Traditional MBA degree back in business amid economic downturns, says Curtin University's Shahid Ghauri
Dr Ghauri recently took on the role as the new director of Curtin's MBA and doctorate of business administration programs earlier this month.
He says MBAs and DBAs can often be seen as a safe haven amid economic downturns.
According to the Graduate Management Admission Council, applications to MBA programs globally grew more than 12 per cent in 2024, reversing two consecutive years of declines. Dr Ghauri expects that rebound to continue.
'When there's a bit of a downturn, you see that people want to come back and upskill,' he said.
'They've got perhaps more time to to be able to reflect on their studies and they can go through it a bit more intensively . . . rather than dragging it on over four or five years because of full-time work.'
Dr Ghauri pointed to a World Economic Survey that showed AI, big data, technological skills and analytical thinking among the core skills employees would need over the next five years.
'That's why there's always going to be demand for prestigious MBAs,' he said.
'These are the real challenges that our economies are facing, the world is facing, and that's why (people) come into an MBA because they're able to synthesise those challenges with what we teach.'
Dr Ghauri notes that while Curtin has a 'very strong' domestic intake, he also sees strong interests from students coming from Brazil, the Middle East, Malaysia and Singapore.
Dr Ghauri brings over 25 years of global experience across the financial services, agri-business, medical, renewable energy and education sectors.
He has worked in more than 12 countries across Asia Pacific, Latin and South America and East Africa.
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West Australian
6 days ago
- West Australian
Traditional MBA degree back in business amid economic downturns, says Curtin University's Shahid Ghauri
Curtin University's Shahid Ghauri expects a resurgence in demand for the traditional master of business administration degree as professionals look to enhance their skills amid a slowing economy and rapid artificial intelligence advancements. Dr Ghauri recently took on the role as the new director of Curtin's MBA and doctorate of business administration programs earlier this month. He says MBAs and DBAs can often be seen as a safe haven amid economic downturns. According to the Graduate Management Admission Council, applications to MBA programs globally grew more than 12 per cent in 2024, reversing two consecutive years of declines. Dr Ghauri expects that rebound to continue. 'When there's a bit of a downturn, you see that people want to come back and upskill,' he said. 'They've got perhaps more time to to be able to reflect on their studies and they can go through it a bit more intensively . . . rather than dragging it on over four or five years because of full-time work.' Dr Ghauri pointed to a World Economic Survey that showed AI, big data, technological skills and analytical thinking among the core skills employees would need over the next five years. 'That's why there's always going to be demand for prestigious MBAs,' he said. 'These are the real challenges that our economies are facing, the world is facing, and that's why (people) come into an MBA because they're able to synthesise those challenges with what we teach.' Dr Ghauri notes that while Curtin has a 'very strong' domestic intake, he also sees strong interests from students coming from Brazil, the Middle East, Malaysia and Singapore. Dr Ghauri brings over 25 years of global experience across the financial services, agri-business, medical, renewable energy and education sectors. He has worked in more than 12 countries across Asia Pacific, Latin and South America and East Africa.
Sky News AU
06-07-2025
- Sky News AU
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese 'raises eyebrows' in Washington by shying away from US in John Curtin address
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese's decision to downplay the US alliance in a major address has rattled the diplomatic relationship amid an AUKUS review, defence spending tensions and criticism from the Trump administration. Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has 'raised eyebrows' in the United States at a time of growing disunity, sparking further concerns about his relationship with Washington. In his weekend address at the 80th anniversary of former prime minister John Curtin's death, Mr Albanese distanced Australia from its history as a close ally of the US. He said that Australia would pursue its interests as a 'sovereign nation' and not be 'shackled to the past', after Mr Curtin led the country through WWII as a close ally of the US. Mr Albanese declared the US alliance should be seen as a 'product' of Mr Curtin's leadership in foreign, but not the 'extent' of it. 'Curtin's famous statement that Australia 'looked to America' was much more than the idea of trading one strategic guarantor for another,' Mr Albanese told the John Curtin Research Centre. 'It was a recognition that Australia's fate would be decided in our region.' The comments have been interpreted by policy experts as a rhetorical step away from the US alliance, and risk being seen in Washington as a signal of diplomatic divergence. Former Trump senior advisor Christian Whiton weighed in on the Prime Minister's speech, telling Sky News that it would be met with "skepticism" by the US. 'I think you have to look at it as sort of a globalist, soft on China signal,' Mr Whiton said on Sunday. 'Maybe it's one that the United States invited because, you know, the review of AUKUS is sort of an own goal situation; it's a little unclear." Mr Whiton added that the Australian-US relationship was enduring and that the two countries' shared history was "more important than any verbiage back and forth" "There's a lot of mixed messages going on," he said. Retired major general of the Australian Army Mick Ryan also told Sky News that Mr Albanese's speech would "raise eyebrows in the US capital". "There was a huge amount of enthusiasm for talking down any threat whatsoever posed by China (in the speech)," Mr Ryan said. "The fact that the US wasn't mentioned, not just in the current concept, but also its great contribution to Australia's defence in the Pacific War will really affect many of our friends in the United States." It comes as the AUKUS agreement has come under review by the US Pentagon, a defence pact that was set up to enhance US involvement in securing the Indo-Pacific region. Nationals deputy leader Kevin Hogan warned on Sunday that Mr Albanese had failed to prioritise the US relationship since President Donald Trump was elected in November 2024. 'Given the importance of that country, not just on the economic relationship we have, but the national security relationship, it should be (embarrassing) to all Australians,' Mr Hogan said. 'We know the US is doing a review into AUKUS as well, and the fact our two leaders haven't had a chat and Albanese hasn't been able to secure that is absolutely embarrassing.' — Anthony Albanese (@AlboMP) July 5, 2025 Tensions rise following AUKUS friction The fallout from Mr Albanese's speech followed weeks of growing strain in the trilateral AUKUS security pact after the US Pentagon ordered a review of the deal. A US defence official said the review would ensure the pact met President Trump's 'America First' agenda, amid criticism of Australia's comparatively low level of defence spending. That decision came before Australia and the UK adopted what critics described as 'ambiguous' positions on President Trump's recent strikes against Iran. Mr Albanese waited 24 hours before his government issued a carefully worded statement that stopped short of endorsing the US strikes, calling instead for 'de-escalation' and 'dialogue'. That response was branded 'flat-footed' by the opposition, with acting shadow foreign affairs minister Andrew Hastie saying Mr Albanese 'should have stood up and spoken to the Australian people'. 'Sending out a government spokesman to make a brief comment about one of the biggest events to happen in the last five years was not good enough,' Mr Hastie said at the time. The perceived reluctance to back US action in the Middle East likely deepened concerns in Washington over Australia's reliability as an ally. The Trump administration has been publicly frustrated by the Albanese government's resistance to increasing defence spending to 3.5 per cent requested by USDefence Secretary Pete Hegseth. The Albanese government has committed to spending 2.3 per cent of GDP by 2033, far shy of the 5 per cent agreed to by NATO allies by 2035. PM dismisses concerns Despite the mounting concerns, Mr Albanese has downplayed the idea of a rift between Australia and the US. Speaking at the Sky News/The Australian's Economic Outlook forum on Friday, he insisted that he was 'not worried' about relations with the United States. He said he was confident in getting a meeting with President Trump, even after their scheduled meeting at the G7 in Canada was abruptly cancelled. President Trump then failed to follow up with a phone call, despite speaking with other world leaders, and no meeting has been booked in since. 'I'm not worried by someone making an understandable decision, which he did, to return to Washington,' Mr Albanese said of the cancelled meeting on Friday. 'Of course, we will have meetings. There will be a range of meetings between now and the end of the year with President Trump.'
News.com.au
17-06-2025
- News.com.au
Perfect partners: These explorers are teaming up with university researchers to fast-track their projects
These miners are making smart deals with university researchers to advance their projects Collaborations with research institutions create innovative tech and minerals processing methods Belararox, Everest, Impact Minerals among explorers and developers tapping university knowledge to make discoveries and advance projects More and more miners and explorers are partnering with universities to find innovative solutions and new ways of extracting and processing valuable minerals. Working relationships with tertiary education institutions offer unique access to specialists with extensive research experience in their field – allowing resources companies to tap into valuable insights and breakthrough technologies in geology, engineering, metallurgy and more. Often the collaborations can lead to validating technology, or developing and commercialising new solutions to address industry challenges. But it's also a two-way street. University students get exposure to and practical experience with industry – making them more employable in the commercial world – and mining companies can make fresh hires that help close skills gaps in their business. Belararox unites Australia and Argentina A prime example is explorer Belararox (ASX:BRX), which last month facilitated two memoranda of understanding between Australia's Curtin University and the National University of Cuyo, and the Government of Mendoza, Argentina. BRX holds the highly prospective Toro-Malambo-Tambo (TMT) project in Argentina's San Juan Province. TMT sits in an unexplored area between the prolific El Indio and Maricunga metallogenic belts and is just a few kilometres south of the Filo Del Sol deposit that was bought by BHP and Lundin Mining for US$3bn last year. Filo Del Sol, which sits on Argentina's border with Chile, was recently confirmed as the largest greenfield copper discovery in the last 30 years, hosting 7.2 billion tonnes of ore at 0.40% copper, 0.23g/t gold, and 4g/t silver. The collaboration plan between Australia and Argentina is to establish framework for cooperation over initial five-year period to foster long-term academic, technical and institutional collaboration – including reciprocal academic exchange programs and joint research projects in mining, engineering, and sustainability. The company lent its assistance to making the MoUs possible following a request from Mendoza Governor Alfredo Cornejo in November 2024. 'These MoUs represent more than an academic exchange – they are a long-term investment in knowledge, people and regional prosperity,' managing director Arvind Misra said at the time. Curtin University School of Mines head Professor Mark Buntine reaffirmed Curtin's commitment to global academic collaboration and to supporting education and sustainable mining practices across international borders. 'This partnership represents a unique opportunity to strengthen research, education and professional capacity in both regions,' he said. 'We look forward to building strong, lasting relationships that benefit our students, institutions and the broader mining community in Argentina and Australia.' Everest and ECU extract rubidium Everest Metals Corporation (ASX:EMC) is another example, with the company working closely with WA's Edith Cowan University on Direct Rubidium Extraction tech from the Mt Edon project. The project contains 3.6Mt at 0.22% rubidium oxide and 0.07% lithium oxide, including more than 7900t of rubidium oxide. And within that is a higher grade subset of 1.3Mt at 0.33% rubidium and 0.07% lithium, hosting nearly 56% of the total contained rubidium tonnes. Earlier this month, ECU's Mineral Research and Recovery Center (MRRC), completed an engineering scoping study which validated the company's proprietary tech, demonstrating up to 97% rubidium recovery. The tech has been around for years in water treatment, and in recent years lithium brine players have chased the promise of the more environmentally friendly extraction method. It works by pumping brine into a tank where ion exchange beads latch onto the lithium. The remaining water is then recycled (sans lithium) back into the aquifer. Originally the plan was to follow the route for lithium production only at the company's Mt Edon project in WA – however the researchers soon noted that the ion exchange process could be applied to a range of minerals, like rubidium. Pending additional studies, it indicates potential commercial and technical viability based on a proposed processing capacity of 750-1000 tonnes per annum of rubidium chloride. A provisional patent has now been lodged to secure the innovation, positioning EMC as a leader in rubidium extraction, with its Mt Edon project now a step closer to a pilot-plant by 2026. The company also has a deal with Australia's national science agency CSIRO to conduct advanced geochemical and mineralogical studies at the project. Nimy and Curtin advance gallium research Curtin Uni also has a collaboration with explorer Nimy Resources (ASX:NIM) for its Mons project in WA which the company believes has the goods to become a 'world class' gallium resource. Gallium is a vital material for advanced technology, renewable energy, and defence applications, essential to modern computer chips. Covering an area of 3km by 1.5km, the company has posted an exploration target of 9.6-14.3Mt at 39ppm to 78ppm gallium at Mons. Mineralogical assessments by the CSIRO show the mineralisation is likely contained within chlorotised schist, a style of deposit from which gallium has been extracted from one mine in China. Drilling so far at Block 3 has shown grades run far higher than they do in bauxite deposits, the primary source of gallium, which is a by-product of alumina refining. The chloritised schist at Block 3 could run between 400-800ppm Ga, according to the CSIRO, presenting the opportunity to upgrade feed from Block 3 in a future production scenario with ore sorting. Metallurgical testing with Curtin University kicked off last month. Nimy is targeting a maiden resource in the next few months at Block 3 and has a collaboration agreement with US-based M2i Global aimed at assuring a supply of gallium to the US Department of Defense. Impact and ECU producing high purity alumina Impact Minerals (ASX:IPT) is also collaborating with ECU's MRRC, scoring a $2.87m grant last year as part of the Federal Government's Cooperative Research Centres Projects program, to fund the commercialisation of its innovative process to produce high purity alumina (HPA) from the Lake Hope deposit in WA. At the time, MD Dr Mike Jones said the federal funding underscored the national importance of IPT's work as well as enhancing the company's 'capability to implement world-leading technologies that set new standards in sustainability and efficiency in the mineral sector'. HPA is on the list of critical minerals for Australia, Europe, and North America, a key component to improving the thermal reliability of lithium-ion batteries. Just this week IPT released the pre-feasibility study and a reserve estimate for the project of 1.7 Mt at 26% Al2O3 for 450,000 tonnes of contained Al2O3. Very strong economic metrics include NPV of A$1.165 billion (with no by-product revenue), capex of A$259 million, and opex of US$5860 per tonne excluding by-product credit. 'With the PFS now complete, our next steps are clear: we will advance the detailed engineering required to bring Lake Hope into production, which will revolve around our exciting federal government co-funded membrane research project now underway in conjunction with Edith Cowan University and CPC Engineering,' MD Dr Mike Jones said. 'We believe very significant improvements to our flow sheet will emerge from that work. 'We will also progress approvals and initiate offtake discussions. 'At the same time, we will help fund and rapidly develop the HiPurA modular production pathway to establish near-term capacity and position Impact as a differentiated, vertically integrated supplier of high-purity alumina to the global market.' MTM processing tech with Texas Uni MTM Critical Metals (ASX:MTM) is another example, with its proprietary Flash Joule Heating (FJH) processing technology being commercialised from research conducted by Rice University in Texas. In a 2021 article in the academic journal Nature, Rice University researchers revealed their gambit to recover precious metals rhodium, palladium, silver and gold from e-waste. Led by chemistry professor James Tour, they showed at lab scale that superheating to over 3000 Kelvins for around a second could temporarily separate precious metals from ewaste, extracting it at recoveries of over 80% of rhodium, palladium and silver and over 60% for gold. Having spent a decade at Metso, the world's largest technology supplier to the mineral processing and metal refining industries, MTM CEO Michael Walshe first recommended when he was consulting to the company that the technology be tested on spodumene concentrate. The tech is now exclusively licenced to MTM for all metal recovery and mineral processing applications and combines rapid electrical heating with targeted chemistry to unlock critical and precious metals from various feedstocks. Last month, the company validated the production-scale reaction chamber for the process, establishing its readiness for commercial deployment and supporting increased throughput capacity from initial operations. This puts MTM on track for commercial launch, with a materially de-risked modular scale-up strategy underway. After announcing a supply deal with New York's Indium Corporation, the company's plan is to process gallium, germanium and indium within the United States from Indium's domestic waste stream. It also has potential suppliers lined up to extract valuable materials including gold from e-Waste and potentially green cement from red mud supplied by India's Vedanta. The highly valuable suite of critical metals known as rare earths are also in its sights. This week, MTM announced an MoU with Meteoric Resources (ASX:MEI) to collaborate on downstream rare earths processing of mixed rare earth carbonate from Meteoric's Caldeira project in Brazil – proving the tech has applications across a range of minerals. Lithium universe teams up with Canadian Uni Earlier this year, Lithium Universe (ASX:LU7) announced an MoU with La Corporation de l'École Polytechnique de Montréal (Polytechnique Montréal) to advance lithium processing technologies and strengthen Canadian supply chain for critical battery materials. LU7 is focused on developing its planned Bécancour lithium refinery in Quebec, which is projected to produce 18,270tpa of green battery-grade lithium carbonate. This is aimed at closing the lithium conversion gap in North America, which has millions of tonnes of lithium carbonate equivalent resources but a distinct lack of chemical conversion capacity. One of Canada's leading engineering schools, Polytechnique Montréal is known for its research and innovation in applied sciences and technology. The partnership is aimed at enhancing education, research, and innovation in areas of mutual interest, with a primary focus on building Canadian expertise in the lithium battery sector. 'It is a privilege to partner with this prestigious university as we ignite innovation and cultivate a thriving lithium battery industry in Canada,' LU7 chairman Iggy Tan said back in Feb. 'Together, we are committed to educational excellence and sustainable industry growth, shaping a future where Canadian expertise leads the global stage.' Firebird scores Chinese battery building collaboration Firebird Metals (ASX:FRB) has a strategic alliance with the Central South University (CSU) of Hunan, China, who are undertaking lithium manganese iron phosphate (LMFP) cathode material testwork to produce LMFP button batteries. The company holds the Oakover project in WA, which has a resource estimate of 176.7 Mt at 9.9% Mn, with 105.8 Mt at 10.1% Mn in an indicated category. CSU has a strong reputation for developing world leading battery materials processes and is home to global experts in the Li-ion battery supply chain, with alumni including the founders of BYD and Rongbay Technology. FRB is confident the collaboration has potential to position the company as a global leader in the evolving Li-ion battery market – and importantly as a non-Chinese owned company in the space. They're on the tail of some significant cost-saving measures, eliminating the typical packaging and crystallisation steps in LMFP cathode production. This equates to a ~32% or US$167/t saving in projected manganese sulphate operating cost, with an additional reduced grinding at pCAM level expected generate further total savings. 'We expect our process to translate into substantial cost advantages in sulphate production by bypassing the manganese sulphate crystallisation process, which is the largest component of our operating cost,' FRB MD Peter Allen said in March. 'This streamlined approach not only reduces costs but also results in a superior quality LMFP product, strengthening our position as a cost-effective, high-quality leader in the market.' Results from the testwork program will be used to undertake a scoping study on LMFP production. Once completed, Firebird will assess the results and opportunity to expand the current pilot plant to produce approximately one metric tonne per day of LMFP. Mandrake and Utah Uni researchers team up Mandrake Resources (ASX:MAN) is another company collaborating with a university in the US, namely the University of Utah and Idaho National Laboratories (INL) and the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL). The collaborators scored a US$1M grant from the US Department of Energy (DoE) last year. The grant funds are for the parties to characterise and estimate reserves of lithium and other critical minerals at the company's Utah lithium project – which has an inferred resource estimate of 3.3Mt Lithium Carbonate Equivalent (LCE) – and the greater Paradox Basin. It's a massive federal vote of confidence. Plus, the partnership gives Mandrake access to the foremost US scientists and sophisticated US-funded laboratories.
