Alumni who Dare
Sustainability
“McGill Desautels MBA helped me achieve fluency in strategy, finance, analytics, and other key aspects of business.”
I first became mindful of sustainability issues while teaching English to students in a small village in Cameroon through the PeaceCorps. I quickly realized that because of the unreliable power grid, my students didn’t have enough electricity to complete their homework at night. From that point onward, I started thinking about access to different kinds of energy. But while my interest in renewable energy sources was piqued, I didn’t have any background in business. What my McGill Desautels MBA helped me achieve is fluency in strategy, finance, analytics, and other key aspects of business. I also had the opportunity to complete a project comparing the business growth of two solar companies. The earlier MBA students can reflect on sustainability issues through projects like these, the better prepared we will be to assume leadership roles. Today, I spearhead business development efforts for a leading global player in the solar, biofuels, lithium-ion battery, and energy storage sectors. My company helps other companies and their employees invest directly in renewable energies. Not long ago, I read that by 2050, 50% of global electricity will be generated by renewable energy sources. The world will look entirely different 30 years down the road, and I’ll be equipped to make decisions in that new world.
Justin Park (USA) MBA’18
Finance
“I came to McGill Desautels to invest in my future, and it’s paying off.”
Finance is embedded in so many parts of our lives. We use finance to quantify funding needs, help businesses through stages of growth, and prioritize investments that make a positive impact on the community. My McGill Desautels MBA enables me to analyze and solve problems by looking at the world through the lens of finance. In retrospect, I wish I could have taken even more courses than I did during my time at McGill. I directly apply the strategies and perspectives I learned from classes like Pensions Investing in my current role as an investment analyst for a large pension plan. Outside of the classroom, I had the opportunity to participate in case competitions to devise solutions for pressing social and environmental challenges. It was an unforgettable experience to bring home the Net Impact Sustainability challenge trophy after competing against teams from all over North America. Ultimately, this real-world experience equipped me with the skills, network, and confidence to transition out of student life into a successful career. The fact that I learned alongside an international group of students with diverse viewpoints only added to the experience. Thanks to my peers, I graduated with a better grasp of what leadership looks like in dozens of countries around the world. I came to McGill Desautels to invest in my future, and it’s paying off.”
Mehreen Haider (Pakistan) MBA’19
Analytics
“At McGill Desautels, I gained the tools I needed to fill in the gaps in my knowledge.”
In every company, you need someone who can analyze data in order to make predictions, automate and optimize processes, and solve any number of problems to make things run smoothly. I decided to pursue an MBA at McGill Desautels when I was working for an energy company in an analytics role. I had some skills in manipulating data, but most of my work was very industry-specific. I knew I had so much more to learn. At McGill Desautels, I gained the tools I needed to fill in the gaps in my knowledge. Each one of my analytics classes equipped me with technical skills and challenged me to apply them to case studies and projects in creative ways. One of the most rewarding parts of the MBA experience was the opportunity to solve problems in groups. Some of my classmates had a background in programming, others in strategy. Everyone brought something different to the group and benefited from each other’s expertise. While the Business Analytics concentration at McGill Desautels is still relatively new, there are already several cohorts of analytics students who have gone on to land fantastic jobs. After graduation, I accepted an offer from Amazon to work in the field of supply chain management. Thanks to my MBA, I’ve developed the skills and background to take on a new challenge. I’m seeing results.
Anastasia Budaeva (Russia) MBA’20
Entrepreneurship
“Becoming an entrepreneur has been the most fulfilling experience of my life.”
I discovered my passion for retail innovation and entrepreneurship at McGill Desautels. As an MBA student, I co-founded a startup called Turbodega to help small grocers in emerging countries track their daily sales in real time. From value creation to marketing strategy, the content I learned in my MBA classes has been incredibly useful in this venture. I’m currently applying a methodology I learned in one of my courses to improve the efficiency of my company’s marketing activities. Outside of class, access to the McGill Dobson Centre for Entrepreneurship helped me and my team to refine our product and value proposition. The Dobson Centre went above and beyond to connect us to a network of alumni, mentors, investors, and customers. Today, Turbodega serves more than 1,000 bodegas. Using our software management tool, our customers enjoy a lower cost of goods, access to fair working capital lines of credit, and data-backed business advice. Becoming an entrepreneur has been the most fulfilling experience of my life.
Julio Castañeda (Mexico) MBA’19