Class of 2016: Corporate Residency Update

March 24, 2015 Kathleen Heymans Leave a Comment

The Corporate Residency is a key part of our program because it gives students eight months of solid work experience where they are not treated as students so much as real employees. Students take positions across Canada (past CRMBA students have done international residencies, too!) to gain experience across different industries.

Returning in second year is exciting and enriching in part because the class is able to bring so much work experience from diverse sectors back into the classroom. The class of 2016 is a few months into their Corporate Residencies now, and we thought it was time to hear how they have been doing! Here are a few updates from the cohort:

Alison Conrad

Background: Environmental Sciences
Employer: Scotiabank (Halifax)
CR Position: Commercial Banking Associate, Scotiabank

“When I entered the CRMBA program, I knew that I wanted a residency that would be completely different than anything I had ever done before. I wanted a challenge so that I could not only find what I was passionate about, but push the boundaries of my mind and grow as a businessperson. Working in commercial banking has brought me from analyzing metals in a lab to analyzing and understanding businesses, and it has been an amazing learning experience in so many ways. After just two months, not only do I feel more comfortable in the corporate world, but I also feel more confident and capable in my technical skills and my overall self. If I were to say one thing, it would be don’t be afraid to push beyond your limits – you never know, you may end up finding something you love doing.”

John Aitken

Background: Geography and Environmental Studies
Employer: Stantec (Toronto)
CR Position: Sustainability Analyst

“The Corporate Residency was one of the main reasons I chose Dalhousie for my MBA. Having ‘real-world’ experience simply cannot be replicated through lectures, projects, or cases. I knew before starting the CRMBA that consulting was a field that I wanted to get into. I felt that consulting would give me exposure to many different clients, and a variety of unique projects. My particular role is great because it integrates my environmental studies background into consulting.”

Sydni Kind (JD/MBA)

Background: Commerce, Marketing (Minor in Political Science)
Employer: Cushman & Wakefield (Calgary)
CR Position: Junior Consultant, Valuations & Advisory Department

“Working in a commission-based department, dependent on the current flow of clients requesting property valuations, can cause the workload to fluctuate significantly. I have had the opportunity to work with major commercial real estate clients, assisting in financial and operational decision-making. I have been able to learn from some of the best in the field of valuations, developing in a time-sensitive but learning-focused environment, where collaboration is highly encouraged. The confidence they have in the work I produce and the opportunities available to take initiative are some of the best parts of the job thus far, and I feel these can only improve going forward. I look forward to the rest of my residency experience.”

Patrick Tillman

Background: Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
Employer: Medavie Blue Cross
CR Position: Customer Engagement Specialist

“My previous work experience took place in a research lab, so my Corporate Residency has been a refreshing change of scenery. Equipped with the tools obtained in a vigorous six months in the classroom, I was able to hit the ground running and contribute to the Marketing & Communications team at Medavie Blue Cross almost instantly. I’ve thoroughly enjoyed my Corporate Residency up to this point, particularly the level of involvement I’ve had so far, and the number of responsibilities I’ve been given. If I had any words of advice for the incoming cohort, it would be to not shy away from stepping outside your comfort zone whenever you can, especially those coming into the program without any business experience like myself.”

Lauren Bosnjak

Background: Neuroscience
Employer: Bank of Montreal (Toronto)
Position: Brand Advertising Coordinator

“Coming into the program I imagined myself doing something related back to my neuroscience undergrad, however the program has opened me up to opportunities I didn’t know existed. Brand advertising at BMO has taught me invaluable experience in project management. I am managing my own projects as well as learning as my team manages their own; I think this is the biggest thing I will carry with me no matter where I end up in my future. The advertising team at BMO is supportive of my learning and getting the most out of my experience; that is my favorite part about working with them.”

The Corporate Residency is one of the best parts of this program. It’s a great opportunity to work in an area of interest, build on existing experience, and prepare to launch your career!

For prospective and incoming students, spending a bit of time considering where you might be a good fit and what you are most interested in can help you target and obtain the position you want. When you join the CRMBA program, you become part of a much larger, stronger network of students and professionals. I would encourage the incoming class to connect with current students and alumni if they are interested in learning more about the program or a particular residency experience!

HR in T.O. – Laura’s story

June 18, 2013 Evan Bannerman Leave a Comment

Laura Fougere grew up in Lawrencetown, Nova Scotia. She has a Bachelor of Public Relations from Mount Saint Vincent University in Halifax. Post-graduation, Laura worked in public relations at the IWK Health Centre. She is completing her corporate residency in Human Resources at the Bank of Montreal in Toronto.

What inspired you to do an MBA?

I always had an interest in completing my MBA. I think public relations is an important business function; however, my undergraduate degree didn’t give me exposure to some other core areas such as finance and accounting. I wanted to better round my skill set as I moved forward in my career.

I chose Dal because the corporate residency allowed me to keep one foot in the workforce while working towards my goal of an MBA. I started my career before returning to grad school and I didn’t want to put it on hold. The Corporate Residency MBA has allowed me the best of both worlds.

Where are you doing your residency, and what is your position?

I’m working as a Human Resources Program Coordinator at BMO Bank of Montreal.

A lot of people featured on this blog are focused on finance and marketing. Did you intend to get into human resources when you started the program, and now that you are, what does the HR function mean to you?

I was very open to expanding my knowledge of “new to me” areas of the business world. I interviewed for positions in finance, consulting, marketing and HR. Ultimately, I chose the HR role at BMO because it was the best fit for me. I felt a connection to the people I met from the company – they had a great enthusiasm for their work and represented the culture at BMO well. My hiring manager also did a great job explaining the ‘value add’ for both parties during my interview. He recognized the skills I brought to the table, and talked about how BMO could both add to and benefit from those skills.

HR is a really interesting field. I work with the Workforce Solutions and Strategic Initiatives teams. Traditional HR functions such as hiring or benefits are not part of my job at all. The teams I work with support the frontline business and are much more strategy-focused. Workforce Solutions enables HR Business Partners to effectively deliver strategies, and plans to mitigate identified gaps in organizational and employee capabilities and enable the achievement of business strategies. Strategic Initiatives leads the development and implementation of the overall strategy and priority initiatives relating to the Personal and Commercial banking segment.

What are your plans for after graduation?

I’m looking for a role that is the right fit for me, with opportunities to leverage my skills and experience in HR, PR and strategy. BMO has provided me the chance to meet with many other professionals in the bank and I’d welcome the opportunity to come back.

Final thoughts?

My corporate residency experience has really made me think more broadly about the banking industry and the field of HR in particular. There are so many diverse opportunities within financial services. I would also challenge others to look beyond the traditional scope of HR – there are many specialities to explore, and it’s becoming more and more of a focus within organizations that want to better manage talent in the global economy.

Thinking internationally – Blake’s story

May 11, 2012 Corporate Residency MBA Leave a Comment

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?

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A natural-born networker – Sean’s story

April 9, 2012 Corporate Residency MBA Leave a Comment

Originally posted by Scott A.E. Smith.

For our latest blog, we caught up with Sean A. Sinclair, who’s currently on his Corporate Residency with Scotiabank in Toronto. Sean started the Facebook group for the Class of 2013, so we made sure to ask him about that. Enjoy!

So what’s your story, Mr. Sinclair? Where are you from?

I grew up in what used to be the small town of Newmarket, Ontario, located about 45 minutes north of my current home in Toronto. My mother is a nurse, and my father is a retired police officer. As you can imagine, both have had very demanding careers and as a result have provided my sister and me with prime examples of loyalty, dedication, discipline and hard work. I carried these life lessons throughout my childhood and into competitive sports where I truly began to develop leadership skills. I had the privilege of captaining various soccer, hockey and lacrosse teams that represented my town or my schools. When I realized I wasn’t going to make it to the NHL and grew too old to compete in organized sport, I continued to train and participate in intramural and recreational leagues. I even tested the waters with competitive bodybuilding, which taught me about discipline, resilience and spirituality to some degree. Sport is where I developed my greatest friendships. It’s where I learned how to succeed and fail with dignity and pride. It’s where I learned the importance of hard work, but also the place where I first experienced defeat and heartbreak. Because of my experience in competitive sports, I hate to lose. I understand the importance of hard work and preparation. But most importantly, because of sports, I am resilient and mentally tough. I will need these traits as I pursue a career in finance as I know there will be thousands of other candidates out there who will have their own advantages. The difference is that I have the determination and the will to network my way to success, and I can suck it up and get going when the going gets tough.

What brought you to the Corporate Residency MBA program?

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Managing your brand – Michele’s story

October 11, 2011 Corporate Residency MBA Leave a Comment

Originally posted by Scott A.E. Smith.

One of the first things you learn in the Corporate Residency MBA program is how important it is to manage your own personal ‘brand’. Whether you’re in the classroom, at a networking event or in a job interview—and whether you’re interested in marketing, finance or international business—you have to remember that you are the only brand manager of the ‘you’ brand, and it is a full-time job. For this week’s interview, we connected with a second-year MBA student who has full-time experience managing two brands—one in the consumer division of a major packaged goods company, and the other being her own: the Michele Brown brand.

Michele Brown is a graduate of the University of Western Ontario, where she studied Health Science and Biology. After graduation, she worked at the Middlesex–London Health Unit (dealing with vector-borne diseases) before deciding to start her MBA here at Dalhousie University. And for her Corporate Residency, she accepted a role as an Assistant Brand Manager at Johnson & Johnson. Michele lists a number of reasons that made this particular opportunity so appealing: “It’s a global, values-based company with well-established brands and a major employer in my hometown of Markham, Ontario—and it also allowed me to leverage my health science background.”

For her Corporate Residency, Michele was responsible for helping to develop and implement both long-term strategic brand marketing plans and annual business plans for Johnson & Johnson. She also provided analysis and recommendations on in-market results to senior management, and worked with cross-functional teams on launches of new products and claims including, in one instance, the development and launch of a social media campaign!

Michele has a great story about her Corporate Residency that speaks to the importance of differentiating yourself—or ‘branding’ yourself, in other words:

“The first day on the job, the group brand director sat me down and said, ‘There are two things you will need to be able to do to be successful here:

1) You need to be able to think strategically. This is much harder to teach, so we hope you have it in you. However, having great ideas isn’t good enough, you need to also be able to…

2) … demonstrate leadership. Without that ability, you’ll never be able to convince/gain alignment of cross-functional partners or the executives to your great ideas, in which case they will never be executed and will therefore be useless to us.’

This is something I worked hard at over the course of the eight months and am still working to improve. As I wrap my mind around the idea of ‘selling my ideas’, I find myself participating a lot more in class this year, and taking more risks with the suggestions I make.”

Michele has just accepted an offer from J&J and will be returning full-time as an Assistant Brand Manager in their Marketing Department after graduation. Five years from now, she hopes to be a Brand Manager or Senior Brand Manager with Johnson & Johnson.

Congratulations, Michele!

Looking back on her experience with the Corporate Residency MBA program to date, she says:

“I can say with absolute certainty that I have changed ten-fold since I’ve been in the program—particularly since I’ve returned from my Corporate Residency. I was definitely shy when I entered the program in July 2010. I looked at my fellow classmates and the ‘second-years’ with an unbelievable sense of awe and admiration.

However, I’ve since realized that my experiences are worth sharing, too! My time at J&J has given me a huge confidence boost. One of the most important things I learned there was that strategic thinking does not equal strategic contribution. You can’t just be thinking great ideas, you have to share them and sell people on them! You have to get other people as excited about your ideas as you are if you want them to be implemented, and that takes leadership and charisma.

Not only did I learn how to manage a consumer brand when I worked at J&J, but I learned that I have to manage the Michele Brown brand, too.”

Whatever scares you, on the flip side excites you – Chad’s story

November 8, 2010 Corporate Residency MBA Leave a Comment

Originally posted by Jordan Fujiwara.

This week we’ll be learning all about Chad LeClair’s interesting corporate residency with Colgate-Palmolive. Chad’s from around here, here being Halifax, Nova Scotia. He also got his undergraduate degree at Dalhousie: a BComm with a major in finance.

Looking to shift gears a bit after working in the financial world, Chad came into the Corporate Residency MBA with a new focus: marketing. Why the shift? Chad explains: “I’ve always stood by the fact that work flow and problem solving is much more important than subject matter. I’d never consider myself to be a subject matter expert: I like to solve a problem and move on and solve another. The more that learning new things is involved, the better I do.” Comfortable with moving outside the realm of finance, Chad got scooped up by Colgate-Palmolive and moved to Toronto this past January.

He found himself in a small but focussed department: “In the U.S. Colgate is structured as two companies,” he says, “’Colgate’ and ‘Professional Oral Care’ [POC]. They have two distinct goals. Colgate focuses on driving revenue. POC focuses on educating dental professionals about the benefits of Colgate products so they will recommend them to their patients.” In the U.S. the POC department may well have over 40 people working for it. In Canada, however, its equivalent consists of only a few people. One of those people was Chad. “There was a manager, a professional relations person, a field sales force, and me. I was the only person that helped the manager with marketing and advertising on a day-to-day basis; we were essentially running an entire business.”

To clarify, marketing within the POC department doesn’t concern itself with selling me and you toothpaste. Rather, it focuses on educating and marketing to dentists, hygienists and other professionals in order to educate them about the benefits of Colgate products. “My day-to-day consisted of a lot of project management. There were professional conventions and professional sampling initiatives that I coordinated. I spent a lot of time on the phone calling convention centres, working with brand teams, preparing presentations or helping my manager prepare for his presentations.” Chad also worked closely with an account executive from an advertising agency, since a lot of promotional material needed to be created. “Some of the materials I produced were actually designed to be given to a consumer by a professional.” Other materials included mail packages to entice professionals to come to the Colgate booth (at conventions), materials for the booth and, of course, the booth itself. “One of the most exciting things I got to do was to go to one of these dental conventions and see all the stuff and the booth I created in use. It was an amazing booth and was probably the best one at the show.” Chad also made sure he was enjoying life outside of work too. During the residency he was able to get his Advanced SCUBA diving certification and dive in the St. Lawrence River. As soon as his residency was over he took a trip to the Bahamas and did a little shark diving! No big deal.

Chad’s adventure in marketing didn’t come without a few challenges. Landing the residency wasn’t a walk in the park. This is a reality that all prospective students should soberly prepare themselves for. “I didn’t get a residency until later on, like end of October, early November,” recalls Chad. “I think for me what was difficult to overcome was just kind of the hit to my self-esteem from having nine interviews and not getting any interest. I don’t think you can really keep yourself from getting a little down about that, or being frustrated with it. You just have to not let those feelings get in the way of trying; let yourself have them, understand why they’re there, but also know you can still be positive and excited. Just because the first nine people aren’t interested doesn’t mean anything’s wrong. I believe that whatever scares you… on the flip side, it excites you.” Following his mantra, Chad obviously attracted the people at Colgate-Palmolive and secured a pretty cool residency, proving that if you stick to it, you’ll land in a good place.

Looking forward now, Chad is considering several different career options. He is particularly interested in the consulting business since it fits his preference to solve a wide variety of problems, though he would be perfectly happy taking on a marketing role as the problems therein tend to be more dynamic and unique than many other fields.

Alright, that’s all for today! On Thursday I’ll have another interview, but now on Tuesdays we’re highlighting some of our videos on the blog too, so be sure to check that out! Adios.

A little taste of Europe – Lesley’s story

October 14, 2010 Corporate Residency MBA Leave a Comment

Originally posted by Jordan Fujiwara.

Hello all. First I want to apologize for the lack of blog last week. It was a turbulent time with Thanksgiving and school so I decided to postpone last week’s until today. With that said, I’d like to introduce you to Lesley Vair! She’s originally from Halifax, she took a BBA and BA (major: French) at Acadia University and had the pleasure of working with Northstar Trade Finance Inc. on her corporate residency as a Credit Risk Analyst.

Lesley’s boss was Milton Spidla (the Chief Credit Officer a Northstar). Lots of folks in our class know Milton, as he spent about a week sitting in our lectures and events in the early part of the school year in 2009. He was getting a feel for the class (and, evidently, a feel for future possible employees). Lesley says: “every single day I worked very closely with Milton. We were practically joined at the hip: it was a great opportunity to learn from him. I started working right when they were in a trial and error process of determining whether or not they were going to start a European subsidiary. Soon after, they decided to go ahead with it, and Milton was heading that up from the Toronto office.”

The company assesses creditworthiness of small businesses, start-ups or recovering businesses and then lends money (on behalf of major Canadian banks) to some of these businesses. “I was on the credit side of the European Team,” says Lesley, “so I was analyzing financial statements in several different languages.” In addition to French, Lesley also knows some German and some Spanish, which I’m sure was quite helpful! (She was working physically in Toronto, not Europe though. However, if she goes back to work for Northstar, she will have to move to Luxembourg in order to fully serve the new European subsidiary!)

Despite not actually working overseas, Lesley was exposed to her fair share of international culture. Apparently when the World Cup rolled through, her office was a whirlwind of excitement. Even when it wasn’t happening she had to adapt to her co-workers’ tastes: “We’d always have lunch in the boardroom; we pretty much operated like a small family-owned business. During the Stanley Cup playoffs, I’d want to talk about the previous night’s game, but no one would have seen it! By the time the World Cup was underway, it was a totally different story; all anyone ever wanted to talk about was soccer.” Lesley was one of four Canadians working in the 16-person office. Sorry hockey, you were outnumbered.

Toronto offered her a breadth of experience beyond a diverse work environment. Lesley was in the Eaton Centre when it was evacuated due to the G20 riots in Toronto’s downtown core. “I honestly feared for my life; there were no cabs and to get home we had to walk against a sea of belligerent protesters. By the time I made it back to my apartment, I’d look out my window to see clouds of smoke from burning cop cars.” On a happier note, she was able to raise over $5,000 for the Canadian Cancer Society with the help of some of her classmates who were also positioned in the city.

On the whole, Lesley “feels really good” about the program. A late joiner (she wrote the GMAT in June and got her Letter of Acceptance during orientation week), she was eager to put her summer to use with the start of July classes. Before entering the program, she hadn’t thought too hard about her career aspirations. “This focussed me. I came in not knowing what I wanted, but now I know I’d be very happy working for a small company. I’ve learned the importance of happiness over that of money. I’m interested in finance, and would ultimately like to work for a Not-For-Profit.” Apart from the vocational focus, Lesley is a fan of some of the social events that inevitably come with being in an MBA program. “I really enjoyed the first- and second-year dinners,” she says with a smile. Every year the two classes split into several small groups and the second-years cook a meal for the group, and the first-years provide the libations. Typically the groups merge into one afterward and embark on some sort of adventure (for the past two years it’s been a boat cruise on the harbour) followed by exploring (to use the term lightly) the many venues that cater to the Halifax nightlife.

Finally, Lesley offers this piece of advice to our new and prospective students: “As easy as it is to get all wrapped up in the workload, events, etcetera that come with this program, don’t lose sight of who you are and what is important to you. As Jenny and Scott emphasized in one of our first PPE sessions, by all means make sure to afford yourself ‘dessert’ – whatever it might entail.”

And that’s that! We’ll see you next week (promise)!

Tougher than she thought – Alyssa’s story

September 24, 2010 Corporate Residency MBA Leave a Comment

Originally posted by Jordan Fujiwara.

Alyssa Alidina’s story is all about stepping out of her comfort zone: and loving it. It all started when she was finishing up her BScN (Natural Resources Conservation, major in Global Perspectives) at UBC. This Vancouver native knew one thing: “I wanted to go to grad school; I didn’t want to work after my undergrad.”

The then Dean of the program, David Wheeler, was in Vancouver at one of our info sessions that Alyssa attended. “That the Dean had so much investment in the program meant a lot to me,” she recalled. In a span of six months prior to getting accepted into the Corporate Residency MBA, she wrote the GRE, GMAT and LSAT while also working part time during school and full time in the summer, but was so enticed by our program that it was the only one she ended up applying to!

Accepting the offer and coming to Halifax was her first major challenge and departure from the ol’ comfort zone. She was moving across the country to a small city she’d never lived in, with no family or friends around to help her adjust. Luckily, the orientation week for the program remedied that issue with a three-day trip to Liscombe Lodge. “We came out of [that time at Liscombe] so close, we already knew we’d be a family,” says Alyssa. This is a common sentiment among a lot of people in the program, myself included!

With 40 new friends (or family, either is applicable), Alyssa was ready to tackle the next big venture outside the comfort zone: the corporate residency. Her undergraduate background was in the area of sustainability, and she had just come straight out of it so she was naturally a little apprehensive when she interviewed with TD Securities in September. “I had no financial experience,” she admits. “I hadn’t even picked up my finance textbook yet when I walked into that interview! We were basing the entire interview on ‘fit,’ we barely talked about the job, just me and how I would fit in the organization.”

She ended up getting the job offer (Business Analyst in Management Information Systems) and was faced with another big move to a new city, Toronto, after only six short months in Halifax. Despite the unfamiliar job and city, Alyssa rose to the challenge once again and thrived. “I realized I’m one of those people that can be happy anywhere, as long as I surround myself with people and things I like. I’m comfortable making things work. I’m a little tougher than I thought, I guess!”

Indeed she is. TD tossed her right into a project that involved developing an internal business intelligence tool that she was highly involved with for four months. “After that, my boss got a promotion and his role expanded enormously. He brought me under his wing and basically got me to do what he didn’t have time to do, like attend meetings or plan meetings with clients and internal/external auditors. I also did some HR work and the business continuity plans for my team and standardized them for new teams that came along with my boss’ promotion. I was sort of a Jack of All Trades.” She also attended a sustainability conference where she got hear fellow Vancouver native David Suzuki speak about issues that she had studied in her undergrad. Busy!

Now she’s back in school, which has been yet another huge (but welcome) adjustment. “I grew to love Toronto,” Alyssa says, “and I’ll probably go back there. I’m in the part of my life where I not only can handle but crave the fast-paced life of the downtown financial core.” She will most likely go back with TD, but is not going to close the door on any other opportunities. For example, the lifestyle of a business consultant appeals to her.

“I’m just really happy. I love the program. I’m so glad I decided to do things I wasn’t comfortable doing,” she says in closing. “Never close yourself off to anything. ‘Fit’ is also everything.”

This is a truth that I think you have to experience before you can truly appreciate it. And Alyssa has experienced it in spades. See everyone next week!

Never slowing down – Katie’s story

July 2, 2010 Corporate Residency MBA Leave a Comment

Originally posted by Jordan Fujiwara.

This is not the first time this year that Katie Baglole has had an article written about her. She has recently appeared in both the Financial Post and Prince Edward Island’s The Guardian. What’s her secret? Having an impressive story, ambition, and a bit of luck. The Financial Post was doing a segment on women in MBA programs with a finance focus. They got in touch with our program’s marketing manager who picked Katie out of the ladies who are in a financial role (Katie works for TD Securities in the Trading Risk Services department as a P&L (Profit and Loss) and Risk Analyst in Toronto). She comes from Summerside, PEI, so when the people at The Guardian newspaper read the Post article they called her up!

Katie has been busy these past six months: “After my experience in the MBA program, working a 12-hour day is a piece of cake. It really prepared me for the typically unstructured day I have.” Her day-to-day at TD involves supporting traders in London, Dublin and Singapore. Her team monitors live trades and ensures that the transactions are transparent and within certain risk limits. Since the nature of the trading desk is unpredictable and very fast-paced, she is forced to keep up! She also just finished training a new co-worker, a task that would have been impossible if not for the 8-month duration of the residency. “The length of the residency lets you sink your teeth in and get involved in more projects,” she says. “You get a much better understanding of the business [versus a typical 4-month co-op].”

While she is very busy at work, she is equally busy in her spare time! Katie’s undergrad was at UPEI where she took a BBA with a focus in International Business. Now, along with other classmates, she’s leading the charge to ratify the defunct Dalhousie International Business Society (link is to their Facebook Group). “We’re planning to organize case competitions, line up guest speakers and have a lot of fun,” she explains. Katie also helped captain a team for the Canadian Cancer Society’s Relay for Life in Toronto. The effort began in March and lasted about three months. If you have been visiting our Facebook page you may have noticed periodic posts detailing their progress. Last week I wrote a small piece on their accomplishment, but it is awesome enough to write about again: They raised $5,100 to support the Canadian Cancer Society! “I heard about the relay through the grapevine and thought it’d be an awesome way to get some friends together and do something meaningful at the same time. It was a blast!” They do plan on doing it again next year.

But that’s not all! Katie, along with myself and a few others from our class, participated in a Corporate Tour back in May. During that tour Katie met Martha Fell, a Dal alum and CEO of Women in Capital Markets, an organization that ‘promotes the entry, advancement, and development of women in the Capital Markets industry.’ It has an accredited mentorship program and Katie is planning to help bring awareness of WCM to the ladies at Dalhousie! If all that’s not enough, she also studied for and wrote the CFA Level 1 exam less than a month ago. “It was definitely a challenge, but it was a good experience too. These financial skills will be a strong asset, regardless of which career path I choose.”

Clearly she’s taken Toronto by storm! But what about her experiences pre-Toronto? I asked her about her most memorable experience during the first academic phase (July–December ’09). She says: “The hands-on nature of the projects. The highlight for me was our first ‘integrative’ session, the Millennium Development Goals. It was great to see the whole class come together to work on something so impactful. It was special for me: our group was tackling Infant Mortality and I got to incorporate my experience in Tanzania.” Oh yeah, I forgot to mention that Katie’s a world traveller who has taught English in Korea and volunteered in Tanzania and been to countless other places.

Here’s some parting advice from Katie, aimed at the new class who will be starting on Monday: “When you’re taking the classes it’s going to be tough and feel unstructured and be very difficult at times. When you start your residency you’re going to be happy you’ve had that experience. Life isn’t that structured.”

Thanks Katie! Happy Canada Day to all our readers and we’ll see you next Thursday (or earlier, if I do some pieces on the brand new crop of students!).

Another Twitterview from Toronto!

June 3, 2010 Corporate Residency MBA Leave a Comment

Originally posted by Jordan Fujiwara.

About a month ago I held an interview over Twitter (Twitterview) with one of the accepted students for the new incoming class: Scott A.E. Smith. It was well received, so I thought I’d do another one! This time it’s with Nirushan Thambirajah, who is coincidentally going to be Scott’s roommate come July! He also resides in Toronto, hence the title of this week’s blog. So without further ado, here we go:

Nirushan Thambirajah (@NirushanT) Twitterview with Jordy Fujiwara (@dalmba):

@dalmba: Hey Nirushan! This Twitterview is a long time coming! Q#1: Can you tell us a bit about yourself? Likes? Hobbies? Fears?

@ NirushanT: My name is Nirushan Thambirajah. Just finished my undergrad at WLU in Econ/Finance. Love sports, enjoy reading bio’s, fear failure!

@dalmba: Q#2: What are you looking forward to the most when it comes to doing this #MBA?

@ NirushanT: There are 2 main aspects that get me giddy! (1) To develop the soft skills that make me valuable. (2) To secure the right CR.

@dalmba: Soft skills are key. Q3 What did you think of today’s blog ( http://lnkby.me/h8 ) all about our PPE stream and Ben’s take on it?

@ NirushanT: Personally I think your academic merit will only take you so far, your intangibles (soft skills) will separate you from the pack.

@ NirushanT: Ben is bang on about how it’s important to realize your strengths/weaknesses. Soft skills can be very valuable in social scenarios.

@dalmba: Q#4: Have you ever been to #Halifax, Nova Scotia? What’s the first thing you want to do when you get here in July?

@ NirushanT: I actually have been once! After the suitcases are dropped off @scottaesmith and I will head to a patio to enjoy a pint of Keiths!

@dalmba: Q5: What’s your intended focus, professionally? Do you think this new #MBA program is going to help you get there?

@ NirushanT: I’d love to get into asset management, so Burgundy catches my eye on that list. Another attractive one would be Scotia Capital.

@dalmba: Q#6: What do you think about the fact that this #MBA program starts in July as opposed to September, like regular programs?

@ NirushanT: I was definitely apprehensive at first, since it’s a pretty quick turnover from undergrad. However, I’ve heard it’s bearable

@ NirushanT: Looks like summertime in Halifax is enjoyable. Hopefully, we can get the 2012 class together after classes a lot and enjoy the city!

@dalmba: Well, I’m still alive, so you’ll be fine I’m sure! Q7: how did you first find out about the CR #MBA program?

@ NirushanT: Interestingly enough, it was from a current #MBA student, Mac Wilson. I first heard about the program from him early last year.

@ NirushanT: I’ve been keeping in touch with him regularly, as well as talking to JoAnne and Kevin. Everyone’s had positive things to say.

@dalmba: All top notch people, 100%. Q8: How did you find the application process: the essay, the profile, the interview, etc.?

@ NirushanT: In two words: time consuming. It’s a testament to the screening process the Dal #MBA program undertakes.

@ NirushanT: Looking at the first CR #MBA class, it looks like the process works. I’ve never ever had an 1.5 hour [interview] for anything in my life!

@dalmba: Last Sept., we had an interview day where ~30 employers conducted 200 interviews in 8 hours for CR placement. Excited?

@ NirushanT: I think that day has been mentioned by a lot of the current #MBA students! I’m sure there will be many different emotions that day.

@dalmba: Indeed! Q10: If you had to say something quick to people out there who might be considering our #MBA program, what would you say?

@ NirushanT: From what I can tell, the administration/faculty look to be very dedicated. There seems to be internal motivation to help us.

@ NirushanT: In terms of the curriculum, it seems to be very comprehensive. The 8 month CR is one of a kind, and is the icing on the cake!

@dalmba: Awesome. And that’s all my questions for you Nirushan! Thank you so much for this second Twitterview!

@ NirushanT: This was a lot of fun! Definitely got me a lot more excited for July.

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There you have it! In one month the new class will be here… so hopefully these blogs will have some interesting new content around that time as well… stay tuned!

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