After more than 25 years of learning through work, Paris wanted a structured way to strengthen his strategic thinking and better understand the technological change reshaping his industry.
“A year ago, I would have said that a degree of this calibre was probably not open to me.”
His wife first introduced him to the University of Sydney's MBA (Technology and Digital Strategy), recognising how closely it connected with his work at M Moser, where Paris is part of the Engineering, Technology and Sustainability team.
As a Smart Building Strategist, Paris is interested in how workplace projects can be designed with enough flexibility to adapt as artificial intelligence, robotics and other emerging technologies evolve. For him, the challenge is not simply anticipating which technologies will become important but thinking strategically about how workplaces created today can accommodate change over time.
Building strategic capability for an AI-driven workplace
“The degree felt more forward-looking than a traditional MBA,” Paris says. “Its focus on technology and digital strategy speaks to decisions organisations are facing now: how to adopt AI and how to govern it.”
While Paris is still early in the MBA, it is already changing how he thinks about his work.
“The degree has already made me reflect on how operationally focused I have been.”
His next step is to work with his business unit leader to identify priorities for the year ahead, then connect upcoming MBA units with those challenges.
Studying alongside professionals from other industries is also broadening his perspective.
“For me, the value is in the learning and in working with sharp, experienced people who bring perspectives from outside my industry. They help me see familiar problems differently.”
The degree felt more forward-looking than a traditional MBA. Its focus on technology and digital strategy speaks to decisions organisations are facing now: how to adopt AI and how to govern it.
Paris Blake
MBA (Technology and Digital Strategy) student
Making postgraduate study work around an established career
Returning to formal study after decades in the workplace required adjustment. Paris has fixed project commitments and occasional travel, so study often happens in evenings and weekends.
“The course is structured in focused blocks. That makes it easier to manage alongside a full year of work.”
His advice to other experienced professionals is pragmatic.
“This MBA allows for a great deal of flexibility. Even taking one unit a semester can make progress possible.”
For Paris, professional experience was not a barrier to returning to study. It became the foundation he could build on.
“I would tell others not to underestimate what they have learned on the job, while staying open to learning from people with different experience.”
For professionals considering how to build their capabilities for an AI-shaped future, Paris’s experience shows how postgraduate study can provide space to step beyond day-to-day delivery and think more strategically about what comes next.