA extremely useful.

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