International Business School Scholarship
Congratulations Andrew Howard, Equip Super winner of the 2024 International Business School Scholarship.
Made possible with the generous support of Russell Investments and Natixis, this Scholarship is designed specifically for current and aspiring fund Chief Investment Officers.
Recognising the significant role fund CIOs play as business leaders in their own right, the scholarship is intended to provide a senior investment professional with the opportunity to develop skills in a general management (non-investment) discipline at an international business school, of their choice.
From Katrina Bacon, CEO, FEAL
”I recently had lunch with the sponsors and latest winners of the FEAL International Business School scholarship. At the lunch were Tim Furlan, Managing Director, Australia & New Zealand at Russell Investments; Louise Watson, Managing Director, Country Head Australia & New Zealand and Danny King, Head of Institutional Distribution, Australia & New Zealand at Natixis Investment Managers; 2023 scholarship winner Dominique d’Avrincourt, Head of Equities at TelstraSuper; 2022 scholarship winner Justine O’Connell, Head of Portfolio Construction, Asset Allocation at AustralianSuper; and 2021 scholarship winner Simon Esposito, Deputy CIO at Rest Super.
The FEAL International Business School scholarship is available to senior investment professionals within FEAL member funds and allows the winner to attend an international business school of their choice to undertake a course to develop skills in a general management (non-investment) discipline.
Simon, Dominique and Justine each thanked the sponsors for the opportunities that the scholarship has provided them and we all discussed and recognised the value in focussing the scholarship on courses to develop leadership skills. Investment professionals are exposed to many opportunities to learn technical investment skills but also face the same challenges as leaders as other executives in the industry.
It was interesting to hear about Simon and Justine’s approaches in determining which courses to undertake:
Simon elected to attend the Executing Strategy for Results module of the FEAL/MBS Masters program at the London Business School, being part of the cohort of fund executives and FEAL sponsors who completed this module in August 2022. Simon was attracted by the quality of teaching offered by the London Business School as well as the opportunity to study with his peers from across the FEAL member funds. As other participants of the FEAL/MBS program regularly report there is real value in being able to share stories and experiences with people from different disciplines across the industry: “the networking was fantastic”.
In contrast, Justine O’Connell, having spent time working in London earlier in her career, was attracted by the opportunity to study in Paris – who wouldn’t be! – as well as the strong reputation of INSEAD and completed the High Impact Leadership program at INSEAD’s Fontainebleau campus in February 2023. Justine enjoyed studying with participants from a broad range of industries (including pharmaceuticals, tech and even the arts) and locations (including Saudi Arabia, Germany and the Netherlands). She also valued the component of the course which was focussed on personal introspection, the time to think that we rarely manage to fit into our busy lives.
Both Simon and Justine said that they were able to apply key learnings from their courses back at work in their funds. The LBS course allowed each participant to work on an individual case study with the LBS tutors so that Simon was actually able to bring back implementable steps to a project that he was working on at Rest. The INSEAD course provided organisational frameworks that were directly applicable to the project that Justine was working on at AustralianSuper.
Dominique has already selected Harvard as her destination in May 2024 to undertake the Authentic Leader Development program which is a 6 day course focussing on developing self-awareness and emotional intelligence, creating “your own path to authentic leadership”. Louise was able to share her experience undertaking the 3 week High Potentials Leadership Program at Harvard in 2013/14.
It’s great that the scholarship allows such free choice with Simon, Justine and Dominique selecting such different locations – all at top-notch institutions - and such different courses. All credit again to Russell Investments and Natixis Investment Managers for supporting the industry in this way. For those interested in being the next beneficiary of this unique opportunity, applications for the scholarship to be awarded in March 2024 will open in December.”
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Frequently Asked Questions
How do I apply?
Applications closed on Friday 16th February 2024. The winner will be announced at the FEAL Forum Dinner on Thursday 7th March 2024. To apply for the International Business School Scholarship click on the ‘Apply Now’ tab to download an application form and save it to your desktop (writable pdf). Return the completed application, including a copy of your resume via email to katrina.bacon@feal.asn.au Cc renee.villasanti@feal.asn.au. If you need assistance please contact FEAL.
ELIGIBILITY
Current and aspiring CIOs, including Heads of asset classes in larger funds.
What is the selection panel looking for?
The selection panel is looking for concise, relevant and informative responses to the questions posed in the application form. In a two or three paragraph response provide a strong ‘business case’ as to why you should receive a scholarship this year. Consider what courses are available and identify one that would assist you in meeting your professional and career goals, or in achieving specific KPIs. Try to be clear and direct and help the selection panel understand how the scholarship opportunity would be helpful to you.
Who is on the selection panel?
Your application will be treated with the strictest confidence at all times by our selection panel: Brian Delaney - Chair, FEAL, Glen Gee - MSCI, Tim Furlan - Russell Investments, Ravi Sriskandarajah - QIC, Louise Watson - Natixis, Chris Wildman - Robeco, Katrina Bacon - CEO, FEAL and FEAL Director - TBC
Key dates to remember
Applications closed on Friday 16th February 2024. The winner will be announced at the FEAL Forum Dinner on Thursday 7th March 2024.
I have submitted an application previously but was not successful – should I apply again?
Former applicants are encouraged to apply. Review your previous scholarship application and consider how you could improve it. Ensure the question responses reflect your current thoughts and needs.
I am not a FEAL member. Can I still apply?
The ability to receive FEAL scholarships is one of the benefits of FEAL membership. If you are not currently a member of FEAL then why not apply for membership and a scholarship at the same time. All FEAL members, whether new or existing, are eligible to receive a Scholarship. Click here for membership details.
Past Winners
2023 - Dominique d’Avrincourt, TelstraSuper
2022 - Simon Esposito, REST Industry Super
2021 - Justine O’Connell, AustralianSuper
2020 - Spiro Deftereos, HOSTPLUS
2019 - Ruwanie Dias, Commonwealth Bank Group Super
2018 - Damian Graham, StatePlus
2017 - Andrew Spence, Qantas Superannuation Ltd
2016 - Matthew Condon, Rio Tinto
Terms and Conditions
Applications received after the specified deadline will not be considered.
The decision of the selection panel is final and no subsequent correspondence will be entered into.
The International Business School Scholarship is open to FEAL members.
Non members who are Fund Executives from not-for-profit funds are eligible to apply. If successful you must join FEAL to receive your scholarship.
Applicants must be employed with their fund at the time of the scholarship.
Successful applicants may be called upon to deliver a report to FEAL members.
FEAL Directors are not eligible to apply.
The scholarship covers airfares, accommodation and tuition up to a maximum of $30,000 (travel expenses and costs outside this must be covered by the recipient).