By Georgia Smith, 11 March, 2026
From Brisbane to London, QUT Bachelor of Business (International Business and Marketing) graduate, Emma George, has a job title many would dream of: Leadership Playground Director at the LEGO Group in London.
We spoke with Emma about how she’s navigated her global career, what led her to the LEGO Group, what she learned at QUT and what a typical day looks like in her world. Plus, she shares practical career insights, leadership advice and go‑to recommendations you won’t want to miss.
Can you talk us through your career journey so far?
I like to think about my career as chapters in a book.
After graduating from QUT, I worked at Cardno (now Stantec) in marketing and communications in Brisbane. I remember feeling so excited to work in an office! But I always knew London was calling.
With a few years of experience under my belt, I landed a job at EY in London where I quickly moved from marketing to management consulting. Consulting was the chapter where I ‘cut my teeth’ in my 20s; it was fast-paced and fascinating, teaching me how business and people work.
After 8 years at EY, I was curious to find out why people do what they do. So, I took a risk in my 30s and went back to university and studied a Masters of Behavioural Science at the London School of Economics & Political Science (LSE). It was the best career investment I could have made to develop my skills and fuel my curiosity. After graduating, I moved to MindGym, a behavioural science consultancy based in London, where I focused on deep behaviour change. Then, two weeks before I was about to have my baby, the LEGO Group called about my dream job as the Leadership Playground Director, and it’s been the best chapter yet!
Walk us through what a day in your life looks like.
6.00am Wake up time. Go on a run, do mat Pilates or call my mum!
6.45am Get ready for my day.
7.00am Get a cheeky and confident toddler ready and drop her at daycare.
8.00am Jump on the Tube (aka the London Underground) and commute to work. This is my sacred time to read books, catch up on news, listen to podcasts and people-watch!
8.45am Arrive at the office, get a coffee and catch up on emails.
9.00am Connect with my team on our priorities.
10.00am Meetings with different stakeholders around the world to activate and integrate our unique leadership culture.
11.00am Catch up with my boss on work, wellbeing and goals.
12.00pm Lunch with my colleagues, where we pause and connect away from screens and desks. I don’t take this social norm for granted after spending the last decade glued to my laptop during lunch!
1.00pm Working session with my team to co-create together on our projects. I’m a huge fan of co-creation!
2.00pm Focus time for 90 minutes to do some deep work
3.30pm Meetings with stakeholders continued.
5.00pm Leave the office and commute home on the tube.
6.00pm Play with my daughter (lots of LEGO bricks!) and read her a bedtime story.
7.00pm Cook dinner with my husband and chat about our days. .
8.00pm Respond to any urgent emails.
9.30pm Unwind before bed.
10.00pm Lights out!
Why did you choose a Bachelor of Business (International Business and Marketing) at QUT?
After school, I started a degree at another university, but quickly realised it wasn’t the right fit. After a few months of feeling lost, I withdrew and enrolled in QUT’s Bachelor of Business, the best decision I could have made.
At 17, I didn’t have a clear career goal, but I imagined becoming an ‘international business woman’, travelling the world, partnering with exciting brands, and doing fun and meaningful work. I didn’t fully understand what that meant at the time, but I jumped in, learned as I went, and followed every opportunity.
You went on exchange as part of your degree. Can you tell us about this experience?
I did! I spent a life-changing semester on exchange at Grenoble Ecole de Management in France. I wanted to experience a new culture and get a taste for living abroad.
There’s nothing more humbling than getting off a plane, not knowing a single person and having very poor French language skills. That experience shifted my mindset, built my resilience and taught me how to build relationships quickly, skills I still use every day at work. I’m so grateful for the enriching experiences I had and the friends I made, many of whom I’m still in touch with today.
What inspired the move to London?
I’d always dreamed of living in London one day, but my exchange semester as part of my QUT degree showed me it was possible, I just had to be brave and take the leap!
What’s it like living and working in London?
London is magical. It’s fast, energetic, vibrant and diverse. There’s something for everyone: amazing art galleries, a thriving food scene, lush green spaces and opportunities for every career imaginable.
Did your degree connect you with industry?
I loved having lecturers and guest speakers in my classes who brought their real-world experiences with businesses and brands. While theory is essential, it was the case studies, examples and consumer behaviour experiments that truly influenced and inspired me. I still follow many of the lecturers who had an impact on me today (special mention: Professor Gary Mortimer and Dr. Edwina Luck!). It would be super cool to pay it back one day and inspire the next generation, just as they did.
Are there any people in the industry you look to for inspiration?
A mix of business leaders and behavioural scientists:
- Satya Nadella
- Melanie Perkins
- Katy Milkman
- Angela Duckworth
- Danielle Ottink - van den Broek
What are your go-to sources for staying informed in your field?
News:
- Financial Times online
- Financial Times Weekend print newspaper every Saturday
Podcasts:
- Choiceology with Katy Milkman
- Hidden Brain by Shankar Vedantam
- Dare to Lead with Brené Brown
- How I Built This with Guy Raz
- Culture Champions by CultureX
Events:
- Conversations on AI
Books:
- The Culture Map by Erin Meyer
- Super Communicators by Charles Duhigg
- Thinking Fast and Slow by Daniel Kahneman
- Grit by Angela Duckworth
- Tiny Experiments by Anne-Laure Le Cunff
Thought leaders:
- David Green on LinkedIn is a great follow for the best future of work articles from Harvard Business Review
How do you approach leadership in a fast-paced business environment?
There isn’t one way of doing things. It’s a blend of being curious, listening deeply, being brave in uncomfortable moments, continuously learning and unlearning, and gaining trust through delivering on promises.
How did your QUT degree prepare you for your career?
It gave me the practical skills I needed to hit the ground running, confidence in my career direction, a network of ambitious friends and flexibility to start building my career while I was still studying.
Emma’s journey is a powerful reminder that careers aren’t built in straight lines, they twist and turn, unfolding in chapters, leaps of courage and the willingness to keep learning. From studying business at QUT to launching her career in marketing and communications in Brisbane, moving into management consulting in London, taking a risk on behavioural science, and now shaping leadership culture at the LEGO Group, Emma shows just how far curiosity and courage can take you.