For Maria Akshaya Babu and Shuntaro Sakurai, the Master of International Business took them from classroom to boardroom – offering hands-on experience and professional opportunities that have shaped their consulting careers both locally and abroad.
After Maria Akshaya Babu completed her Bachelor of Commerce at the University of Sydney, she had a strong foundation in business fundamentals. During her studies however, she became more and more interested in the global aspects of business – particularly international trade and cross-cultural management. Rather than change career paths completely, she decided to specialise further, tackling the Master of International Business. “It felt like a natural progression that would allow me to develop expertise in global markets and international operations, which are essential in today's interconnected business environment,” she explains. “I had also always been interested in travelling and thought it would be fun to know how the international business landscape works.” Maria quickly realised the nuances of this space, and how changes in one location could impact everything in another. “You learn about the global environment and all those cultural differences that influence the international supply chain,” she adds.
The program’s emphasis on real-world applications also felt particularly engaging, allowing Maria to broaden her insights through an array of diverse perspectives. “We’d reflect on real-life case studies in class, and have discussions and debates, which would allow for very different perspectives, which was so interesting.”
The Master of International Business felt like a natural progression that would allow me to develop expertise in global markets and international operations, which are essential in today's interconnected business environment.
Maria Akshaya Babu
Master of International Business graduate
Beyond the books
It was the capstone unit however that proved truly transformative for Maria, allowing her to work with a real local business requiring an expansion strategy into new territory. “We had meetings with them and completed a lot of casework to actually help the business, which I’d never had the chance to do in a university landscape before,” Maria says. “This took the learning out of that traditional medium and added colour to the experience – it taught me more than academic theory – it taught me about life skills, presentation, skills, and how to actually engage with business partners.”
What’s more, these learnings and interactions became significant in the context of Maria’s professional confidence. “Those moments prepare you for the professional world because they give you a chance to do something you might not have otherwise had the opportunity to do – and when you are in that environment in the future, you’re less nervous because you’ve been there – you know what to expect.”
As part of one of her projects, Maria also had the chance to work with KPMG. “I presented to their head office, which really prepared me for the professional world,” she adds. “Since then, I’ve been interested in consulting – especially within the field of international risk.”
A world of difference
For fellow alumni, Shuntaro Sakurai, the decision to pursue the Master of International Business at the University of Sydney meant leaving his country of Japan, and experiencing an entirely new way of learning. “Doing a project for a real company at the end of a course is not uncommon in Japan but stepping into the field and the business world, is definitely different,” he says. “In Japan, a master’s degree is usually completed with writing a thesis or dissertation, but this was so much more practical and required you to actually think and move, consider all the stakeholders, and adjust the gaps between expectations and reality.”
Throughout his time at the Business School, Shuntaro learned practical strategies for entering overseas markets, and built on the foundation of his undergraduate studies with a crucial difference – real-world application.
During the mobility program in particular, which is held every semester as the capstone unit of the Master of International Business, Shuntaro had the opportunity to head back to Japan but with an overseas company. “I met with a very interesting British company, Turner & Townsend, who played a significant role in the construction of Sydney Metro and the Salesforce Tower,” he says. “Turner & Townsend Japan was expanding into the Japanese market and after applying, I was offered a full-time offer as a graduate consultant in Tokyo.”
Today, both Maria and Shuntaro still refer to the hands-on learning gained during the program and the foundational skills they aquired along the way. “My decision to study at the University of Sydney lead to the greatest results that have exceeded my imagination,” says Shuntaro. “The course provided me with the vision and perspective to find the right career path.”