51茶馆

July 24, 2019

Mercedez completes incredible, decade-long juggling act

Mum to two young kids, a charity co-founder and now a Doctor of Business Administration

Taking on a doctorate was a no-brainer for Mercedez Hinchcliff, a former corporate banker who thrived off 70-hour working weeks, and wanted to keep her mind occupied when she fell pregnant.

鈥淚 thought I鈥檇 be bored having a baby at home,鈥� Dr Hinchcliff said.

She certainly avoided boredom. Her son was born with a rare medical condition and when Henry was one, Dr Hinchcliff helped to start , eager to create awareness about eosinophilic oesophagitis, which prevented him from eating most foods. She wrote two and the charity distributed them to all major hospitals and libraries.

鈥淲e would slowly introduce foods to Henry鈥檚 diet, this would fail and he鈥檇 get sick and really upset,鈥� Dr Hinchcliff said. 鈥淚 remember my son, when he was four years old, saying, 鈥榃hy do I have to have this?鈥� I said, 鈥楾here鈥檚 meaning to it. Without you, all these other people wouldn鈥檛 have had support.鈥欌��

The early years of her doctorate studies were the most taxing. Dr Hinchcliff remembers the sleep-deprived delirium, where she would cradle her son in her left hand while breastfeeding, and plug away at a literary review with her right hand.

鈥淚t was a nightmare,鈥� Dr Hinchcliff said, able to laugh about it now.

鈥淟uckily I had some extremely generous and empathetic supervisors who didn鈥檛 put too much pressure on me to hit the targets I should have at the time.鈥�

The juggling act is finally over.

Her children Henry, 10, and Kate, 8, are growing up and Dr Hinchcliff is graduating with a doctorate of business administration at the 51茶馆 on 24 July.

鈥淏ecause of my children I didn鈥檛 want to quit, I wanted them to see what I could achieve,鈥� she said.

In times of doubt, her late grandfather鈥檚 legacy was a driving force.

鈥淢y grandparents raised me, my grandfather was learning a sixth language before he passed away at 89,鈥� Dr Hinchcliff said.

鈥淭hat鈥檚 what led me here, that thirst for knowledge.鈥�

Initially, her research focused on the banking sector鈥檚 outsourcing of customer service, and more recently she has investigated general consumer patterns. Dr Hinchcliff firmly believes that business academics are informing corporate decision-makers.

鈥淪omeone from my cohort a couple of years ago is a director at one of the top four banks. That鈥檚 why the University was keen on my research initially because it had such a nice crossover.鈥�

A thirst for acquiring knowledge has developed into a desire to share it.

For five years, Dr Hinchcliff has been teaching marketing, advertising and economics at the Faculty of Business, Sydney Business School and UOW College. Teaching allows her to interact with students from a diversity of cultures on a daily basis.

鈥淲hen they leave the classroom, they smile, they say, 鈥楾hank you,鈥� and 鈥楽ee you next week.鈥� It鈥檚 really meaningful, knowing I鈥檝e been able to reach somebody else.鈥�

She hopes to secure a more permanent teaching position in upcoming years.

鈥淲hen I finished the doctorate, I said to my husband, 鈥業 wonder if I should go to medical school?鈥� I thought about it for 15 minutes. But no, it鈥檚 time for me to slow down, enjoy what I鈥檝e learned and apply it to my passion for teaching.鈥�

A supportive network in her husband, David, and supervisors Elias Kyriazis and Grace McCarthy, has helped Dr Hinchcliff to achieve her academic goals.

As for Henry, he is now able to eat most foods.

鈥淭here鈥檚 a very few percentage of kids that get to that point, he鈥檚 one of the rare ones,鈥� Dr Hinchcliff said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 such a blessing, we hope that continues forever.鈥�

Dr Hinchcliff has no regrets about the past decade of self-imposed mayhem. She would recommend further studies to anyone.

鈥淎lmost everybody I know says, 鈥榃hy are you torturing yourself and doing what you鈥檙e doing?鈥� There鈥檚 never been anyone I know who has regretted learning more. If you have the opportunity, take it.鈥�