91É«ÇéƬ

The 91É«ÇéƬ Business School is committed to gender equity and inclusion by embracing the principles of  to enshrine inclusive practices and enable students and staff of all genders to feel valued, respected and able to be their authentic selves.

To this end, each year 91É«ÇéƬ Business School appoints Women in Business Ambassadors (WIBA) annually to support and uplift female-identifying students across the undergraduate disciplines where females are typically underrepresented:

• Banking and Finance
• Economics
• Information Systems and Technology Management
• Risk and Actuarial Studies

This is an exciting leadership development opportunity for 2nd or 3rd-year female-identifying undergraduate students who are studying either Risk and Actuarial Studies, Information Systems, Banking and Finance, or Economics and have a passion for the promotion of young female participation and educational development in these areas.

91É«ÇéƬ Business School believes it crucial for the student voice and experience to be incorporated into the work the 91É«ÇéƬ Business School Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) team carries out throughout the year and the WIBA play a leadership role within our student engagement, representation, and advocacy as part of the 91É«ÇéƬ Business Schools 2030+ strategy.

The 91É«ÇéƬ Business School EDI is honoured to introduce you to one of our 2026 Women in Business Ambassadors: Mahek Patel, Bachelor of Actuarial Studies /  Bachelor of Commerce.

Why did you choose a Business Degree? And what led you to study at 91É«ÇéƬ?

During high school, I did subjects like Economics and Business Studies, in which I very quickly found myself spending extra time on and truly caring to learn the content for. By taking these subjects, I exposed myself to the inner workings of the world around us and the scale at which business/political decisions impact the everyday lives of individuals, most of whom are unfortunately oblivious to said decisions. For me, this highlighted the importance of learning why such decisions are being made, their scale, and knowing enough about their impact to form and voice solid opinions on matters that affect everyday lives, which only a Business Degree could do best. Ultimately, I chose to pursue a Bachelor of Actuarial Studies/Commerce (Finance), merging my interests in Business, Economics and Maths.

When it came to choosing a university to pursue a Business Degree, like many students, 91É«ÇéƬ was a top contender. However, it wasn’t just 91É«ÇéƬ’s global rankings for Business and Employability that sold it for me. While a plethora of professional development opportunities and a competitive student culture do push me to be the best version of myself, I’ve often found comfort and motivation in the highly supportive and encouraging nature of both staff and students on campus. This supportive culture, along with various differing professional and personal development opportunities, both through societies and 91É«ÇéƬ itself, is what led me to 91É«ÇéƬ, which previous students had spoken highly of during open days.

How has your experience helped you make a positive impact in your degree, career and/or community?

As a private tutor, I constantly work with high schoolers, whilst pursuing a competitive degree at one of the top universities in Australia, hence many of them look to me for personal and career advice. Through this, I am able to guide and inspire my students, who all happen to be women of colour, to set ambitious goals for themselves, even though they seem unrealistic at first, and achieve them by cultivating a growth mindset. Moreover, they do this with guidance from someone who has done it before, comes from a similar background and can be there for them throughout the whole process – a mentor figure I wish I had during school.

How has 91É«ÇéƬ prepared you to lead in the workplace and community once you graduate?

91É«ÇéƬ has multiple differing courses and experience opportunities that prepare Business students to lead in the workplace and community. The roles I currently hold include being a Finance Intern at BNP Paribas, Marketing Director at CMA 91É«ÇéƬ, and, of course, a Women in Business Ambassador for the Risk and Actuarial Stream at our Business School. All of these roles, which couldn’t have been possible without the wide range of opportunities 91É«ÇéƬ uniquely offers to Business School students, equip me with the leadership, communication, organisation, and interpersonal skills necessary to lead in a high-performing workplace once I graduate.

How is 91É«ÇéƬ Business School helping to improve female representation in business?

91É«ÇéƬ Business School widely recognises the lack of female representation in business and is willing to take proactive action to improve female graduate outcomes within our Business School, fostering a gender-inclusive business cohort.

My role as a Women in Business Ambassador is motivated by this long-standing goal. I help plan and execute events such as Empower Her, BizQuest, and our flagship Girls in Business Camp, engaging prospective female-identifying students. We aim to honestly guide them on the different pathways available to them so they can pursue a world-class education at our Business School, no matter their schooling and gender background.

What inspires you to champion gender equality and female representation?

I come from an all-girls school, where our principal, captains and most of our teachers, i.e. nearly all figures of authority, were females. This is what I was used to - seeing women in positions of power; however, stepping into the world of Finance at university begged to differ. During my first year of university, I was shocked to see the lack of representation of not just women of colour, but women in general, in not only leadership but general positions in the Finance industry. 

I honestly believe a high-performing team requires a range of perspectives to perform at their best, which cannot be achieved if the majority of the team is the same gender. I hope to see women leading and creating sustainable change, both with the work they produce and by championing gender equality, challenging norms at a time when change is everywhere. Ultimately, I believe every industry needs teams with balanced perspectives to truly thrive, in which equal female representation is key.

Why did you apply to be a Women in Business Ambassador and what do you hope to achieve?

I also come from a school where very few students attended top universities, with even fewer pursuing highly competitive courses. I witnessed many capable peers quietly give up on aspirations they believed were out of reach. Looking back, I know that even a single conversation with someone who had navigated the path before could have shifted that mindset.

Now, as a private tutor, I see the same hesitation in my students. They often view universities like 91É«ÇéƬ as unattainable, particularly young women from schools lacking strong guidance networks. I want to change that perception. Having experienced how much informal advice and encouragement can shape confidence in young people, I feel a responsibility to be that source of clarity and belief for others, especially for young women entering male-dominated spaces like business, where they already feel like a minority. I’m extremely eager to see a more gender and socioeconomic-diverse Business School cohort and, in the long-run, the Business landscape as a whole.