Created in 2018 to help bridge the gap between academic excellence and professional industry experience, ABSA now stands as the leading representative network for business students across Australia and is proud to work with member societies, universities, corporations, and industry bodies, to address the challenges between business students and a competitive corporate sector.
Across its member societies, as at the end of calendar year 2024, ABSA represents the interests of over 40,000 business students across Australia.
It was after Thomas G. Ryan realised that the graduate process lacked clarity, efficiency and transparency, that ABSA was born. Together with other industry professionals, Ryan created ABSA bridge the gap between academic excellence and real-world experience.
Although these roles have been made redundant now, the team at the time held positions relating to Risk Management, Technology, Law, Government Relations, and Human Resources, and Student Engagement.
In 2019, the ABSA team was reorganised to 3 main teams: Marketing, Projects, and External Relations, who worked alongside Operations Associates, and reported to the Vice-President, President, and Board of Directors.
In 2020, ABSA underwent a restructure where instead of directly serving a student membership base, it would instead focus on supporting university business student societies in their efforts to serve students at the respective universities across Australia.
2021 marked a major milestone for ABSA with the launch of our first-ever National Conference, "Resurgence". Bringing together 80 student leaders from across Australia, the conference provided a platform for future business professionals to engage with industry experts and build connections, paving the way for the annual tradition of uniting and inspiring the next generation of business leaders.
ABSA hosts our first (of many) National Case Competition, also sometimes referred to as our National Start-Up Competition. Held on an annual basis, prizes for this competition are always coveted, with the winning teams that year walking away with 1-on-1 mentoring with Google, cash prizes, or 6 months access to Founder Hub for each member.
The ABSA website is entirely redesigned to improve user experience, brand perception, and overall functionality. Outdated features, confusing titles, and more are replaced with a cohesive theme, fun or animated components (like this timeline), and updated information. The new visual identity extended to social media platforms such as Instagram, Facebook, and LinkedIn, emphasising professionalism with a touch of personality.