The MCR Journey: Reaching the summit

After 18 months, CoreNet Global Australia’s MCR scholarship recipient Ujwal Lakra has reached the end of his study with the completion of the capstone unit.

Over the past 18 months, CoreNet Global Australia has offered our first-ever scholarship to the industry-renowned Master of Corporate Real Estate (MCR) program. We’ve been following Uj (Ujwal) Lakra ’s journey, and he’s now passed the final unit, officially receiving the MCR designation.

Ujwal completed the Capstone unit of study over four days in March, once again studying with a primarily US and Canada-based cohort, along with a few other Australian students.

“The Capstone has been my favourite unit. It consolidated all the learning from the previous five sessions, with a lot of case study presentations from CRE leaders and group breakout sessions”, says Ujwal.

Following the seminar sessions, students were given three weeks to complete an individual assessment task, which was a written response to a fictitious case study.

“Completing this assessment required me to draw on my learnings from all the previous units, as well as a couple of new concepts and frameworks introduced in the Capstone seminar”, says Ujwal. “It was a great way to bring all the learnings together in a practical context, as well as drawing on the necessary strategy and leadership skills to present a set of recommendations to the executive of a CRE organisation.”

After completing the assessment, Ujwal and his fellow students had an 8 week wait to find out the results. “I’m thrilled to have passed and receive the MCR designation, joining a small number of people worldwide”, says Ujwal.

Now that he’s completed his study, Ujwal looks forward to taking those academic learnings and applying them to practical reality for his clients.

Ujwal says:

“There’s a suite of frameworks, methodologies and approaches that I’ve gained from the MCR that I will be using ongoing to assist my clients with their approaches to property planning, management and strategies. This program has given me a broader appreciation of the depth of the CRE function and the capabilities an individual needs.”

“If you are considering undertaking the MCR study, I can only encourage you to do so. As well as the content, it was an incredible opportunity to boost my network, especially with fellow students in the US and Canada – I’d say we’ve built relationships that will be with me for life.”

“The juggle of managing this study alongside full-time work and a young family was difficult at times, but definitely worth it. Completing the course with a predominantly North American cohort meant a lot of early starts with the time zones, but there was always plenty of notice for the dates, so that made it easier to plan for and to manage my time. Everyone – from fellow students, support staff, and of course, the faculty members – was so supportive through this entire study journey.”

“I’d like to thank everyone at CoreNet Global Australia for this scholarship opportunity and I look forward to continuing to put what I’ve learnt into practice with my clients.”

Congratulations Ujwal and we look forward to celebrating you at the upcoming MCR graduation ceremony.