Leonie McCreanor

Why did you decide to study an MBA?

I decided to study an MBA because I’d been living overseas for 10 years and I returned to Australia and felt that the additional qualifications would be valuable in terms of my relevance in coming back into the Australian business, but also, into the Australian marketplace.

A lot of students struggle with the time commitments and the high demands of studying an MBA, how did you make it work?

The time commitment to do an MBA is enormous. When I first decided to do the MBA I was aware that I would be committing with time. And soon after I commenced my MBA, my husband passed away, so I ended up being a single mother, a full time global role as well as a lot of travel. So, I did find the time commitment very demanding.
What I did, however, was pace the course to accommodate my schedule and what I physically was capable of doing. So I just simply spread the course out. I also then became very structured. So when I was in the middle of a subject, I was very focused, I was very disciplined. I had a study schedule. My weekends were fundamentally study weekends.
What I also did was I actually use the AIB structure and the guidelines around when we should be completing components of that topic, and making sure I stuck with that. And I found that that was really helpful in staying on top of things, as well as actually producing good work.

How has the MBA helped your confidence?

The MBA has helped my confidence in it has made me feel more relevant in a working environment which is increasingly complex and demanding. So that’s been incredibly beneficial in terms of my confidence. I’ve also felt that it’s supported my increased qualification for new roles in the organization.

Explore more AIB student stories.