Brisbane-born Dana Carmichael described her New Colombo Plan scholarship as 'life changing' and was a launchpad to her international business career with PepsiCo.
In 2017, Dana was one of the youngest recipients of the New Colombo Plan Scholarship, an opportunity to learn, study and work in Singapore.
She believes it is still powering her successful career.
In Singapore, she completed an internship as well as a two-week intensive Chinese language course.
She then undertook two semesters of elective study at Nanyang Technological University, Singapore in areas such as strategic management and market behaviour.
'My experience continues to fuel my enthusiasm in my work and for exploration in everything I do,' she said.
'Singapore is like a melting pot of Asian cultures – Chinese, Malay, Indian, along with a global expat community – all co-existing.'
'It makes it an incredibly rich, vibrant, community.'
With a Bachelor of Business – International with Economics major from the Queensland University of Technology, Dana developed a keen interest in strategic management and leadership in business as well as the significance of cultural intelligence in business success.
'Singapore has a very serious learning culture, so all of my study was undertaken with other students who were engaged and enthusiastic learners'.
'Despite some differences in learning style, the quality of what we were taught was fantastic,' Dana said.
'We had a Harvard business case trained professor delivering world class insights into strategic management which really opened my eyes to the power of strategy in business.'
While the NCP offers transformational experiences for its scholars, Dana says the transformation is not limited to increasing young Australians' knowledge of the Indo-Pacific region.
'Yes, you have your eyes opened to new cultures and new ideas about almost everything, you make valuable connections and friendships and you start to understand some of its complexity,' she said.
'But the transformation is broader than that.'
'That deep, intense, professional immersion in another country tests your mettle in so many ways that you emerge more confident, more resilient, adaptable and more willing to embrace uncertainty, knowing you can and will thrive.'
At just 26 years old, she was recently appointed PepsiCo Head of Strategy for Australia and New Zealand, a role she believes gives her opportunities to influence decisions that benefit the business and the consumer.
'The job is enjoyable because the environment encourages learning and development and rewards high performance,' she said.
With a successful New Colombo Plan scholarship and language training that gave her essential job-ready skills, she said: 'in an increasingly globalised business world, having those capabilities are invaluable.'