Executive MBA students tour Europe for study program

As part of their Executive MBA studies, a group of Brisbane and Canberra students recently visited Europe for an intensive two-week study tour. These students experienced some of the world’s most complex projects firsthand.

The Complex Program Leadership (CPL) study tour provides annual opportunities for our Executive MBA students to visit leading international organisations and learn first-hand about leading complex projects in a variety of environments through engagement at senior levels.

As MBA Director, John Bensley, outlined, this tour leverages QUT’s international network of client relationships.

“The CPL study tour is framed by QUT’s unique approach to complexity through the lens of critical systems thinking and practice,” he said.

“Students have the opportunity to meet with senior executives at some of the largest and most complex projects globally.

“This allows them to experience first-hand the strategic capabilities needed to execute complex projects at scale.”

With previous CPL study tours visiting Airbus, Pilatus and Lockheed Martin, this year’s group visited major companies across the United Kingdom and Europe, including:

• Reaction Engines in Abingdon England. This high-tech R&D company is using space technology development to support Net Zero applied technology and presented a unique window on invention and innovation for our students.
• BAE Maritime Naval in Glasgow Scotland. This Defence OEM is transforming a rich heritage of ship-building into an advanced digitally enabled state of the art systems integrator and presented the challenges of digitisation and cultural transformation.
• Rheinmetall in Unterlüß Germany. This vertically integrated Defence OEM is scaling internationally and presented a range of initiatives in innovative supply chain management and market segmentation.
• Swiss Federal Rail at the Gotthard Base Tunnel in Bellinzona Switzerland. The world’s longest and deepest tunnel presented the challenges of applying advanced technology to a range of life-cycle challenges whilst simultaneously managing competing stakeholder demands.

Study tour visiting Reaction Engines.

For Chief Engineer at the Department of Defence, Mathew Tildesley, learnings from his Executive MBA have been applicable to his workplace, which led him to join the study tour.

“The study tour provided an opportunity to apply our learnings in real world contexts,” he said.

“The chance to understand the strategic issues of a number of global businesses, and to apply our thinking in circumstances out of our normal day to day work was an opportunity too good to refuse.”

For Mathew, the ability to learn directly from leading global companies was a valuable experience.

“For me, the highlight of the tour was the level of exposure, dedication and trust that each company gave to the study group,” he said.

“Spending the time to see ‘behind the curtain,’ beyond the marketing of each company, was invaluable.”

Fellow student and Sales Executive, Tania Nicolson, explained that the company visits highlighted similar problems experienced across industries and the different problem-solving approaches available.

“Being exposed to different cultures and industries that I would not normally have an opportunity to learn from was a highlight of the tour,” she said.

“It helped me to think of my own business environment differently and how I can apply these leanings to be more innovative in my industry.

“From a small business background, seeing large business structures showed me how processes and procedures are even more important as you build the business.”

Onsite at the Gotthard Base Tunnel in Switzerland.

This experience has allowed both students to use their study tour learnings in their workplaces and help build their careers.

“I have gained great insights into how large businesses are managed and it provided me with a good base to work from for the inception of my own business,” Tania said.

Mathew echoed this sentiment, outlining that the tour provided a new perspective for his career.

“The study tour has made me appreciate my ability to step into a completely different environment with a level of thinking that can make a positive contribution,” he said.

“I realise that I could take my career in an infinite number of directions and exceed with the knowledge and approach that I now have.”

Want to build your career confidence and leverage the learnings on the CPL study tour in an Executive MBA? Explore our Brisbane and Canberra programs.