About
Name: Elizabeth Matthews
Nationality: Irish, Australian and South African
Programme: MBA 2025
Education: Bachelor of Commerce, University of Western Australia; Chartered Accountant, Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand; Chartered Secretary, The Governance Institute of Australia.
Pre-MBA role: Company Secretary and Chief Financial Officer (equiv.), ASX-listed companies
Yuyu is a recipient of The Cambridge MBA ROMBA Fellowship for the LGBTQ+ Community.
What led you to choose the Cambridge MBA?
For me, Cambridge felt like the perfect fit. In fact, I only applied to the Cambridge MBA, I didn’t apply anywhere else! The Cambridge MBA champions diversity and collaboration as well as a focus on innovative business for social good. My ultimate goal is to create an innovative venture which makes a positive impact in the world. I believe that Cambridge University, the MBA programme and the broader Cambridge community is the perfect place to springboard this dream. Additionally, having sat on an Inclusion and Diversity Committee, I had first-hand experience of the necessity (and benefits) for diversity and inclusion, especially in workplace contexts. It was imperative to me that I took part in an MBA programme which had these values at the forefront. Lastly, the incredible community, traditions and history of Cambridge University were major elements contributing to my choice of the Cambridge MBA. I am incredibly humbled to be part of an institution which has contributed to enormous intellectual breakthroughs.
What has been your biggest career accomplishment so far?
I would say that running the demerger and subsequent Initial Public Offering (IPO) of NGX Limited on the ASX was my biggest career accomplishment. My Company Secretary/CFO efforts for this transaction were additional to my financial controller responsibilities of other companies, meaning my workload was significant during this transaction, nevertheless, the transaction ran smoothly and the prospectus drafted reaped only one comment/markup from the ASX. The process of co-ordinating the transaction included an enormous logistical effort, personnel-management and drafting of significant documentation for meticulous review. From the Board to the in-country staff and government agencies, to lawyers, to mining consultants, to external auditors and regulators, this transaction required that I liaise and co-ordinate multiple documents and reviews at once, all coming together in 2 large outcomes. The first is the demerger and second is the IPO.
How do you feel about receiving your scholarship?…
I was shocked and delighted to hear that I was awarded the ROMBA Fellowship. This significant financial contribution made my MBA dream a reality and I am forever grateful. Additional to the funding, ROMBA has granted me membership to a phenomenal community of LGBTQIA+ leaders. I can’t wait to learn from my peers and future mentors in a tight-knit queer community.