Professional

Our professional events largely focus on personal development seminars and networking. These provide students with opportunities to foster relationships and broaden their knowledge about careers in accounting and finance.

2026

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Kick-Off (Full Committee Meeting)

4th of March

BAP Monash's first professional event of the year brought the full student committee together to open the 2026 term, with a focus on setting expectations, aligning on priorities and getting to know one another ahead of the year's programming. Each portfolio director presented an overview of their team's plans, giving the committee clear visibility into the direction and focus areas for the year ahead.

The session provided an opportunity for members across different portfolios to connect, understand how their work fits into the broader chapter, and establish a shared sense of purpose as the committee settled into its roles.

The evening concluded with a fireside chat featuring alumnus Mitchell Dorling, now an Analyst at Deloitte, who shared reflections on his own journey through the program. His insights offered valuable context for the committee as they prepared for the year ahead.

NAB ESG Audit & Sustainability Assurance Workshop

7th of March

Hosted in collaboration with NAB, this workshop gave students practical insight into the growing role of ESG across banking and corporate strategy. The session opened with a tour of NAB's wellbeing floor led by alumnus Mangala Prasetia, where design choices such as the use of recycled wood illustrated how sustainability principles can be embedded into physical workspaces.

Students then heard from Gian Rinaldo on navigating the transition from university into the workforce, with particular emphasis on professional curiosity as a core early-career skill, before Sofia Carreno Castellanos outlined NAB's ESG goals and how sustainability connects to governance and long-term business thinking.

The evening closed with an interactive case consulting session led by Mangala, in which students worked through real-world ESG risk scenarios, bringing together strategic priorities, workplace design, and applied risk assessment into a well-rounded picture of ESG in practice.

Speed Networking Night

26th of March

Held at Monash College City Campus, this event brought together students and industry professionals for an evening centred on connection and career development. Representatives from BlueRock, Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand, Accenture, Grant Thornton, CFA Society Australia, KordaMentha, SEEK and NAB attended, each engaging openly with students throughout the night.

The format centred on structured, rotating conversations, allowing students to meet a wide range of professionals in a short space of time while practising introductions and asking career-focused questions in a supportive environment.

The event ultimately created a space for members to build confidence in professional communication while expanding their networks across a broad range of firms and industries.

Mid-Year Meeting

8th - 10th of April

Held in Sydney, the Beta Alpha Psi Mid-Year Meeting brought Xi Epsilon together with chapters from across the region a diverse program of activities, including the Deloitte Best Practices Competition.

We competed across all three categories for Best Practices: Collaboration, Sustainability, and Innovation and Progress, with the chapter placing 1st in Collaboration and 2nd in the Innovation and progress categories.

The meeting featured a student-moderated panel with MYOB's CEO and CCO on AI and the future of business, a product development workshop, a keynote on personal brand from CA ANZ, an alumni panel on AI risk and governance, a keynote on self-mastery, and a design sprint on sustainable school uniforms.

Big thank you to our faculty advisers and the Department of Accounting for their continued support, along with BAP UTS for hosting!

LeadLab

23th of April

LeadLab, BAP Monash's flagship simulation experience, invited members to step into the boardroom and put their leadership to the test through immersive, fast-paced business simulations. Participants worked through real decision-making scenarios under pressure, receiving direct feedback from industry professionals and Monash staff throughout the evening.

The night opened with a keynote from Mangala Prasetia, Strategic Delivery Lead at NAB, who drew on his experience in leadership and complex decision-making to set the tone for the sessions that followed.

Participants then moved into the core of the evening, taking part in boardroom simulations that placed them under real decision-making pressure. Working through business problems in real time, members were required to think on their feet, communicate clearly and justify their reasoning before presenting their ideas in front of experienced professionals.

The evening concluded with a networking session, giving participants the chance to connect with peers, industry representatives and Monash staff in a more relaxed setting.

Own Your Future

6th of May

This event focused on recruitment readiness, aiming to help members approach professional opportunities with greater confidence and clarity. The evening opened with a personal branding keynote from Pete Hodkinson of CA ANZ, whose use of storytelling brought recruitment advice to life in a way that felt practical and immediately applicable.

This set the tone for the Mock Assessment Centre that followed, which exposed members to the dynamics of real assessment centre environments and created space for constructive feedback on the small details that help candidates stand out.

The evening reinforced the chapter's commitment to making professional development both accessible and actionable, particularly as members prepare to transition into the profession.

Future of Accounting Panel

14th of May

Bringing together Beta Alpha Psi students from across Melbourne, this panel featured representatives from ACCA, CA ANZ and CPA Australia sharing their career journeys and perspectives on where the accounting profession is heading.

A central theme was the growing role of AI in reshaping foundational graduate tasks, pushing graduates into advisory-style work earlier in their careers. Panellists agreed that curiosity, and the ability to ask "why" and translate information into meaningful insight, is becoming as essential as technical knowledge.

The panel also highlighted the diversity of career pathways within accounting, with each speaker's journey showing there is no single linear route into the profession. Accreditation, continuous learning and soft skills all play an important role in shaping a meaningful and adaptable career.

The evening closed with informal networking over food at the CA ANZ office, giving students the chance to continue conversations with panellists and industry professionals.

A Morning with MYOB

9th of July

Joined by students from Beta Alpha Psi Swinburne, this event combined a networking breakfast with a talk on building trust through responsible AI, delivered by Julian Vido of MYOB. The session challenged students to move beyond simply using AI and instead think critically about how it is applied.

Julian walked attendees through what responsible AI looks like in practice: knowing when AI belongs in a workflow, understanding which tasks are appropriate to hand over, and always verifying outcomes before relying on them. His reminder that AI remains a tool, working on probability rather than certainty, reframed how students should approach its outputs.

The morning also gave students the chance to connect directly with the MYOB team over breakfast, followed by a Q&A covering both how MYOB integrates AI responsibly into its products and how graduates can build sound judgement early in their careers.