Jessie Park

With recent instability in some U.S. banks and the crypto “winter” that began last year, experts say it’s more important than ever for finance professionals to understand the innovations – and challenges – in the sector.

“The world is changing quickly, and so too are the skills needed to thrive,” says John Hull, a University Professor of finance at the University of Toronto’s Rotman School of Management.

Hull is the academic director of the Rotman Financial Innovation Hub (FinHub), which is designed to help fintech practitioners, students and faculty to share insights and equip students with best-in-class knowledge of financial innovation. He created the hub five years ago with Andreas Park, professor of finance at U of TMississauga, and the late Peter Christoffersen, who was a professor of finance at Rotman.

“We recognized there were lots of things happening in the financial sector that are transformative and different, and we wanted to develop the knowledge base and pass it on to the students so they can compete in this space,” says Park, who has a cross-appointment to Rotman.

Each year, students can take courses taught by FinHub-affiliated faculty. That includes Hull and Park, who offer courses on machine learning, blockchain, decentralized finance and financial market trading.

One of the most in-demand MBA electives is machine learning and financial innovation, which introduces students to the tools of machine learning. A similar course is compulsory for students in the master of financial risk management and master of finance programs.

Students are required to learn Python in the course, with Hull calling the programming language “the new Excel” as it becomes a common requirement for many jobs in finance.

“I’ve met traders in their 40s who go and learn Python because it simplifies their workflow,” says Park. “It’s all about inferring data and making sense of it, and then predicting future data using machine learning tools. And to do that, you need to learn Python.”

The machine learning course is offered to full-time MBA students in March and April of their first year. It’s also available as an elective in their second year.

“Many MBA students get involved in machine learning as part of their summer internship, so it's important to give them an opportunity to familiarize themselves with machine learning and Python applications prior to that time,” says Hull.

MBA student Cameron Thompson took the course prior to an internship at Boston Consulting Group (BCG) and says the hands-on practice in class was invaluable, with or without an extensive background in computer programming.

“Being familiar with common machine learning terminology from day one on the job was quite useful,” says Thompson, who will be returning to BCG full-time following graduation. “The course builds a solid foundation for using data in a strategic way and then adds the machine learning content – it’s hard to go anywhere without seeing an application.”

In his second year, Thompson pursued an independent FinHub study project – sponsored by the Bank of Canada – that involved working with researchers from Rotman and the Faculty of Applied Science & Engineering on a natural language processing model.

MBA grad Fengmin Weng, who took the elective course with Hull, says the insights from class prepared her to lead a machine learning project at TD.

“Machine learning is definitely the trend in the financial industry, particularly in the risk management area,” says Weng, who came from an accounting background when she pursued the master of financial risk management program.

“It definitely helps us to make better decisions around our strategy,” she says. “If you want to develop your career in the risk area, machine learning is your weapon.”

Richard Liu, who received his MBA from Rotman three years ago, says the machine learning course was one of the most eye-opening parts of his MBA experience. Today, he says he uses many of the concepts from the course in his work as a financial planner.

“I’m able to recognize when it’s more effective to train computers to enhance our work, how to coexist with robo-advisors and how to automate some of our financial planning processes,” says Liu.

Students involved with FinHub courses are equipped with the tools to think critically about the implications and benefits of emerging technologies in the financial sector, says Park, adding that “they’re able to enter an organization and use these tools to help improve processes and strategies.”

Hull, meanwhile, says student who take the course gain insight into the direction the finance world is heading – namely “that machine learning is becoming more and more important in business."

More than just buildings: Rotman grad pursues social impact in real estate development

Christopher.Sorensen — Thu, 24 Nov 2022 14:27:53 +0000

More than just buildings: Rotman grad pursues social impact in real estate development

Christopher.Sorensen Thu, 11/24/2022 - 09:27

Cutline

(photo courtesy of Fatima Saya)

Topic

Rotman School of Management

If anyone had told Fatima Saya four years ago that she’d work in real estate development after completing her MBA at the Rotman School of Management, she probably wouldn’t have believed them.

With a passion for building community, creating social and global impact and advancing equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) wherever she goes, Saya was recognized in her second year for creating and leading a diversity education program for the incoming MBA class in partnership with the school’s Office of Student Engagement and her peers.

Today, she is a senior manager of social impact at The Daniels Corporation, a Toronto-based real estate development company – and says the link between the two is not as unusual as it might initially sound.

“Without cultural, economic or social infrastructure, buildings are just buildings,” says Saya. “State-of-the-art construction is a big part of what we do at Daniels, but what we're really focused on is building inclusive and sustainable communities through real estate development.”

Saya’s work falls under three main categories: social infrastructure development, local economic development and community engagement. One of the largest projects she’s involved in is the Regent Park revitalization project, where Daniels has been the development partner for its first three phases since 2006.

Since the project began, the physical infrastructure in Regent Park has been completely transformed for its residents, including the building of a new youth centre, community arts and culture hub and award-winning athletic facilities. The revitalization project has also helped to connect more than 1,600 people with employment opportunities through the new Regent Park Employment Centre.

“No two days are the same in my world,” says Saya. “One day, I might meet with the employment community group in Regent Park about creating new jobs for residents, then I might meet with Artscape on creative placemaking that we’re trying to bring to one of the communities.”

The Daniels Corporation has been a development partner for three phases of the Regent Park revitalization project (photo by Steve Russell/Toronto Star via Getty Images)

A typical afternoon involves meeting with the College of Carpenters and Allied Trades and the YMCA about CRAFT, the youth employment program Daniels runs in Regent Park and Scarborough. And to cap off the day, an internal meeting on EDI –another key portfolio in her role.

“I'm consistently juggling about two dozen projects, and they're all different,” says Saya. “I became used to that at Rotman, and it has also been a common thread throughout my academic experience and now at work – I’m always looking for that multidisciplinary approach."

After working in the education sector in Montreal following her undergraduate studies, Saya recalls noticing a management gap in the non-profit sector. Coming from an international development and political science background, she figured business school would be largely uncharted territory, but took the plunge anyway.

“I wanted to gain those management skills and challenge myself in a new way,” she says. “I like to pull from different disciplines when seeking out solutions to problems, so I was drawn to how inherently interdisciplinary the MBA program was. That’s also why I pursued a dual-degree program, completing my master of global affairs degree from the Munk School of Global Affairs [& Public Policy] at the same time.”

Following her graduation, Saya searched for a role that would allow her to apply her MBA skills in the social sector, with a focus on EDI. In the meantime, she worked as a freelance consultant using the skills she gained from working at NeXus Consulting Group during her second year. NeXus is an in-house consulting firm comprising Rotman MBA students and not-for-profit organizations, which merged with the Impact Consulting Group at Rotman in 2022.

“I was looking for something very specific, and I was comfortable with the reality that it was going to take some time to find whatever that is,” she says.

Now in her ideal role, she says the best part is getting to use her diverse skills on projects that impact thousands of people in the Greater Toronto Area.

“At the end of the day, real estate development is inevitable as we grow rapidly as a city and a country,” says Saya. “It gives me hope that more people are embracing that development can happen in ways that build the social, cultural and economic infrastructure of our cities and our communities.”

'I knew I had to change': Senior NASA official pursues MBA as the space economy booms

Christopher.Sorensen — Tue, 09 Aug 2022 13:18:02 +0000

'I knew I had to change': Senior NASA official pursues MBA as the space economy booms

Christopher.Sorensen Tue, 08/09/2022 - 09:18

Cutline

David Mauro, deputy chief of the spaceflight division at NASA Ames Research Center, began work on his Rotman-SDA Bocconi Global Executive MBA program last year (photo courtesy of David Mauro)

Jessie Park

Topic

Our Community

Creative Destruction Lab

Global

MBA

Rotman School of Management

Space

For David Mauro, deputy chief of the spaceflight division at NASA Ames Research Center, returning to school for an MBA was necessary to keep up with the booming demands in the space industry.

He began his MBA with the Rotman-SDA Bocconi Global Executive MBA (GEMBA) program last year – one month into his current role – in a bid grasp the business fundamentals that were needed more than ever in his career.

The program is offered jointly by the University of Toronto’s Rotman School of Management and the SDA Bocconi School of Management at Italy’s Bocconi University.

“We’re going through a renaissance in the space economy, and I knew I had to change with it,” says Mauro, a 12-year industry veteran. “There’s a need for people who know both the technical side and the business side of space.

“I wanted to learn more about the business side, so I joined the GEMBA program to equip myself with that knowledge.”

Mauro has what many space enthusiasts would consider a dream job: He works on making space missions come to life with a team of scientists, system engineers and project managers. From missions beyond our atmosphere to measuring the wind on Mars, he works on complex projects with high stakes and budgets.

There have been huge investments into space in recent years, including Elon Musk’s ambitious SpaceX; Richard Branson's Virgin Galactic, the world’s first public commercial spaceflight company; and NASA’s cutting-edge James Webb telescope. Hundreds of smaller space-tech startups are also entering the arena, such as Milan-based D-Orbit, the first in-space logistics company to work on mitigating debris in space.

“Many startups and private sector companies continue to invest in space, and what’s now a US$400-billion industry is estimated to soar to about US$1 trillion by 2040,” says Mauro.

At Rotman, the Creative Destruction Lab has a bustling space stream to coach startup companies pursuing commercial opportunities related to space. Mentors in CDL Space include field experts such as Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield and academic experts like April Franco, a professor of economic analysis and policy at U of T Scarborough and Rotman.

It’s this rapid transformation that puts leaders like Mauro in a position to be more strategic than ever – from rethinking internal strategies to carefully allocating large budgets and navigating potential partnerships with startups.

“My experience in the GEMBA program is changing the way I think about problems,” says Mauro. “I started looking at things in new and creative ways when thinking about NASA Ames Research Center’s internal strategy or how we can improve certain processes.”

He adds that his strategy implementation course will be particularly relevant the next time his division undergoes an internal shift.

Over the course of the 18-month program, learners from around the world meet in Toronto, Milan, Mumbai, Copenhagen, San Francisco, Shanghai and San Paulo for immersive modules that cover the business fundamentals for leaders across industries.

Most recently, Mauro’s class returned from San Francisco, where they met with tech industry leaders to get a deeper look at mergers and acquisitions strategies. In other cities, participants delve into topics that range from managing innovation and corporate strategy to ethics and sustainability.

“It was like learning to read again,” Mauro says. “I’m building so many bridges in my understanding of how everything connects, and I’m bringing these reflections into my work.”

While the fun part of his new job is dealing with space missions, Mauro says managing different types of people makes up the bulk of his role.

“Machines are predictable, but humans are human – they have different skill sets, personalities and needs,” he says, noting the courses he has taken on leadership, leveraging diverse teams and strategic change have been instrumental to his confidence as a leader.

With the barriers slowly dissolving for non-astronauts to take part in spaceflight, Mauro says he's often taken aback by the huge shifts in the space landscape from just a decade ago.

“Before, spaceflight required intensive and very technical training and was largely only available to professional astronauts, but now it’s a matter of how much money you have,” he says. “It’s mind-blowing. It makes you realize how much the space industry will continue to transform as the private sector looks to make a return on its investments.”

Through his studies, Mauro says he hopes to set an example for his young kids, aged five and seven.

“I want to show them that you never have to stop learning,” he says. “I’m 47 and it doesn’t matter if this is your third or fourth degree – we’re never done.”

In MBA program, twin brothers set themselves up for success – and discovered what makes them unique

geoff.vendeville — Fri, 22 Jul 2022 15:28:01 +0000

In MBA program, twin brothers set themselves up for success – and discovered what makes them unique

geoff.vendeville Fri, 07/22/2022 - 11:28

Cutline

Nishul and Nakul Juneja, twins and graduates of the MBA program in the Rotman School of Management, took many of the same courses and both interned at Amazon – but also learned about what makes them different (photo by Eugene Grichko/Rotman)

Topic

Rotman School of Management

In many ways, brothers Nakul and Nishul Juneja live up to the identical twin stereotype.

They wear similar rectangular glasses and often finish each other’s sentences. They completed the same undergraduate program at the Georgia Institute of Technology, then both went on to work at the Hershey Company’s corporate office as analysts. Now, they've checked off another major milestone together: graduating with master's of business administration degrees from the University of Toronto's Rotman School of Management.

While the Juneja brothers have a lot in common, they have strived to express their individuality. In their classes, they learned about a similar problem in the world of marketing: when an almost identical brand exists in the market, how do you set your own apart?

“People assume we have the same outlook on everything, but it’s very different at times,” Nishul says. “It was our experience at Rotman which helped us understand how to identify and leverage our personal strengths.”

The brothers planned to set off on different paths after graduation. Nakul was set to join the consulting firm McKinsey & Company as an associate, while Nishul was due to become a senior product manager on Amazon’s advertising team. Although they moved in lockstep at Rotman – taking nearly all the same courses, joining the same clubs and both interning at Amazon – they were also able to discover what made each of them unique.

Spending time with Nakul, it becomes obvious he loves experiencing new things, although he's more introverted than his brother.

While Nakul had never worked in consulting before, it was one of his long-held goals to give it a try. During the MBA program, Nakul learned his strengths lie in strategy and international management. One of the highlights of his time at Rotman was participating in a mental health case competition with the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) and the Rotman Management Consulting Association.

“I found an appreciation for consulting work across different sectors and discovered the impact I can have on people and organizations through my work,” he says.

Like his brother, Nakul also considered joining Amazon full-time after graduation. During his internship following his first year in the MBA program, he helped build an internal software product designed to track employee engagement. While he loved the stimulating environment there, he decided to pursue his goal of working in consulting.

“I’m excited for this new chapter in my career,” Nakul says. “McKinsey works with global companies on complex issues where I can really apply the learnings and frameworks from class, from negotiation to international business.”

Nishul also thrived during an internship at Amazon and accepted an offer to return there after graduation. He saw that the opportunities in the company aligned with his own long-term career goal: to manage diverse teams, and ultimately become a leader at a global company.

“Amazon is probably the most customer-obsessed company in the world, and it meshes well with my desire to become a customer-obsessed manager,” Nishul says.

Nishul pursued an executive position in the Rotman Marketing Association, where he served as the vice-president of industry relations and finance. When a series of case competitions didn't go the brothers' way, Nishul and Nakul promised themselves that they would step up their game.

“We signed up as a two-person team for the Brewery Case Competition, hosted by the Rotman Beer Association, where you partner with a local brewery and try to fix a business problem for them,” says Nishul. “We were with Lost Craft Brewery, and we spent three days working on their business problem... and trying a bunch of their products.”

Facing stiff competition, the brothers still managed to snag third place.

“Everyone wants to do everything. There are a hundred different things to try during an MBA program and it really is like drinking from a firehose,” says Nishul. “I tried to find the two or three things that really mattered to me.”

Nakul and Nishul say they learned many things at Rotman, including strict time management and sharp negotiation skills that will serve them well in their careers.

Nishul, who started the program with his brother in the fall of 2020 as the world adjusted to the COVID-19 pandemic, said going to school at such an unusual time was a “life-changing” experience.

“We’re now entering a world where everything has changed, and we have the right skillset to succeed in this new world,” he adds. “In business, we’re seeing new regulations and a big push towards e-commerce and international trade – all these things which we learned in-depth at Rotman.”

For Nakul, it's the warm and welcoming community he found in Toronto and at Rotman that made an impact on him as an international student.

“It’s the most familiar [and] unfamiliar place you’ll ever see. Your classmates are there for you. The school is there for you,” he says. “It might take some time to get used to things, especially for folks who are more reserved, but once you’re here, you’ll see that there are opportunities for everyone.”

Nakul and Nishul are now poised to embrace the world separately, together.

“We came to Rotman wanting to pivot our careers and meet interesting people, and we’re leaving with so much more than that,” Nakul says. “We now have the knowledge and experience to help us succeed in an ever-changing world.”

“Getting a refreshing perspective on the world, working with students and professors from diverse backgrounds – it makes you see the world differently than before,” adds Nishul.

“It changes the way you see problems, the way you behave and ultimately, who you are.”

Rotman School of Management launches certificate program to prepare non-business grads for the workforce

Christopher.Sorensen — Tue, 10 May 2022 15:28:26 +0000

Rotman School of Management launches certificate program to prepare non-business grads for the workforce

Christopher.Sorensen Tue, 05/10/2022 - 11:28

Cutline

The Business Readiness Certificate is s built around the Rotman School of Management's MBA Essentials executive program and is open to students from across U of T and beyond (photo by skynesher/Getty Images)

Jessie Park

Topic

Our Community

Rotman School of Management

When Stephanie Hodnett completed her bachelor's degree in English literature, getting on the path to a meaningful career took years of trial and error.

She recalls being unsure of which direction to take and feeling and like her master’s degree was needed to help guide her next step.

It also took Hodnett years to learn about best practices in workplace – from how to negotiate job offers and promotions, to understanding how a company’s strategy and finances could impact her job.

“I wished there was a shortcut where I could get a flavour for different paths to take after my undergraduate degree and learn how to be valuable in any workplace I join,” says Hodnett, who is executive director of Rotman Executive Programs at the University of Toronto’s Rotman School of Management.

Today, new graduates from across U of T and beyond can take part in a certificate program to accelerate their success and expand their career options.

The Rotman Business Readiness Certificate, which launched this spring, is designed for recent graduates and early-career professionals who come from a non-business background. The certificate is earned by completing three six-week courses offered by Rotman Executive Programs. In the hybrid path, participants will complete the courses MBA Essentials (online), Financial Acumen (online) and Negotiations (in-person), which is a course best delivered live. In the fully virtual path, learners will choose an online elective in place of Negotiations. Available electives include Cybersecurity, Digital Transformation, Women in Leadership, Business Analytics, Business Design Thinking, Digital Marketing and more.

Each course comes with a certificate of completion at the end. Once all three courses are completed, participants will receive their Business Readiness Certificate.

Stephanie Hodnett says the Business Ready Certificate is designed to be a bridge to the business world (photo courtesy of Rotman School of Management)

“It’s a great opportunity for new graduates to gain tangible proof of their understanding of the latest business insights, all while demonstrating a commitment to continued learning,” says Hodnett.

The certificate is built around the MBA Essentials executive program. Designed to be a bridge to business, participants learn the tools to analyze macroeconomic trends, evaluate financial performance and investment opportunities, drive organizational change, use marketing strategies for growth and develop a diversity and inclusion action plan.

Modules are taught by Rotman faculty members, including: Walid Hejazi, associate professor of economic analysis and policy; Scott Liao, professor of accounting; Simon Ashbourne, founder and partner at The Marketplace Capabilities Group and Sonia Kang, an associate professor of organizational behaviour and human resource management and Canada Research Chair in Identity, Diversity and Inclusion.

Since the online version of MBA Essentials launched in September 2021, more than 580 participants from around the world have completed the course in an effort to diversify their skillset.

Negotiations, which is offered in-person as part of the hybrid path to the Business Readiness Certificate, is also one of Rotman’s most popular executive programs.

“This course can be extremely helpful as you start out in your career,” says Hodnett. “You learn how to ask good questions, advocate for yourself and understand the opposite person’s point of view – that can be your manager, your client or a vendor, for example."

In general, Hodnett says the certificate is a great way to brush up on business skills as graduates prepare to enter the job market.

“Understanding essential business principles will give participants a competitive advantage in a constantly changing workforce,” says Hodnett. “Entering the job market, you might have great critical thinking and analytical skills, but you may lack knowledge on the practical concerns of a business environment.

“This is a way to get up to speed on that in six weeks.”

COVID-19 hastens trend towards more 'dynamic' workplace: U of T researcher

Christopher.Sorensen — Fri, 25 Mar 2022 16:19:05 +0000

COVID-19 hastens trend towards more 'dynamic' workplace: U of T researcher

Christopher.Sorensen Fri, 03/25/2022 - 12:19

Cutline

The shift to virtual and hybrid work in 2020 put the spotlight on some key challenges of the modern workplace by requiring employees to be more flexible and better at multitasking, says U of T researcher Jia Lin Xie (photo by Portra via Getty Images)

Jessie Park

Topic

Our Community

Rotman School of Management

For more than two decades, Jia Lin Xie has researched the relationships people have with their jobs. What factors influence work satisfaction, motivation and emotional or physical well-being? And how do different cultures and generations connect to their work?

The answers were always complex and ever-changing, but Xie says the sudden shift to virtual and hybrid work in 2020 for most knowledge workers – people with jobs that can be done remotely using technology – has put the spotlight on some key challenges of the modern workplace.

“Jobs are becoming more dynamic, and that requires employees to be more flexible, available and better at multitasking,” says Xie, a professor of organizational behaviour at the University of Toronto’s Rotman School of Management. “There’s also an expectation for employees to constantly upgrade their skills to cope with increasing demands or uncertainty at work.”

In a 2018 paper published in Applied Psychology, Xie and her co-authors revealed a new class of work characteristics that had yet to be studied in management literature: “boundarylessness” (the blurring lines between people’s work and non-work lives); multitasking (having to balance multiple projects at the same time); non-work-related interruptions (such as routine fire alarms in a condo building or caring for family members at home) and the growing demand for constant learning (pressure from employers to pursue professional development activities outside of work).

Dubbed “hybrid work characteristics,” the four variables don’t neatly fit into the three categories of work characteristics that make up current management research: task (how the work is accomplished), social (the social environment at work) and contextual (the broader physical and organizational environment).

For instance, non-work-related interruptions fall under the social and contextual domains, while multitasking has aspects of all three categories.

Though Xie’s research on hybrid work characteristics began long before the pandemic, she says her findings are more relevant than ever today.

“Virtual and hybrid work have magnified the effects of these challenges,” says Xie. “We wanted to capture how this affects people – how can multitasking or the dissolving of boundaries between work and life be measured, and how do they impact employee wellbeing?”

Taking survey data from 968 employees of various seniority levels across two large North American companies, the researchers found that boundarylessness, multitasking, non-work-related interruptions and the growing demand for constant learning have a direct impact on job satisfaction, occupational commitment, emotional exhaustion and health disorders such as insomnia.

In the study, non-work-related interruptions were found to be most detrimental to an employee’s job satisfaction, occupational commitment, emotional and physical health.

“Interruptions at work are nothing new, but with technology and social media they’re constant and you have no place to hide,” says Xie. “After dealing with an interruption, the employee must spend more time and effort to recover from it to return to the point at which their work was interrupted.”

Compared to work-related interruptions, non-work-related interruptions are less likely to directly benefit the employee or the organization. They can also be more disruptive to the employee.

On the other hand, multitasking, boundarylessness and the demand for constant learning were found to be both depleting and enriching – meaning they can negatively impact employee wellbeing but improve attitudes, such as interest and engagement.

“People who enjoy stability, regular work schedules or have lower tolerance for ambiguity may suffer more,” says Xie, noting that people who are more flexible, enjoy change and multitasking may find these dynamics a rewarding challenge.

“This calls for managers to carefully consider how work can be designed in ways that facilitate positive employee attitudes without jeopardizing their health,” Xie adds.

Even if an employee is resistant to change, Xie says there are ways for companies adapt to the dynamic modern workplace.

“Organizations should use their resources to help employees with not only job-related training, but also cognitive and workstyle training,” she adds.

Some skills that more employees can benefit from include coping with stress, managing work-related anxiety and prioritizing tasks to navigate the demand for multitasking.

In an era where younger generations are changing jobs more frequently compared to older generations, Xie’s research paves a way for more experts to study how employees and employers can adapt to a rapidly changing workplace.

"We spend at least a third of our lives at work, and we prepare for many years before we even join the workplace. Then, we face this demand for constant learning at work – you're never good enough and it can feel endless,” Xie says.

“So, what’s the balancing point? We need to understand how work affects us, what type of work design can be stimulating for employees or deplete them physically and psychologically. I see it as a duty to contribute knowledge in this area, and this is just one small step in charting the new terrain of work design."

Alumni from Rotman's MBA program offer tips to empower the next generation of Black business leaders

Christopher.Sorensen — Fri, 25 Feb 2022 17:52:59 +0000

Alumni from Rotman's MBA program offer tips to empower the next generation of Black business leaders

Christopher.Sorensen Fri, 02/25/2022 - 12:52

Cutline

From left to right: Mo Banjoko, Phil McDonald and Wale Oyebanjo are MBA alumni from U of T's Rotman School of Management (photos courtesy of Rotman)

Topic

Rotman School of Management

Be an agent of change, stay true to yourself and remain open to unexpected opportunities.

These are among the words of advice offered by successful MBA alumni from the University of Toronto’s Rotman School of Management who want to empower a new generation of leaders in the Black, African-Canadian and Afro-Caribbean communities.

Mo Banjoko, Wale Oyebanjo and Phil McDonald reflected on their MBA experience and unique career journeys at the Future Black Business Leaders Conference earlier this month.

The annual event was co-hosted by the Rotman African Caribbean Business Club (RACBC) and Students Against Anti-Black Racism (SABR), two student-run groups at the school.

“Our goal for this event was to spotlight Black Excellence in the Rotman community by creating space for business professionals, faculty, students and alumni to share their perspectives and insights," says Charles Locoh-Donou, SABR's vice-president of events and co-president of RACBC.

“It also helps to build continuity in the conversation around anti-Black racism beyond the academic environment – through to its implications in corporate Canada – which is a primary element of our mandate. We're passionate about events like this as they’re highly inspirational and encouraging for prospective Black students who consider Rotman in their pursuit of advanced studies like the MBA program.”

Here’s a snapshot of the advice Banjoko, Oyebanjo and McDonald shared with others at the event:

Mo Banjoko on networking in a new cultural environment

Senior Manager, Business Consulting at EPAM Systems

As an international student from Nigeria, Banjoko was met with a sharp learning curve as she adjusted to a new culture upon arriving in Toronto.

“Networking did not come naturally to me at all and I didn’t know anybody,” says Banjoko, who received her MBA in 2018 in an effort to pivot her accounting career into one focused on strategy and technology.

“Reaching out to someone on LinkedIn or being the only Black person in the room at a networking event was always a little scary.”

She says it helped to change her mindset and see the discomfort as a learning opportunity.

“I’ve realized people are very willing to share their experiences and help you, but you also need to help them by going in prepared and being more deliberate with your questions,” she says.

Working with career coaches through Rotman career services was a “lifesaver,” she says, giving her tools and tricks for interviewing and presenting that she uses to this day.

“It takes a team of people to help you reinvent yourself, to give you feedback and tell you where your strengths are.”

In her current role, Banjoko oversees process collaboration and stakeholder engagement in the payment systems space.

She says she’s encouraged to see more Black students at Rotman, along with scholarships and funding to support future classes.

Rotman has launched several new scholarships for Black and Indigenous students, including the Morning and Evening MBA Black Students Advancement Scholarship, which was endowed as part of the inaugural Rotman Giving Day in 2021; and the Rotman African Caribbean Business Club Scholarship, which received support from the Laidlaw Foundation.

Ten per cent of the Rotman full-time MBA Class of 2023 identified as Black.

“It’s moving the needle,” Banjoko says. “I think it shows that if you see something around you that can be improved, you can speak up and people at Rotman want to help.”

Wale Oyebanjo on the power of a diverse city

Investment Banking Associate at Scotiabank

Before Oyebanjo worked in finance, he was an emergency room physician in Nigeria.

His transition into the finance industry began in Nigeria, but Oyebanjo was determined to enter the larger North American market to expand his reach in investment banking.

“Education is culture. If I wanted to understand the business culture, I knew I needed to start with education,” he says. When it was time to pursue an MBA program, he looked to Rotman, since it was in the heart of Toronto, a global city and finance hub. He received his degree in 2020.

“The professors are world-class and it’s a very diverse environment,” Oyebanjo says. “You have people from every part of the world, so you get to see things from a global lens. That’s something that stuck out for me.”

He says refining his financial modelling skills was the most valuable thing he gained from the program, along with having a massive alumni network to tap into.

“That’s led me to where I am today,” says Oyebanjo, who currently specializes in technology and health-care deal transactions at Scotiabank.

“The upside to an MBA at Rotman is massive and you want to catch the opportunity now,” he says. “There are tons of resources waiting for you to explore.”

Phil McDonald on starting new initiatives at Rotman

Vice President, Business Development at Headset

McDonald calls himself a data geek and entrepreneur at heart. It’s only natural that during his MBA at Rotman, which he completed in 2017, that he started the Rotman Business Analytics Club to bring people together to build digital literacy skills.

“Data is the new oil: something that’s going to drive businesses for generations to come,” says McDonald, who currently leads strategic partnerships and growth initiatives at Headset, an analytics and market intelligence company focused on the cannabis industry.

“If there’s something you want to bring to Rotman, you have the supports in place. If you have something in mind, it’s on you to make it happen and I encourage everyone to lean into that.”

In addition to courses in strategy, McDonald says the coaching he received from the Joe Weider Foundation Leadership Development Lab in his first year of the program was invaluable to his success as a leader.

“I didn’t realize that I paced a lot while I spoke, so having that real-time feedback from coaches and professors who care about your development was fantastic,” he says.

His advice for those considering an MBA?

“Go in with a plan and understand what you want to get out of it and work backwards. But also, be open because you never know what could happen.”

A competitive edge: U of T students and alumni on the value of Rotman’s finance research and trading lab

Christopher.Sorensen — Fri, 17 Dec 2021 21:19:51 +0000

A competitive edge: U of T students and alumni on the value of Rotman’s finance research and trading lab

Christopher.Sorensen Fri, 12/17/2021 - 16:19

Cutline

U of T alumnus Jason Ho says the Rotman School of Management's finance research and training lab gave him a leg up when he was searching for a job on Bay Street (photo courtesy of Rotman School of Management)

Topic

Faculty of Arts & Science

Graduate Students

Rotman Commerce

Rotman School of Management

Jason Ho was able to jumpstart his actual career in finance thanks to simulated experiences he received at the University of Toronto’s Rotman School of Management.

In addition to courses, internships and networking, Ho says the BMO Financial Group Finance Research and Trading Lab’s (FRT-Lab) hands-on simulations gave him a competitive advantage when it came to landing his job at a big bank.

“The real world is very different from a classroom setting – what we learn in the lab is very representative of what you actually see in the industry,” says Ho, who began his role as a data scientist at RBC Capital Markets in July after graduating as valedictorian from Rotman’s master of financial risk management program.

He adds that he became well-versed in using the lab’s Rotman Interactive Trader Market Simulator and Rotman Portfolio Manager through two courses – a financial trading strategy course in his undergraduate Rotman Commerce program, and a financial risk management course during his master’s degree.

The BMO Financial Group Finance Research and Trading Lab provides students with hands-on simulations (photo courtesy of Rotman School of Management)

Both courses were taught by Craig Geoffrey, academic co-director of the trading lab and an assistant professor of finance in the teaching stream.

“Simulation-based learning in finance ensures students know what they are doing when working with real markets – they become robust decision-makers,” Geoffrey says.

“What they are confronting and learning in the classroom is what they will be faced with on the job.”

Founded in 1999 by Tom McCurdy, academic co-director and a professor of finance, the trading lab has evolved over the years from an information portal to a dynamic learning centre. Its focus is on developing products that integrate research and teaching with practice, such as the market simulator.

The lab’s capabilities for simulation-based learning now have a global reach – more than 60 top universities and companies around the world use the simulator, as well as the decision cases and investment management platform, to train students and new hires.

“At Rotman, the lab is much more than our simulation-based learning products – it provides resources for research, teaching and learning for the whole school,” says McCurdy, noting that the lab’s wealth of data reaches well beyond the finance curriculum.

Since March 2020, students have connected remotely to the lab’s resources, including the portfolio of simulation-based learning decision cases. The technology is still accessible 24-7 for students and faculty – just like when the lab’s 70 workstations and industry-standard tools were open for drop-in sessions before the pandemic.

“Enabling our resources to be available for both in-person and remote users is paramount to ensure a high level of engagement and support for students, faculty and beyond,” says Bachir Chehab, the lab’s associate director.

For Ilya Kudzelka, the trading lab was one of the reasons he chose to pursue his master of finance degree at Rotman.

"Getting exposure to how things actually work on the trading floor is incredible, and you still feel the competitive energy even online,” Kudzelka says.

McCurdy’s course on forecasting risk and opportunities, for example, asks students to complete 10 decision cases in portfolio management, risk management, investment strategy and trading.

“Everything is so hands-on, and that’s what gives us an edge compared to other candidates,” says Kathrine Dominguez, who previously worked in accounting and operations after completing her CPA and CFA designations.

By the time she finished McCurdy's course, Dominguez says she felt empowered to pursue a new career in finance after graduation – perhaps in sales and trading or investment banking.

Preyas Patel (photo courtesy of Rotman School of Management)

MBA student Preyas Patel says his participation in two Rotman International Trading Competitions gave him crucial exposure to the competitive world of finance.

With prior investment and risk management experience in Mumbai, Patel says he wanted to understand the theory behind his work and apply more innovative approaches. “The competitions and the financial trading course helped me immensely,” says Patel, who, earlier this year, joined BMO Financial Group’s corporate treasury team as a senior analyst in corporate funding.

There are more opportunities to come.

Next year, Rotman will expand the trading competition to the Middle East. In partnership with HSBC Middle East, the four-month learning experience will focus on environmental and sustainable practices when making financial decisions. Participants will use environmental, social and governance (ESG) ratings as a guiding principle when developing and testing their strategies using the market simulator and portfolio manager.

“Our goal is to create a legacy in the future of sustainable finance by developing advanced skills in sustainability in the next generation of leaders,” Chehab says.

Jessie Park

'The new Excel': MBA students flock to machine learning course

More than just buildings: Rotman grad pursues social impact in real estate development

'I knew I had to change': Senior NASA official pursues MBA as the space economy booms

In MBA program, twin brothers set themselves up for success – and discovered what makes them unique

Read more about the Juneja brothers in Yahoo! News

Rotman School of Management launches certificate program to prepare non-business grads for the workforce

COVID-19 hastens trend towards more 'dynamic' workplace: U of T researcher

Alumni from Rotman's MBA program offer tips to empower the next generation of Black business leaders

Mo Banjoko on networking in a new cultural environment

Wale Oyebanjo on the power of a diverse city

Phil McDonald on starting new initiatives at Rotman

A competitive edge: U of T students and alumni on the value of Rotman’s finance research and trading lab