2013 Winner and finalists for the Seventh Scholarship

Daniel George – Winner, Seventh Cranfield Australian Alumni Scholarship, 2013

Economist-Fisheries and Risk Analysis-ABARES

Daniel works for the Australian Bureau of Agricultural and Resource Economics and Sciences, managing the flagship annual document, the Fisheries Surveys Report. He has a wide range of work experience, starting off as a Carpenter’s assistant and mortgage salesman before completing an economics degree at the University of Queensland and starting with ABARES in 2010.

Daniel volunteers as a youth mentor for young refugees with the Red Cross, and is also a member of the volunteer SES. He manages a football team as well as enjoying a wide range of other sports including kite surfing and snowboarding. He is also a keen traveller, with Africa the next destination he would like to explore.

Relocating from a council estate in London to travelling Australia in a coaster bus and eventually settling in the coastal town of Byron Bay at the age of twelve, Daniel gained a unique perspective of Australia. Giving up soccer for rugby league and surfing, he immersed himself in the Australian lifestyle and was able to fully appreciate the opportunities available to him. Daniel’s plan from a young age was to start his career in the Australian public service before gaining experience in the private sector and eventually starting up his own business.

Daniel is excited at the prospect of bringing his enthusiasm, energy and passion to bear on the Cranfield MBA course and embrace the chance to study at a world class institution. He hopes the MBA program at Cranfield will develop both his business acumen and further his personal development in the company of intelligent and interesting peers.

Kevin Ha – Finalist and Outstanding Candidate award winner

Associate Director, Commonwealth Bank of Australia, Sydney

Kevin has over six years of financial services experience and has been working at the CBA for over 3 years as an Associate Director in the Acquisition Finance & Advisory team. Prior to CBA, Kevin’s experience includes over two years in M&A advisory and one year in financial audit. Kevin holds a Bachelor of Commerce (Distinction) degree from the University of New South Wales and is a qualified Chartered Accountant.

Outside of work, Kevin is actively involved in community initiatives including a leadership position in the United Nations Association of Australia Young Professionals Network (UNAA YP) and has volunteered at primary schools in literacy and numeracy programs. Kevin is a health and fitness enthusiast and enjoys combining this interest with travel; having recently climbed to the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro in Feb-13. His other interests include tennis, skiing, investments, geography, photography and trivia nights.

Kevin is most looking forward to the opportunity to build and develop leadership skills with a Cranfield MBA. He hopes to supplement this with his business acumen and to build a global network with like-minded intellectual professionals.

Grace Lai – Finalist and Outstanding Candidate award winner

Neuro-Surgical Assistant, Royal Melbourne Hospital, Melbourne

Grace Lai has interests in business, health and IT. After completing her Bachelor of Information Technology with a Cooperative Scholarship, she undertook an Asia/Pacific market analyst role for the IT industry which lead to vendor-side roles in both Australia and New Zealand and Asia/Pacific and Japan responsibilities in marketing and sales operations.

She then retrained as a medical doctor, seeking to contribute and improve people’s lives through their health. Her training as a doctor has included two years of concentrated neurosurgical and neuroscience practice.

Grace is the co-Founder and Finance Officer for Community First Aid Sydney, a non-profit community organization offering first aid to small community groups at public events, 2009-2013 and is also a volunteer for Red Cross First Aid and Emergency Services. In past years, her voluntary work has ranged from Marketing communications and corporate fundraising for Kids Earth Fund to public relations and volunteer for Sydney Writers’ Festival.

The pursuit of a MBA will allow her to combine her business and medical experience and express them in her own enterprise.