Georgia Knox

Director and technical adviser – international, Audible Inc.

The course

The University of Sydney Business School MBA

The impetus Georgia Knox was offered a scholarship to join the first cohort of 50 students when The University of Sydney started its MBA program in 2013 (it previously partnered with the University of NSW for the degree). She had a law degree and was working in corporate development for APN News & Media and says the new school “was very open, saying, ‘This is a learning process for us as well as you.’”

About a year into the MBA, she was offered the job of opening the Australian office of Audible, the fast-growing American digital audiobooks company and a division of Amazon. That led to three months in London and New York, where she is now based, and a break in the MBA. “You’re doing the course to drive your career, not the other way around,” she says, “so I figured it would be okay.”

The impact Knox says it was the MBA – and her fellow students – that gave her the nerve to take the Audible gig. “I used to get intimidated doing things outside my comfort zone,” she says. “But my classmates and the staff said, ‘Are you crazy? Of course you can do it!’” Their feedback – and her own growing confidence – “enabled me to take the job, which is the best career decision I’ve ever made.” The glow continues: “If, for some reason, I don’t think I can do something well, I’ve got the skill set and the tools to be able to navigate that and not be ashamed. I know myself far, far better than I ever did. The MBA is a self-discovery journey.” ↓

The juggle “I look back now and I have no clue,” jokes Knox of how she fitted her MBA around work, including making a significant career shift during her course. Both her APN and Audible employers were supportive and, she says, “it was a matter of being really organised with what you can fit into a day”. ↓

The learning “During my studies I got to work in small teams with people I’d never have come across in my career or personal life: surgeons and architects. Such a diversity of people and such a mix of views… I learnt a lot from that.”

THE WISDOM

“DON’T DO IT FOR THE PIECE OF PAPER, BECAUSE THAT WOULD BE AN EMPTY EXPERIENCE. YOU’VE GOT TO BE ALL IN.”