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Global executive banks on USC degree
A general manager who commutes from the Sunshine Coast to Singapore and Scotland, from Perth to Papua New Guinea, attributes his high-flying global career to studying close to home.
Dave Gilbert, who graduated from the University of the Sunshine Coast in 2006 with a degree in International Business, said returning to study at age 33 had helped him make a dramatic and successful career change.
“I started as a diesel mechanic,” said the 41-year-old who was recently appointed general manager of the Eastern Australia and South East Asia divisions of AGC-Ausgroup.
The publicly-listed, Perth-based company provides fabrication, construction and integrated support services. With 2,700 staff including project managers, engineers and tradespeople, it operates in the oil, gas and minerals markets.
Bribie Island-raised Mr Gilbert juggles work and travel with his family living on the Sunshine Coast, where his two teenage sons attend school.
“I’m working in acquisitions and it’s very satisfying, but I recently had to fly to Norway for a four-hour meeting, for example,” he said.
Mr Gilbert said his USC degree, which included courses in Indonesian language, had been integral to his career.
“I’d still be building roads if I hadn’t made the effort to go to University, even though it was daunting at first,” he said. “Studying at USC helped me massively.”
He recently returned to the Sippy Downs campus to talk to current students of Indonesian language and culture, led by USC Lecturer Dr Phil Mahnken.
“I had worked in Indonesia for years and knew how to use the vocabulary but I didn’t understand the grammar behind it until I took Dr Mahnken’s course,” Mr Gilbert said.
“It was fantastic because conversations then made sense to me. Languages are so important if you want to do business internationally, especially Indonesian and Mandarin.”
Mr Gilbert, who now manages 191 staff in Singapore, said working in Indonesia meant dealing with diverse ethnic groups and cultures, political and economic issues, corruption and security concerns.
He said successful companies had policies of integration with communities.
“The country now has a burgeoning middle class who want to close the gap between rich and poor, and some very smart young professionals coming through,” he said.
Dr Mahnken said Mr Gilbert was inspiring as “a truly global, intercultural, Australian business executive”.
– Julie Gatehouse