STORIES FROM ELGP ALUMNI – Riley Upston & Antoine Darque

Congratulations to ELGP participants Riley Upston and Antoine Darque for recently graduating with a Master of Business (MBA) from the University of Western Australia (UWA).

At Southcare we are committed to empowering people and enriching their lives, it has been wonderful to welcome Antoine and Riley to our Emerging Leaders in Governance Program where they are further developing their skills to give back to the community.

Riley has shared some reflections on the ELGP and MBA program:

‘Two years ago, having run my small business for five years. I decided an MBA would be a fitting compliment to my experience, to make further improvements on the business and to better serve my customers. The journey however, has provided me with more than I bargained for. I’ve made exceptional friends and connections, as well as gleaning knowledge that felt far from reach before.

It was a proud day graduating from UWA’s MBA, the pride was compounded by the receival of a scholarship to participate in the prestigious Emerging Leaders in Governance Program (ELGP). Currently two months in, the program encourages you to ‘lean in to your edge’. There are a myriad of complementary skills between the MBA and the ELGP. The program has pushed me to hone my knowledge of governance, strategy, team work, and finance. It has also provided an invaluable insight into the Not for Profit (NFP) sector.

The complexity and challenges that NFP’s face is fascinating. The determination of the best course of action in a ‘for profit’ organisation can often be drilled down to one point: ‘is your decision the most likely course of action to be value accretive for shareholders?’ NFP’s concern must indeed be on creating value, but while juggling the levels of priority for assorted stakeholders needs; employees, customers, government, volunteers, donators, members. An elaborate dance indeed!

I strongly encourage any leaders or future leaders to consider the program, you will be challenged and you and your community will be better for it! I am excited and determined, through governance, to give back to the community that has been so generous to me and thank all those that have supported me along the way.’