Student Highlights
Flipping the Skript

With a Bachelor of Computer Science from the University of Newcastle and more than 20 years’ experience in IT under her belt, Sarah Wallis was ready to take the next step in her career.

As it turns out, it was more of a leap.

Sarah enrolled in the University’s Master of Business Administration (MBA). Now, she’s pouring her consulting, financial, leadership and computer science expertise into co-founding Skript, a company making waves in the new world of open banking.

“During my (MBA) degree I changed from pursuing an IT management career in the corporate space to co-founding my own business.

“The degree covers a good variety of topics related to management and running a business, giving me an understanding of all facets of a company,” said Sarah.

When asked what drew her back to the University of Newcastle, Sarah says it was a mix of past experience, and the flexible study options on offer.

“I have great memories of the University of Newcastle from my undergraduate degree, so I wanted to continue at the same institution, and the online option allowed me to study while working and raising children,” she said.

“The most helpful thing for me as far as balancing work, family and study was being able to complete my degree at a pace where I could fit my study workload around everything else going on in my life,” she said.

Sarah’s company, Skript, is focused on taking banking services to the customers, instead of the customers to the bank. As a new business owner and co-founder, the knowledge gained throughout her MBA degree has set her up for success.

“The content around organisational structure and company strategy has been very useful as my co-founders and I decide how to grow and position our company. In a startup we all wear many hats so the HR course has also been handy as we grow the team,” she said.

The high calibre of course lecturers and guest speakers added another dimension to the degree.

“I found all the lecturers I had during my degree to be very knowledgeable and enthusiastic about the topics they were teaching. They also did a great job of being available for students so I always felt that help was there when I needed it.

“I also found the guest speakers to be very interesting and of a very high standard throughout my degree. The course being based around real world examples made it much easier to apply the teachings to my own situation,” said Sarah.

Read more on how Sarah is flipping the Skript on traditional banking here.

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Sarah Wallis

Studying an MBA helped Sarah take the next step in her career.

During my (MBA) degree I changed from pursuing an IT management career in the corporate space to co-founding my own business.