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Corporate Residency MBA

Interviews with students and alumni

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The Wolves of Barrington Street

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The traders on Bay Street are busy investing in Canada’s struggling economy, while at Dalhousie, students are busy investing in the Dalhousie CRMBA Hedge Fund. “Hedge Fund” is an MBA-operated club that gives students the opportunity to immerse themselves in the world of investments. But don’t worry! Our MBAs aren’t mortgaging away their tuition money; all investing is done with fictional funds ($20 million to be precise). That’s not to say that the stakes aren’t high though. At the beginning of the year, thirty students were divided into five teams, each competing to have the highest returns at the end of December.

Hedge Fund gives students interested in capital markets (or personal investing) the opportunity to get their hands dirty without losing their shirts. The club brings together students with a wide range of finance experience – from first years currently enrolled in their first finance class, to second years with a corporate residency on Bay Street under their belts. In the second half of the school year, the club will be organizing a speaker series with professionals in the investment industry. In the end, the aim of the club is to provide students interested in finance with a platform to hone their skills and an opportunity to network with professionals in the industry.

Students working in the Dalhousie Risk Lab

Students working in the Dalhousie Risk Lab on Bloomberg Terminals

In the past, the club was run as a single team, broken into groups that covered specific industries. The club utilizes the very financially powerful Bloomberg Terminals. These terminals have live access to markets and news across the world. This year, the club was split up in an attempt to encourage some friendly competition. Teams are competing for a first place prize, and of course, investment bragging rights. So far it’s a close race, with the top three teams separated by less than $1.5 million. Some teams are taking a conservative approach, while others are borrowing funds to cover investments. Some teams are up, and some are down. But win or lose, everyone is having a great time investing in their finance skills.

Finance trip to the Big Apple – Gray Little

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GrLittle.Grayay Little was born and raised in Halifax, and did his undergrad at the University of King’s College and Dalhousie University. He completed the Foundation Year Program at King’s and graduated last May from Dalhousie with a Bachelor of Science, majoring in chemistry. During his undergrad and into the CRMBA program, Gray played rugby with King’s, which won its first championship this past November.

Back in April, you and other Dal students went to New York for a finance conference. How was it? What was it about?

The purpose of our trip to New York was to attend the Quinnipiac University G.A.M.E. conference. Twelve of us attended including undergrads, MBAs and Prof. Rick Nason. The conference focused on Global Asset Management Education, and we heard a host of speakers including Abby Joseph Cohen, senior U.S. investment strategist at Goldman Sachs. They covered a variety of topics including the Federal Reserve, the global economy and corporate governance in business. Individual breakout sessions were held on topics of interest, including real estate, market volatility and the uses of technology in investing. This was all mixed together with some networking for a great experience. One of the lessons that really stood out for everyone was the power your own brand can have on your career and we saw this throughout the trip.

 

bull

 

What is your dream job, and what are your plans post-MBA?

During my residency I’ve been working in Capital Markets Risk with Bank of Montreal focusing on international financial institutions. The residency has been fantastic and I’ve learned so much about the inner workings of a bank. I’ve also been allowed to freely interact with other areas and learn what best suits my skills. As a result, I want to come back and work with BMO after I graduate. Before I start any job though, I’d like to spend a little time traveling and see another part of the world.

Tell me about the fun things you did on the trip.

We went to see the Rangers play the Penguins, went for steaks at Smith & Wollensky, and Rick provided a tour of famous financial landmarks and restaurants around the city. The highlight of the trip for me though was the trip to Yankee Stadium to see the Yankees take on the Red Socks during opening week. It was a great experience and I was happy to share it with some of my classmates.

 

Yankees

 

Talk about the Dal MBA Investment Society and what you would to see for the Society in the future.

The Investment Society is going to transition from the publication it’s been in the past to a paper hedge fund. We’ll be keeping the original publication as a way to show the progress of the fund for each quarter and to highlight some of the best trades made by the students. As well. we’re planning to make the trip an annual affair, going either to Chicago next year or back to New York.

Final thoughts?

I honestly believe if I hadn’t gone to Dalhousie, I wouldn’t be where I am today. It’s given me such a great opportunity in an area I want to work, I’ve been able to travel and see a city in a new light and I’ve been fortunate to make some great friends.

Park

Concentrating on finance – Mahmoud Zeidan

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Jordan Hirtle recently spoke with second year student Mahmoud Zeidan regarding majoring in finance at Dalhousie’s Corporate Residency MBA program. The interview focuses on Mahmoud’s experience as a student at Dalhousie so far as well as his career aspirations in the finance industry.

Mahmoud is originally from the Middle East (Gaza Strip) but immigrated to Nova Scotia when he was four and has been a maritimer ever since. He completed his undergraduate degree at Saint Mary’s University with a Bachelor of Commerce, majoring in both finance and accounting.

What made you choose Dal’s MBA and what competitive advantage do you believe the program offers?

I chose Dal’s MBA over the competitors for two major reasons. First, its program and curriculum are unique in the country. I wanted to pursue a career in banking after having some experience in accounting and it was a great transition step for me with the Corporate Residency component of the program. The emphasis on soft skills as a competitive advantage resonates with my development goals as a professional. The Personal and Professional Effectiveness (PPE) curriculum at Dalhousie is excellent.

The second reason I chose Dal is the location of our school. I love Halifax and the East Coast; the student life experience here is one of a kind.

Where did you do your corporate residency?

[Read more…]

Thinking internationally – Blake’s story

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Originally posted by Scott A.E. Smith.

For our latest blog, we caught up with Blake Jeffrey, who’s currently on his Corporate Residency with Northstar Trade Finance in Toronto. He will be going on exchange to the Copenhagen Business School in Denmark along with fellow Class of 2013 students Sean Sinclair, Chelsea Mazur, and Afif Nassif this coming September!

Tell us a little bit about yourself, Blake. How have you come to be the person you are today?

I know this is the “cliché” thing to say, but I’ve honestly developed to be the person I am today as a result of a supportive family and great friends. My parents are both extremely hard-working and instilled this quality, along with discipline, from an early age. I grew up in Orangeville, Ontario (my parents are now in London) with a very tight-knit crew of friends. Being a smaller town, we all went to school together and played on the same competitive hockey and lacrosse teams. I have learned a lot from these guys about loyalty and these are the individuals that were a big part of shaping who I am.

I’ve always been one to accept challenge and change head on. I’ve held some rather interesting summer job roles over the years. When I was 18, I spent a summer working as a cheese-maker in a goat cheese factory. Although this wasn’t a “business” role, it was hard, grueling work with long hours and it taught me to appreciate the opportunities I had had to that point in my life. When choosing where to do my undergrad I did a trip to the east coast and immediately fell in love with Acadia. It was a long way from home for any 18-year-old, but it was the best decision of my life to this point. I met some great friends there from all over the country. I was also able to continue my athletics, playing for the Acadia men’s lacrosse team for 4 years, captaining and serving as President for my final 2 years. This is where I was able to develop my leadership style and, most importantly, learn how to effectively get the best out of my teammates and, in that case, friends/peers.

Let’s get this question out of the way early so we can quote you on it later; who will be in the Stanley Cup finals, and who will take home the greatest trophy in all of sports?

[Read more…]

The lighter side of the Dal MBA – A Halloween homage

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Originally posted by Scott A.E. Smith.

It’s been a very busy couple of weeks in the Corporate Residency MBA program. The past fortnight has included a weekend-long integrative project, a series of in-depth reports and presentations, and most recently, a very intense, highly anticipated mid-term exam in Dr. Rick Nason’s finance class.

Of course, it doesn’t end there. There are more presentations today, MBA Society elections this week, reports due this week and next, case and interview competitions this month and a seemingly endless to-do list of other ‘deliverables’ on the Class of 2013?s calendar.

Through it all, maintaining a sense of humour and having some fun occasionally—what you might call ‘the lighter side of the Dal MBA’—has been essential.

After the particularly grueling 72-hour integrative case project on the last weekend of October, most of the class was recovering and getting ready for Dr. Nason’s class the next morning. That usually means putting the finishing touches on that week’s assignment, reading a few newspapers to know what’s going on in the world of finance and perhaps doing some extra problems from the textbook for practice.

But for first-year Corporate Residency MBA student Christie Lang, getting ready for class the next day (which happened to be Halloween) meant doing all of the above, plus a little something… extra. To be specific, it meant fashioning 36 bow ties out of craft-store cloth and 36 sets of eyeglasses out of pipe-cleaners. Now, the perfectly logical question is: why? Many of us know how hard it is to make one Halloween costume—never mind 36 of them!

As most of the class was glumly resigned to not dressing up for the occasion this year, given how much work there was to be done, Christie and a few others had thought of an idea to bring a little bit of the Halloween spirit to Dr. Nason’s finance class.

 

You see, aside from his brilliant, inspirational lectures and boundless knowledge of all things finance (well, business in general), Dr. Nason is well-known around the Kenneth C. Rowe Management Building for his distinctive attire. He can be counted on, day in and day out, to be sporting one of his trademark bow-ties, cuff-links, and spectacles—as you can see in the photograph above (with Ms. Lang herself).

So the idea, and the reason Christie spent Sunday evening making all those glasses and bow-ties, was to have the whole class dress up as Dr. Nason the next day, both as a bit of Halloween fun and as a tribute to one of the program’s outstanding administrators, professors, staff and supporters—the people who truly make the Corporate Residency MBA program what it is, and who often don’t get all the recognition they deserve.

Thanks to Christie’s efforts that Sunday, and the students who shared the idea in the first place, Dr. Nason arrived in class last Monday morning to a group of eager-to-learn look-alikes, not to mention a customized soundtrack (put together by fellow first-year MBA student Kareem Sobaih) with the words “Richard Nason” blasting over the loudspeakers. To the delight of the class, he was happy to oblige by dancing his way over to the podium to introduce that day’s quote and start his lecture.

Throughout the morning, other faculty such as Marketing professor Dan Shaw and Personal & Professional Effectiveness instructor (and Director of the Corporate Residency MBA program) Dr. Scott Comber came by to see all of the ‘little Nasons’ in their Halloween garb. Laughs were shared, and a few photographs were taken. All in all: thanks to the efforts of students like Christie, it was a much-needed occasion to relax for a moment and enjoy ‘the lighter side of the Dal MBA’.

A job in Power via a powerful program – Dave’s story

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Originally posted by Jordan Fujiwara.

Keep Dave MacDonald in mind every time you turn on a light. Well, at least if you live in Nova Scotia. For his Corporate Residency he is working in the Planning and Performance Department at Nova Scotia Power Inc., so the next time the grid goes down I’m going to give him a hard time. (Just kidding, Dave).

Dave, who is from Port Hawkesbury, NS, and received a BSc in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology from Dalhousie, is a very busy guy. “Basically each plant has its own budget,” he explains, “and plans on doing certain projects, either environmental, safety or business sustainability. In order to do this, they have to try and ‘activate’ an account for next year. So they submit a package to me that contains an explanation, financials, their net present value (NPV) calculations, etcetera. I have to look at the assumptions they’ve made, do my own calculations and ask questions. I clean it up, forward it to my boss, who approves my work, then it gets sent back to them for revisions.” Dave says he does a few of these every week and that there are roughly 300 still in the pipe. “Yup, I’ll be busy until August,” he says with a grin.

It might sound a bit monotonous, but no submission is the same. “One of the best things I’ve done so far was to be able to give a green project a positive NPV,” he beams. Dave is quite interested in renewable energy so this green (i.e. demand side management) project was of keen interest to him. To be able to give this project a positive NPV means that the project will actually make money for the company as well as help to reduce our carbon footprint… which is actually a bit of a challenge for many green projects. “I was working on the evaluation on and off for about a month. I got a key piece of information and had one of those ‘eureka!’ moments. So not only is this project green, it’s profitable too.”

Dave doesn’t spend all his time plugging away at financial calculations. Since his department is highly integrated with other departments, such as with the specialty engineers, he finds himself up and about quite a bit. “It’s a smart set-up. If I need specific information, there are [engineers] right there.” Soon he’ll be off to visit all the different thermal plants, like the ones in Sydney, Trenton and his hometown, Port Hawkesbury. He’ll also get to see some of the hydro and windmill generators. The great thing is that these field trips aren’t just a tour like the ones you might expect to be given to a traditional intern. Dave will be expected to take information away from the trips about the plants in order to help him with his evaluations.

So what about Dave’s experience with the program? He tells me “it’s been very applicable to what I’m doing in my job right now. All in all, I’ve learned a ******** of information. I think that the program was an amazing whirlwind of knowledge left, right and centre. However, my expectations weren’t that high going in; it ended up being a lot more work than I originally anticipated. I thought I had good time management skills but I had to step up my game. It was a matter of kicking into that upper gear. Now, I feel great.”

Dave agrees with all the previous students in this blog when it comes to the incredible group of people we have in this class and faculty. He also appreciates our diversity: “the really cool thing about this program is the fact that it is unique because we all come from different backgrounds and attack problems from different angles. It’s so powerful.”

That’s all for now. A prof interview is in the works for the coming weeks! Also here’s your reminder to check in on our Twitter feed and to become a fan and be active on our Facebook page.

A change in focus – Farhad’s story

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Originally posted by Jordan Fujiwara.

Farhad Quassem was a touch skeptical about our program when he was first applying. He was wary that Dalhousie’s global reputation wasn’t as domineering as some of the elite North American b-schools; indeed, he had offers from some of them but ended up here instead. What drove his decision? It was a combination of the right price and the “deal sweetener” (as he puts it) of the paid Corporate Residency.

As we shared a delicious artichoke and spinach dip at the Pogue Fado, I had to ask Farhad his opinion of Dal and the program after being almost 9 months into the 22-month program. He said, “The workload was intense, the profs exceeded my expectations by miles. Maybe Dal isn’t yet considered a top-tier school, but this is a top-tier program.”

Farhad is one of the students in the program who does have a fair bit of work experience. The bulk of it lies in the IT field. He received a BSc with a Major in Computer Information Systems from the University of Windsor and has since worked as software designer/developer, a support analyst at a bank, an e-marketing analyst, a project manager and was once even a door-to-door salesman. Farhad was born in Dhaka, Bangladesh and has also lived in Saudi Arabia, as well as in Canada.

So why an MBA? “This is more of a transformation than just a degree to me,” explains Farhad. “I’ve always been interested in finance and politics… personality-wise I’m more of a Machiavelli than a Caesar so I’ve decided to focus on finance [he winks]. Essentially, finance is the root of everything. If you want to do anything from curing cancer to creating the next blockbuster album you need money, and the money has to come from somewhere.”

Farhad’s Corporate Residency certainly will help him realize his future career in finance: he’s currently working as a Financial Consultant for the City of Halifax, reporting to the Manager of Finance and Budgeting for the City. “I valuate capital investment proposals from different business units in the city. The other day I was looking at a proposal for a new central library. I’m heading up a few big projects, such as a developing a document and knowledge management system.” This system will be implemented to help ease the blow of 40,000 people retiring over the next five years in Halifax. Farhad explains that these soon-to-be retirees know a lot of stuff, but a lot of it is in their head. The challenge is to get that knowledge and preserve it so the people who eventually fill those gaps can manage their roles more smoothly.

I asked Farhad what he saw himself doing in the next few months. He smiled and said, “I’m on the patio of Your Father’s Moustache [a popular pub, for you non-Haligonians] surrounded by beautiful glasses of European beer.”

To which I replied: “I meant at work!”

“Oh! Well. the City has a deficit for the 2011 budget, and I’ll help in recommending service level adjustments, tax rate adjustments, and internal efficiency retooling to help reduce it.”

Seemingly, the transformation from IT whiz to financial guru is going well. Farhad confirmed this, adding that the networking he’s been doing has been incredible. “The program itself, with its interview prep sessions, the networking sessions and even just our social mixers has given me a huge confidence boost. Now I’m comfortable sharing a beer with senior executives in different businesses and just chatting and getting to know them… building my professional network.”

On top of all this, Farhad made the “shotgun decision” to write the CFA exam (Chartered Financial Analyst). Good luck, man!

I asked Farhad if he had any general wisdom to share. This is what he said: “If you can realize that humility and confidence can coexist, and let the program do its thing then you’ll learn a lot more than if you try to force it to fit you. If you’re just in it for the piece of paper, then it’ll be a good piece of paper, and an expensive one, but that’s it. I knew there’d be situations when the program would be overwhelming, but a part of the process is to learn how to deal with that feeling and how to overcome it. Succeed there and you end up stronger.”

We’ll see you next Thursday! (Or sooner, since I’m starting to publish shorter “in-between” blogs now).

Also, remember to check out our Twitter feed and become a fan of our Facebook page. There’s also a Facebook group for the new class of 2012.

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