Natalie Cope, the manager of partnerships and development with Asialink, has been awarded an Emerging Leaders MBA Scholarship by the University of Sydney Business School and The Australian Financial Review’s BOSS Magazine.

Ms Cope, 31, said she was committed to “helping to support Australian businesses to build Asia capabilities in the workforce and improve Australia’s engagement with Asia”.

She is keen to pursue the MBA not just for personal growth and development, but also because she wants to develop leadership muscle. “I want to develop the expertise to execute on a vision,” she said, adding that she is passionate about making a meaningful contribution to the community.

She will pursue the MBA worth $60,000 in 2015. Ms Cope said she believes the biggest challenges Australian companies face in growing their businesses in Asia are the dearth of Asia capabilities in the workforce, and the lack of ready access to appropriate and practical industry and market information. Ms Cope was selected for the Emerging Leaders MBA Scholarship from a pool of talented applicants.

The selection process included an assessment of individual leadership strengths and weaknesses, a masterclass and an interview with a high-powered judging panel. The finalists also took part in a media skills workshop provided by the Financial Review. The Business School’s Dean, Professor Greg Whitwell said the scholarship offers Ms Cope the opportunity to develop the personal and professional skills essential to leading.

Associate Dean of Executive Management Education, Professor Richard Hall said the scholarship was a “concrete manifestation of our commitment to developing leaders of the future”.

“Natalie will join an MBA cohort of emerging leaders in an enriching learning environment built on learning by doing,” said MBA director, Professor Guy Ford. BOSS’s partnership with the Business School is an important part of its mission to identify and nurture Australia’s young leadership talent.

The first recipient of the BOSS Emerging Leaders MBA scholarship in 2013 was Anita Mitchell, who is general manager of sustainability, Barangaroo South, for Lend Lease. The 2014 recipient was Omar Khan, director of strategy and development at Crescent Wealth, the nation’s first investment firm to operate on Islamic business principles.

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