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In a real-life consulting project for ATCO Gas Australia, a team of UWA MBA students has developed a strategy to help the company thrive in Western Australia’s rapidly evolving energy market.  ATCO has been a long standing partner of the UWA Business School and is passionate about providing opportunities for students to develop their skills in and out of the lecture theatre.

The MBA Full Time Intensive students worked with ATCO Gas Australia as part of the Business Advisory Project - a capstone unit in which students apply their skills to a real-life challenge.

Hassan Mounzer was one of four MBA students working on the project for ATCO Gas Australia and, on successful completion of his MBA, has been hired by the company as part of the Business Development team responsible for identifying and creating customer focussed energy solutions using the natural gas network.

Completing the Business Advisory Project, Hassan says, was a great opportunity to utilise the management skills he acquired during earlier MBA units.

“The project was extremely exciting. From the outset ATCO Gas Australia provided us with access to key people and information from which we were able to develop a strong frame of reference and project goals. The company also encouraged and gave us the freedom to look at ideas outside of its core pipeline infrastructure activities and we were able to identify a range of excellent opportunities using natural gas energy solutions,” Hassan said.

In his new role at ATCO Gas Australia, Hassan is excited to be in a position to work on new projects within the business and drive forward some of the longer-term strategies identified through the MBA project he and his team worked on.

“In the end, it’s about finding the best solution for the customer,” Hassan says. “Natural gas is a safe, reliable energy source with proven cost effective applications for residential, commercial and industrial consumers.  The energy sector is a dynamic industry to be involved in, there is a lot of change, but with that comes opportunity.  I’m really happy to be part of that with ATCO and to have the chance to follow through on outcomes in our report.”

Nathan Lude, Manager Commercial and Industrial Business Development at ATCO Gas Australia, said Hassan and his fellow MBA colleagues were very impressive, presenting a high degree of professionalism and enthusiasm across the duration of the project.  Nathan said the final report provided by the team was both thought provoking and a useful piece of work for the business.

UWA MBA Director Dr Michele Roberts says the Business Advisory Project was built into the MBA Full Time Intensive to prepare students for their return to the workforce.

“Having the opportunity to work on a project with real deliverables, for a client who is expecting top quality output, is great preparation for students as they line up job interviews for senior leadership positions,” Dr Roberts said.

“In 2015, students worked with organisations including ATCO, APPEA, and the Department of Agriculture and Food WA. We had fantastic feedback from all of these organisations and are very proud of the projects delivered by our students.”

Further information on the MBA Full Time Intensive can be found here .

Media references

Karen Della Torre (UWA Business School)                                          (+61 8) 6488 8538
Verity Chia (UWA Business School)                                                    (+61 8) 6488 1346