Alumni Q&A - Shaan Marne

Master of Management (2019)

Current role/company: 
Graduate Analyst, Risk Advisory, Deloitte Australia

Where in the world are you?
Melbourne

Tell us about your experience since leaving university. How have you come to your current position?

I was fortunate enough to have graduated in December of 2019, and applied for my current role via the graduate program application processes in early 2019 while in my second year at MBS.

Is this the sort of role you always wanted to be in, or were there some twists and turns along the way?

I had always been intrigued by the consulting and business advisory industry. At MBS, I volunteered as a Project Consultant and later Project Manager with the Global Consulting Group, providing pro-bono consulting services to not-for-profit organisations. These experiences really helped me hone my skills and also come to enjoy the process of problem-solving as a team and engaging with clients. 

Furthermore, I credit the Global Business Practicum experience I had with ANZ in Hong Kong with really exposing me to the risk advisory space in particular. The experience, lessons and knowledge gained from that stint really informed my career choices when applying for roles in the year that followed.

How have you adapted during the COVID-19 pandemic, e.g. moving on-line, working from home, etc? Have you learned anything about working flexibly/digitally that you were surprised by?

Like the rest of my graduating class, it is a fair understatement to say that we have embarked on our careers in truly unprecedented fashion, definitely not as we were expecting. Indeed, I have lost track of the number of times the word ‘unprecedented’ has been bandied about on our Zoom calls within my graduate intake at Deloitte.

Yet, for many of us who only had two weeks in the office when we commenced our roles, this has very much been the only normal we have known in our careers. This to say, this COVID-19 enforced virtual world of working with others, interacting with clients etc is the only way of working we have experienced, which is quite a fortunate situation to be in given we have not necessarily had to change the way we do things, or adapt, just adopt what was going to be a new working environment for us coming into the firm in either case.

Undoubtedly, as someone who enjoys connecting with others and hearing about their experiences, that is most definitely an element that has proven difficult to replicate virtually, and one that I hope will be easier to engage in moving forward.

Do you have any advice for opportunities to work overseas?

GBP! Honestly, as a student at MBS, that is such an incredible resource to have at our disposal, given it definitely does provide a great level of exposure to working overseas and just a great experience overall given how it is structured. I would encourage anyone on the fence about pursuing it to take the plunge and give it a go.

What is the best way to develop your CV while you’re at university ?

Akin to taking the plunge, really stepping out of your comfort zone and engaging in all there is to offer at university. There is a wealth of experiences available at MBS and more broadly at UniMelb. Find something that resonates with you, possibly incites some hesitation, and go for it. At worst, it will be an experience you learn from, and at best, could be something you really enjoy and turn into a career or life-long passion.

Personally, I got to engage in both personal and professional developmental pursuits while at MBS. From golf, to the Global Consulting Group, GBP, FBE Career Mentoring, MBS Student Ambassador program and the various MBSSA activities, I truly tried to make the most of all the opportunities in front of me and do not regret any of them at all.

What is your top tip for exam preparation?

Prepare in advance! I always enjoyed preparing weekly for each class to be able to really engage with the content and in the in-class discussions, which were indeed some of the most humorous and valuable memories for me. It also meant that when exams came around, I was often on top of all the readings and concepts discussed, and could focus on shoring up gaps in my understanding.

Aside from that, I would encourage everyone to lean on their lecturers and tutors further, either in class or via the consult hours. I often found that a brief one-on-one discussion with a lecturer, with the ability to talk through a concept, was invaluable in developing my understanding of the content beyond doing the reading.

If you’d like to ask Shaan more about his experiences, connect with him on LinkedIn and mention you have read the Q&A.