Made. Not born: From an outback town to the top of academia

Professor of Strategy Geoff Martin was considering a mining apprenticeship in the Outback when a family friend convinced his parents he should attend university.

“I always felt when I was around people in suits, I wasn’t one of them.” 

It’s hard to imagine Professor of Strategy Geoff Martin feeling like he doesn’t belong.

He’s climbed the highest ranks of the corporate world, worked as Vice President Operation Risk for Credit Suisse in London and educated leading organisations such as Nissan, CSL and CitiPower on strategy, finance and corporate governance.

But he never anticipated this career path.

Geoff was considering a mining apprenticeship in his hometown of Cobar, a small outback town in New South Wales.

“Dad was a miner and a shearer, and I loved playing rugby league and cricket,” Geoff said.

Instead, a family friend convinced his parents he should apply for a scholarship to attend university in Sydney and leave behind his hometown of a few thousand people.

This was the first pivotal moment, but it would be a decision to attend Melbourne Business School several years later that was to really define him.

“When you think about sliding door moments in your life, I always think anything that happened was okay, as long as it didn’t stop me from going to Melbourne Business School, because that was the foundation for me having this career that is so rewarding and enjoyable.”

A social enlightenment

Having grown up in a town 300 kilometres west of Dubbo, arriving in Sydney as an 18-year-old proved eye-opening.

“I don’t know if you’ve heard of Dubbo, but Dubbo was scary to me. Every time I went there, I thought all the kids were really socially sophisticated,” Geoff said.

“In Sydney I realised how socially underdeveloped I was. I guess it was an enlightenment getting to know how cities worked and the social system amongst the private school kids.”

But the kid from the country was quietly determined to be successful.

“I threw myself into it and introduced myself as ‘Geoff from Cobar.’”

Dollar is King

Graduating from UNSW with a Commerce degree, Geoff became a qualified Chartered Accountant and worked for big accounting firms in the audit space after university.

“I didn’t enjoy what I did that much,” he said.

But he realised he could earn good money and use that money to see the world.

“I got a work visa for the UK as soon as I could, went to London, got a job with the investment banks and spent every cent backpacking.”

During that period, he learned about global financial markets and strategies to win in those markets which would provide a useful technical foundation for his future work.

However, after a while he realised, he couldn’t work in that environment anymore.

“Back then it was very alpha male. A lot of bullying, harsh language, and raised voices by bosses,” he said.

“Dollar is King, Queen and God. There is no talk of a goal other than personal enrichment first, and organisational enrichment second. It’s a very ‘me first’ culture.”

Finding more meaning

Geoff decided he needed to pause and took the opportunity to do his MBA at Melbourne Business School.

“I thought it would give me time to work out how to spend the next 40 years of my working life,” he said.

His professors included the now Dean Jenny George and Vivek Chaudhri, Associate Professor of Strategy, but there was a particular member of Faculty who would influence Geoff’s life.

“There was a guy called John Onto who’s now retired, and he just took such a personal interest in me,” he said.

John helped Geoff discover his superpowers and challenge some of his self-limiting beliefs and encouraged Geoff to study his PhD after he’d completed his MBA.

“He just had this belief in me and helped me set some goals because I’d never considered academia. I just never thought I had what it took to be an academic or be a professor,” he said.

“I think so much of what we do in our 20s and 30s should be learning about what is possible in our lives: what we can achieve. Surround yourself with people that lift us up and make us capable of doing more,” Geoff said.

Professor of Strategy

It was in his strategy class at Melbourne Business School that Geoff found his tribe and realised it wasn’t with the auditors.

“I just loved being on the balcony, stopping and making meaning of why we do what we do and why an organisation exists.”

It’s fitting that Geoff pursued a PhD in philosophy; the word derives from the Latin word philosophia which means ‘love of wisdom.’ Philosophy also provides a natural foundation to study strategy of organisations.

“The big philosophical questions include ‘what is a life well lived?’ or ‘What is it to be a successful person? And if you just extend that logic to a leader or organisation, you’re talking about strategy,” Geoff said. His PhD explored why executives take risk and how they make strategic decisions.

After obtaining his PhD from IE Business School in Madrid, he returned to Australia and was eligible to apply for a job that had just opened up at Melbourne Business School.

“So much had to fall into place because we only hire maybe like once every four or five years in strategy,” Geoff said.

“It took me until I started here to say for the first time ever that I love what I do, because in prior roles, I tolerated what I did. Those previous careers were good for my professional development and life experience, but I didn’t really enjoy them."

A strategic mindset

If there’s one thing Geoff wants his students to take away from his classes, it’s that strategy starts with themselves.

“I want them to develop a vision for themselves and be clear on the values that will guide their behaviours and choices. If they’ve developed a strategic mindset they’ll apply it to every domain of their life,” he said.

Geoff’s seen firsthand what greed and ego do to people, organisations and global economies.

“Develop and curate your convictions, then have the courage of your convictions and guide the organisation in a way that remains true to your principles,” he said.

“I think that’s really rare; I think a lot of people sell out along the way and are influenced too much by ego and self-interest.”

Geoff said we all need help to be the best version of ourselves.

“I think if we’re going to fulfil our potential in life, we need some help making us into that wise person, with the knowledge and networks to achieve our goals.”

If you open the door to Geoff’s office today, you’ll see an aluminium number plate hanging on the wall.

The plate says ‘COBAR’.

“Geoff from Cobar.”

Geoff Martin is a Professor of Strategy and teaches Business Strategy, Corporate Strategy and Strategy Consulting for Social Impact units on the MBA and Executive MBA programs.