Elaine Starkey, CEO and co-founder of Global Study Partners, bags the Businesswoman of the Year Award at the 2022 India Australia Business & Community Alliance awarding ceremony held last 29 April at the Star Events Centre in Sydney. Elaine was nominated alongside five equally accomplished and multi-awarded businesswomen who have contributed significantly to the Indian and Australian communities they serve.
“We’ve come from a very small startup here in New South Wales to a scale-up, and this isn’t really about me at all. It’s about our team. We had survived through COVID when international education was tough and [finances were] really tight.” Says Elaine during her acceptance speech. “I wasn’t expecting this at all!” she further says.
Elaine started Global Study Partners in 2014. GSP’s mission is to connect recruitment partners with education providers through a two-sided marketplace enabling students to access educational choices that will transform their lives. On asked why she ventured into this business, Elaine said, “We saw an opportunity to deliver a service that helps bridge the gap between the learner and the institutions. Our institution partners cater to a wide array of programs beyond the traditional and typical. I believe in lifelong learning, so our marketplace caters to the learners needs ranging from a certificate course to PhDs.”
GSP’s offshore operations started in India, Nepal and Vietnam. Now, GSP has established a presence in 22 source markets, has grown the India operations to seven offices, and is well on its way to completing its target staffing of over 90 people in India alone by the end of 2022. GSP’s operational focus in India has led to GSPs two other nominations from IABCA this year: Excellence in Partnerships and Excellence in Trade and Investment.
GSP, backed by Asia’s higher edtech powerhouse, upGrad, is poised to expand its operations and earnings four-fold in the coming years. The combined strengths of the two education companies, one in the key source market and the other in one of the key destination markets, are anticipated to generate significant revenues for the two companies and provide both with a headstart in positioning as global leaders in the education space.
