Written by: Mara Williams

James (Jamie) McGuigan (CRMBA’11), Managing Director & Head of Investor Solutions at Scotiabank Global Banking and Markets, leads a team that distributes defined-outcome investment strategies to clients across three continents. His success in this role can be traced back to his 8-month corporate residency, completed at Scotiabank when he was a Corporate Residency MBA student. “The experience allowed me to immerse myself in the bank’s culture and build relationships that made my transition to a full-time role seamless. This foundation has been instrumental in my 15-year tenure at Scotiabank.”

Network Building Through Work-Integrated Learning

Working in Scotiabank Commercial Banking for eight months during his MBA allowed Jamie to get his foot in the door at Scotiabank. “My work term provided invaluable exposure to different aspects of the Bank and helped me establish a strong professional network within Scotiabank.” Working at Scotiabank provided Jamie with opportunities to get to know the leadership team and build connections that led to the role he is in today. Taking advantage of networking opportunities and job shadowing senior employees gave Jamie strong, relevant connections in his desired field, as well as hand-on experience that became applicable after graduation. Completing a work term allowed him to develop a deeper understanding of Scotiabank and the finance industry than would have been possible in solely a classroom setting.

Leveraging Skills to Cope with Crisis

Jamie completed his corporate residency at Scotiabank in early 2010s, a time when the banking industry was still emerging from a global financial crisis. This was a time of great uncertainty in the industry and required those in leadership positions to balance competing priorities and maintain positive team morale despite constant upheaval. Experiencing this crisis during his work term allowed Jamie to develop skills in risk assessment and mitigation, which became extremely valuable as the COVID-19 pandemic led to drastic change and uncertainty in the industry once again. This time, being in a leadership role during an uncertain period, he had an even bigger role to play in ensuring the ongoing success of Scotiabank Global Banking and Markets. “Leading my team through this crisis required a high level of adaptability, resilience, and strategic thinking, skills that were honed during my work term.”

Getting Involved on Campus

At Dalhousie, Jamie took an active role in student life, which allowed him to develop key skills integral to his career today. His experience co-founding the Dalhousie International Business Society and planning a class trip to Chicago allowed him to grow his organizational and networking skills. Competing in case competitions allowed him to develop analytical and presentation skills while working under pressure. As a student, Jamie also had the opportunity to participate in an international exchange to Mexico, where he provided consulting advice to a small business, working through cultural and business environment differences. “These experiences collectively prepared me for the real-world challenges of my work term and my subsequent career.”

Why CRMBA

Upon completion of his undergraduate degree, Jamie knew he wanted to build a career in the competitive world of sales and trading. To strengthen his chances of success, he chose to pursue a graduate degree at Dalhousie due to its strong finance reputation and unique corporate residency program. He joined the very first cohort of students who completed the Corporate Residency MBA program. “Being part of the first CRMBA cohort was both exciting and nerve-wracking. Students and faculty were both highly motivated to ensure the program’s success. We were a unique group, eager to innovate and take risks. We bonded quickly during a weekend getaway to Liscombe Lodge and spent a lot of time together both inside and outside the classroom. It was a special group of people and I’m still close with many of the people in our cohort to this day.” Dalhousie’s CRMBA program is still to this day the only MBA program in Canada with a mandatory eight-month work term component.

 

In fall 2024, Management Career Services reached an incredible milestone of 20,000 business work terms for students in the Bachelor of Commerce Co-op, Bachelor of Management, and Corporate Residency MBA programs. These programs have produced a diverse group of alumni who have made significant contributions across industries. To learn more about their stories and the impact of these work-integrated learning programs, visit our website.