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Podiatrist uses degree to boost business
A long-time Buderim podiatry practice owner has used the University of the Sunshine Coast’s new executive degree to lead her business successfully through the global financial crisis.
Ainslie Davies, the principal of Buderim Podiatry which she bought in 1991, said USC’s Executive Master of Business Administration (EMBA) boosted her skills, knowledge and confidence.
“I now know how to tackle issues and how to put strategies in place to bring about the best results,” she said.
“My business is again growing as I recruit internationally. I have a clear marketing plan and financial analysis tools in place.”
Ms Davies will be among the University’s first cohort of EMBA graduates at the 2011 Graduation ceremony on Wednesday 20 April. The 11 graduates are from small and big business, private companies and public service.
The USC program, designed to suit busy executives, was delivered via intensive weekend classes at the Sippy Downs campus once a month for two years.
Ms Davies, a podiatrist with three staff, started the EMBA in February 2009. Her decision was prompted by the global economic downturn.
“Business had slowed after many years of constant growth and, like many small business operators, I wondered if I had the acumen to see it through,” she said. “My business skills were through life experience rather than training.”
She enrolled at USC because the program’s flexible delivery was structured for people already in management.
“This allowed minimal disruption to my work and it was done in less than two years, compared to my previous Masters taking a full three years,” she said.
“Since completing the EMBA I’ve grown considerably in confidence and I take more leadership roles with professional associations.”
Ms Davies has also gained a long-coveted podiatry tutoring job at the Queensland University of Technology in Brisbane.
“The USC program meant my weekends disappeared in study but, in the cost benefit analysis, the hard work was balanced by the camaraderie from the cohort and the staff and the support they provided,” she said.
– Julie Gatehouse