Budding business leader sweeps student awards

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Budding business leader sweeps student awards

RMIT Bachelor of Business graduate Marlon Holloway has won the College of Business and Law Medal at the 2024 Best of Business and Law Awards.

Marlon Holloway graduated from the Bachelor of Business in 2024, leaving his mark on the RMIT community as an enthusiastic and passionate student leader.

Last week, Marlon was awarded the College of Business and Law (CoBL) Medal at the 2024 Best of Business and Law Awards, the top honour recognising his outstanding academic achievement, community engagement and leadership.

He also received two other accolades on the night – the RMIT University Higher Education Award, and School of Management Award for the Management and Change Major.

These awards don’t just speak to what Marlon accomplished as an RMIT student, but who he is as a person – an incredibly motivated individual with a desire to achieve great things.

“I have a burning desire to create impact,” said Marlon.

As a young person, I was enamoured by success stories of innovative business owners and founders who carved scaled impact on the world with a great idea and great leadership – I hope to have an impact like this one day.

Marlon with his three awards at the 2024 Best of Business and Law Awards.

Marlon with his three awards at the 2024 Best of Business and Law Awards.

Marlon, who was initially unsure about whether university life was for him, said that it was meaningful to see his hard work recognised and thanked those who supported him.

Balancing an early career, student leadership and my passions could be challenging; these awards bring colour and realisation to my journey.

“I was lucky enough to be exposed to a wealth of great people throughout my RMIT journey, including inspiring fellow student leaders and volunteers, and in particular staff members Dr Meg Elkins, Dr Simon Thornton, Dr Julian Waters-Lynch and Jack Arnold.”

Building community through passionate leadership

Marlon led the RMIT Snow Sports Club for three years, which more than tripled the number of members under his leadership.

He joined the club during the COVID-19 pandemic, where he recognised the toll that lockdowns were taking on his peers’ mental health.

He saw an opportunity to transform the club from the inside and make it an engaging social space where students could connect and find a sense of purpose at university outside of academia.

Marlon said that his greatest achievement was organising the club’s first ever international trip, which saw more than 65 students travel to New Zealand for a winter adventure.

Marlon skiing during the RMIT Snow Sports Club's first international trip to New Zealand.

Marlon skiing during the RMIT Snow Sports Club's first international trip to New Zealand.

“My role as President brought lifelong memories and new experiences,” he said.

I directly saw the impact that community could have in facilitating a sense of home and belonging during a period marked by disruption.

During his tenure as President, the club was awarded the Vice-Chancellor's Sport Club of the Year, with Marlon also being named the 2023 Club Leader of the Year.

Marlon has continued his legacy of student leadership since graduating, coming back to campus to support current business students as an alumni mentor.

“Both student leadership and now alumni mentorship have unearthed a great deal of personal reflection in me, alongside a poignant warm and fuzzy feeling that comes with making a difference.”

Becoming a leading voice in Generative AI

Marlon’s interests lie in how business intersects with technology to create positive change.

He discovered a love of Generative AI theory early on at RMIT and used this to help educate other students on how to use AI responsibly in their studies.

At the 2023 Learning and Teaching Festival, Marlon delivered a presentation on the application of Generative AI within tertiary education, advocating for the need to build up students’ digital literacy when it comes to tools like ChatGPT.

Marlon presenting at the Learning and Teaching Festival.

Marlon presenting at the Learning and Teaching Festival.

Marlon said that he draws on the skills gained from experiences like these in his current workplace.

“This is a passion and skillset I’ve taken into my personal career at Amazon, where I manage the Sports and Outdoors categories at Amazon AU and lead our Generative AI efficiency program within the future of retail in Australia,” he said.

As for his future, Marlon hopes to continue making waves in the business and technology sector.

I aspire to one day work globally, broadening my cultural and career scope – a few ideas I’m tossing around include Switzerland, Denver, Vancouver, San Fran and Amsterdam.

Keep up to date with Marlon on LinkedIn and his website.

13 May 2025

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