Held at the Ivy Ballroom in Sydney, the evening welcomed more than 250 guests in celebration of the Macquarie Business School’s incredible graduates. A range of awards were presented, including industry-supported course prizes and memorial prizes, each one recognising excellence, dedication and the impact of meaningful learning.

This year’s theme, Leading with Clarity and Confidence couldn’t be more relevant. As Professor Leonie Tickle, Executive Dean of Macquarie Business School, reminded us: “In today’s complex and distracting world, we need leaders who remain grounded in their values and purpose, and who can instil confidence in those around them.”

The theme was brought to life by inspiring leader MQBS alumna and Managing Director and VP of Google ANZ Melanie Silva, who delivered a powerful keynote speech on the night.

“With all the Volatile Uncertain Complex Ambiguous (VUCA) vibes going on in the world – technological change, geopolitical unrest, a productivity slump and a cost-of-living crisis – great leadership, the kind of leadership that inspires, that provides vision, that instils confidence is exactly what we need,” she said. “Great leaders make decisions and they inspire followership.”

Silva went on to talk about the importance of learning to identify the difference between instinct and your inner critic.

“Confidence in leadership doesn’t just mean being able to stand up in front of a team and tell them the decision or make unpopular ones,” she explained.

“Confidence is also having the humility to be vulnerable and transparent – to knowing that your skills and experience got you where you are. As you move forward, you will have self-doubt. The inner critic will speak up. The goal isn't to silence it, but to learn to identify it, understand its roots in fear or pressure, and consciously choose to let your instinct – that wisdom born from your hard work, your skills, your experience, and yes, that little bit of mongrel the critic gives you – guide you. Trust the capabilities that brought you to this stage.”

The evening was guided by our master of ceremonies, Yvonne Breyer, Deputy Dean, Education & Employability, who reminded us of the importance of recognising the hard work of these students.

“I never cease to be amazed by the things that our students achieve, and you will see the calibre of the Macquarie Business School graduates that we have here tonight,” Breyer said.

Recognising student success and growth

The atmosphere on the night was wonderfully celebratory as the students, their loved ones, staff, industry partners and donors came together to connect, and in some cases reconnect, over shared experiences.

Guests heard from student speaker Ethan Kwok, a multi-award winner on the night, whose reflections from the Co-op program reminded us that growth isn’t just about success, it’s about learning through challenge, being curious, never giving up, and showing up with purpose.

“Effort doesn’t always need to lead to immediate success, but it is never wasted. Every interview I went to, every application I wrote, every late night I spent preparing, all of it shaped who I am. Success is not final, and failure is not fatal. The growth didn’t happen when I got the offer, it happened every moment I got back up after I fell,” he said.

“Success isn’t always about getting it right the first time, it’s about persistence, growth and being ready when the next opportunity presents itself. Because sometimes that chance shows up a bit later than expected.”

Student Ethan Kwok delivered an inspiring speech about learning and growing through setbacks.

The importance of persistence and hard work was echoed by MBA student Katherine Rose Crowton, winner of the Dean's Merit Award and Peter Strickland Memorial Prize.

“Tonight’s awards have validated all the study and hard work that have gone into being here tonight in celebration. Having my classmates here and my family here has been really special,” she said.

“Doing this MBA has been a lot about trade-offs and my family were certainly aware of those trade-offs, so it’s been really special to be able to celebrate with them tonight.

“In terms of career and professional development, the MBA has been game changing. The non-technical things, the critical thinking and the different ways of thinking, have been really amazing.”

Similarly, Ka Wai Kerrie Yiu, winner of the Master of Commerce Prize, shared that the awards night was a wonderful way of recognising the hard work in a room full of influential industry professionals.

“Tonight was a public recognition of not just my academic results but also the countless hours of hard work and late-night studying. It’s also a very communal recognition tonight where we are here with other high-achieving students, our lecturers and industry professionals,” she said.

“I’m hoping to talk to more industry professionals tonight, this is a wonderful opportunity to meet them and show them more about myself and what I’m capable of.”

Congratulations to all our award winners and we wish you all the best for your future endeavours.

You can watch the highlights below.