By Jaqquline Lawrie, 1 April, 2026
⏳ Read time: 5 minutes 55 seconds
Do you need an MBA to become an entrepreneur? No. But can an Executive MBA help you fast-track your growth and sharpen your leadership capability? Absolutely.
An Executive MBA isn’t your typical degree built on theory and assessments. It’s a practical, high-impact program designed for experienced professionals. You'll be moulded into a stronger, more strategic leader, equipped with critical business fundamentals, a global professional network, hands-on one-on-one mentoring, and the credibility that sets you apart—with clients, partners and investors alike.
Jump to:
- Build the business skills every entrepreneur needs
- Grow your network with ambitious, like-minded leaders
- Get personalised mentoring from executive-level advisors
- Earn a globally respected Executive MBA that builds credibility
Master the business fundamentals
If you're already an entrepreneur, chances are you're wearing a dozen hats—managing everything from finance to marketing, strategy to leadership. Startups are built from the ground up, and learning on the job is part of the journey.
But as your business grows, it becomes critical to stay across what’s happening in every area. You need the skills to understand, assess, and make smart, confident decisions, across the board.
That’s where an Executive MBA comes in. It’s a powerful crash course designed to give leaders from diverse industries a well-rounded understanding of every part of the business.
QUT MBA Director, Dr Udo Gottlieb said, “Executive leaders need more than just deep expertise in one area—they need a broad, integrated understanding of how all parts of a business operate and interact.”
“That’s what the QUT Executive MBA delivers: a strategic, practical foundation that equips entrepreneurs and senior professionals to lead with confidence, across every business function.”
Pictured: Sarah Richards, Executive MBA alumna and Founder & Director of Marrawuy Journeys.
Unit options you can undertake as part of your QUT Executive MBA include, accounting for decision making, data analysis and decision making, economics in business, marketing strategically and understanding and leading others.
For Sarah Richards, Founder and Director of Marrawuy Journeys, the program provided both a boost in core business skills and a new lens to approach complex challenges.
“Coming into the Executive MBA, I already had a broad understanding of business through my background in accounting, consulting, and leadership roles,” said Sarah.
“What the program gave me was a refresher and, in many cases, a next-level lens.
“It helped me step back from day-to-day activity and view my business more holistically — seeing how decisions in one area flow through to others,” she said.
This shift in perspective influenced how she approached everyday decision-making.
“The exposure to different perspectives and ideas also challenged my thinking and introduced new ways of approaching familiar problems,” she said.
“Day to day, that shows up in being more intentional about where I focus my time and energy, and in designing my business in a way that supports both sustainable performance and wellbeing, rather than reacting to what feels urgent in the moment.”
Join a community of like-minded, ambitious professionals
Networking is a fundamental part of the entrepreneurial journey. It’s how you bounce around ideas, gain valuable advice, uncover funding opportunities, and build lasting support.
What sets the QUT Executive MBA apart from online communities or founder-run short courses is the calibre and diversity of the people you’ll learn alongside. You won’t just connect with other entrepreneurs—you’ll join a high-performing cohort of ambitious professionals from a wide range of industries.
In class, you might have a Medical Director on your left, an Olympian on your right, and a global tech startup founder in front of you. Fun fact: all three were part of our Executive MBA cohort last year.
To understand what it’s really like studying within such a diverse cohort, we spoke with Executive MBA alumnus Rob Philipp, Founder and CEO of Residenz, a home care business.
“I had a fantastic group of people who I am still closely connected with,” Rob shared.
“In corporate life people generally can’t help but getting caught up in politics, ambition and personal agendas.”
“To be part of a cohort that were all working to the same goal with no competitive concern for what grades others got was physically and mentally reinvigorating."
Pictured: Rob Philipp, Executive MBA alumnus and Founder & CEO of Residenz.
“It reminded me of being back at a sporting club where you are all working together to win over the course of the season,” he said.
Since graduating, Rob has remained closely connected to QUT and now serves as an Entrepreneur in Residence, running his business from QUT’s Foundry space at the Gardens Point campus.
“My connection with QUT never stopped,” says Rob.
“After completing my Executive MBA, the QUT Foundry offered me an Entrepreneur in Residence role, and I continued working on my first entrepreneurial concept on campus.
“Staying connected with QUT has been a key part of my journey.
“The university enabled the Residenz team to work from the Foundry and connected me with various sectors through its industry relationships,” he said.
Want to catch-up with Rob for a coffee on campus? Connect with him on LinkedIn here.
Receive one-on-one mentoring
Every entrepreneurial journey is unique, and so are the challenges that come with it. To help you navigate yours and grow into a more strategic and confident leader, the QUT Executive MBA offers one-on-one mentoring for every student.
In the second half of the program during the Business Leadership Practicum unit, you’ll be paired with an Executive Advisor (EA)—an experienced senior leader who works alongside you as you navigate the complexities of strategy, governance, decision-making, and self-awareness.
This personalised mentoring experience is a powerful part of the program, designed to accelerate your leadership growth and support your entrepreneurial ambitions.
👉 Read more about mentoring in the Executive MBA: Guided Growth: How Executive Advisors Are Shaping Leadership in the QUT Executive MBA
Jaime McIntosh, Owner and General Manager at Norweld Australia, a leading ute trays and canopies supplier, said the experience was transformative.
“The one-on-one mentoring with my Executive Advisor led to one of the biggest improvements in my leadership development,” he shared.
“It taught me to be more understanding and empathetic to my team and fundamentally changed how I lead—shifting from directing and telling to mentoring and developing people.
“I became more deliberate in how I listen, ask questions, and support others to find their own solutions.
“This approach has built stronger trust across the business and helped create a more accountable, engaged leadership team rather than one that simply waits for instruction,” he said.
Pictured: Executive MBA alumnus Jaime McIntosh, Owner and General Manager at Norweld Australia.
As part of the mentoring experience, students are paired with advisors from a range of industries and disciplines, each bringing a unique set of skills and experience to support their mentees’ growth. For Jaime, his mentor’s HR background came at exactly the right time.
“My mentor came from a HR background, and the timing was perfect,” he said.
“During the program, my business grew from around 100 staff to more than 170, bringing new HR challenges.
“As a business owner, you don’t often have access to mentoring.
“It was refreshing to have someone guide me and hold me accountable for the actions I committed to,” said Jaime.
Study at a leading business school
Completing an Executive MBA is more than earning a degree. For investors, partners, and clients, it signals credibility and shows you’re backed by a globally respected institution.
QUT Business School is Australia’s first business school to earn the triple crown accreditation —a recognition held by less than 1% of business schools worldwide.
For Executive MBA graduate Diana Urbina, QUT’s global reputation was a decisive factor.
“The Triple Crown accreditation and excellent rankings were the top decision drivers for me when deciding where to do my Executive MBA,” Diana said.
“The flexible delivery mode suited my lifestyle at the time as well, but knowing I’d graduate with a globally recognised degree was very important.”
Pictured: Diana Urbina, Executive MBA alumna and Business Development Manager, International Desk, HSBC.
👉 How does triple crown accreditation benefit you? Read more
Unlike online founder-led courses or self-paced learning, this globally accredited program guarantees your degree is recognised anywhere in the world. It also confirms that your business education meets the highest international standards—and that you’re learning from world-class academics and industry professionals who blend cutting-edge research with real-world expertise.
Ready to take the next step in your leadership journey?
Find out how our Executive MBA can support your next leadership move.
