Sean Jacobs Claims QBW Griffith MBA Responsible Leadership Scholarship

Sean Jacobs, the overall winner of the 2021 QBW Griffith MBA Responsible Leadership Scholarship competition.

Major projects adviser Sean Jacobs is aiming to use skills from an MBA to seize opportunities for Asia-Pacific nations as part of the 2032 Olympics.

Sean has been revealed as the winner of this year’s QBW Griffith MBA Responsible Leadership Scholarship.

Papua New Guinean born, he currently works as a Principal Advocacy and Major Projects Advisor at Moreton Bay Regional Council where he is helping to deliver the Council’s advocacy agenda and provide expert advice and project co-ordination for strategic interests including the 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games and other major infrastructure projects.

“The Games offer co-benefit opportunities for Asia-Pacific nations, and this is a relatively underexplored approach that I hope to use Griffith MBA skills to inform,” Sean said.

Inspired by a masterclass which all scholarship applicants attended, he added that Griffith academics got him thinking about developing a ‘social license to operate’.

“The 2032 Games offer clear benefits in terms of positive local infrastructure and economic impacts.

“I’m inspired to think about how the Games, through careful planning and responsible leadership, can be a vehicle for building trust in all levels of government and realising broader social, economic and cultural legacy benefits.”

Sean holds a BA (International Relations) from Griffith and a Postgraduate Certificate in Policing, Intelligence and Counter Terrorism from Macquarie University, qualifications from the Australian National Security College, the Australian Institute of Management and the University of New England.

He is a former Brisbane City Council election candidate, ministerial adviser, United Nations worker, international youth volunteer and national water polo champion, also authoring two books in the last three years.

The 2021 scholarship competition offered a total prize package of up to $130,000. 

Doug Estwick
Doug is an author for MBA News and Fixed Income News Australia. Doug has been a media and communications professional for more than 10 years, including working as an editor for News Corp's Quest Newspaper group.