Meet Ivey’s MBA Class of 2020

Emmanuel Ukposidolo

Ivey Business School at Western University

Project engineering to management consulting. I live by the rules of improv. Lagos London Toronto.”

Hometown: Markham, Ontario

Fun Fact About Yourself: I love stand-up comedy, especially performances with dry witty humor. (eg. the office “British” and “American”)

Undergraduate School and Major: Western University. Mechanical Engineering

Most Recent Employer and Job Title: Kiewit (InEight) – Scrum Master and Business Analyst

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far: Being part of the team that was on the leading edge of my organization’s digital transformation.

After my organization purchased a software company, I was asked to be part of the team that was tasked with identifying process improvements in the way our projects handled budgeting, forecasting, and cost tracking. Once we identified them, I would work on a team to develop a solution with the help of systems architects and software developers (spread across two continents and three time zones) and then release the solution to the organization under an accelerated timeline. Our team worked fast and cohesively and I was fortunate enough to hold the role of both scrum master and business analyst on the team as we developed these solutions.

Describe your biggest accomplishment at Ivey so far: Developing and delivering a message that connected and resonated with my classmates.

In my run for class president, I needed to put together a message for the class that would fully embody what they wanted and needed out of the school year from the student council. I spent a lot of time talking with classmates. From this, I would try one message after another, bouncing ideas off of friends and advisors, none feeling right or reflective of the class personality. A great consequence of this was the early connections that were formed with many of my classmates. I felt my eureka moment when I landed on a specific message that conveyed a clear vision, strategy and a challenge for the class rolled into a short impactful statement.

What quality best describes the MBA classmates you’ve met so far and why? Engaged.

I have some truly amazing classmates. The students in our class are constantly finding new and creative ways to form “community” and connect with one another. I would help fellow students move into a new and unfamiliar city; get students together for run clubs through campus, potlucks, tea parties, rock climbing get-togethers, weekly wine tastings, and intramural sports teams; and start industry clubs to explore the financial implications of the cannabis industry. Despite the sheer amount of work and career prep that we are required to complete as part of the MBA program, my class is persistent in their pursuit to find new ways to connect and engage with one another.

Aside from your classmates, what was the key factor that led you to choose this program for your full-time MBA and why was it so important to you? The key factor that led me to choose Ivey was their use of the case study method of learning. Having been out of school for some time, I knew that I wanted an immersive learning experience that would allow me to immediately apply my learnings to real life business problems and scenarios. I had done my undergraduate Engineering degree at Western, so I had first-hand experience interacting with students from Ivey. I knew there was a process to the program and that the process worked. Having been in the program a few months now, my expectations for an educative experience have been surpassed. The case method is only one of the many ways that Ivey puts you in the deep end and gets you to grow…fast.

What club or activity have you enjoyed the most at Ivey so far? I have thoroughly enjoyed planning student activities and initiatives for the school year with the student council. As the President of the MBA Student Council, my role involves ensuring that the class remains connected and engaged as the faculty and administration guide us through this rapid growth experience. I have been blessed with a stellar team to get this done. The sharp minds that meet every week aggressively challenge ideas and innovate constantly with the goal of making this the best year it can be for every student in the class. I generally leave meetings exhausted but always inspired and motivated to do more.

Vishnu Menon as VP Finance doesn’t miss a single thing on the budget. His constant pursuit to maximize the classes ROI is a huge motivator for all of us. Sheena as VP Internal, manages the internal-facing events such as class orientation and Ivey Olympics. Her ability to calmly and deftly manage near crisis after near crisis without anyone in the class knowing can never be understated. Sumbul Ahmed is our VP External. Her portfolio includes external facing events such as the homecoming, and social impact days. Her ability to stay focused on what’s important helps us stay focused on what’s important as a group.

Our social reps, Phill Gibson and Alex McNair, have gone above and beyond with rapidly connecting the class and ensuring that the community stays strong. Their innovation and ability to just get big things done is a constant inspiration to me.

Our section reps, Brian Geoghehan and Anthony Fusco, get the thankless work done diligently and with admirable discipline. They see things that will affect the class community and act decisively long before issues become problems.

Like I said I have a fantastic team and it’s my team that has made this the best club I have been a part of this year.

What led you to pursue an MBA at this point in your career? I had been fortunate to work for a very ambitious yet disciplined fortune 500 organization for 7+ years. The work I did at Kiewit was great; it was challenging and stimulating and the company had a general culture of “bringing solutions not problems.” No two jobs were ever the same. However, I knew that I wanted to move into a role where I could drive more change. I also knew that I wanted to further my education. Obtaining an MBA made the most sense for me to accelerate my career and learn the skills I needed to achieve my goals. At the same time, I could increase my network and set myself up for an exciting career.

What other MBA programs did you apply to? While I considered applying to other schools, Ivey was the only school where I ultimately submitted an application. After comparing schools and conducting research, I realized that Ivey’s unique one year program, geographic proximity to family, and class culture was the only path for me.

How did you determine your fit at various schools? In determining fit for schools, my number one priority was quality of education. Given that I attended Western in my undergrad years, I knew that quality education was a core component of the Ivey brand. To address some of the other variables, I used different resources such as reputable websites (i.e. Poets & Quants) to understand schools’ reputations. For this, I also used rankings on popular sites (i.e. The Economist MBA b-school rankings).  To understand the graduate placement rates, I paid attention to the results of the employment reports, specifically looking to see if the organizations that I wanted to work for were on that list and had good placement rates from the business school where I was looking.

 

What was your defining moment and how did it shape who you are? To me, a personal defining moment is one which changes the trajectory of a life. My defining moment came while watching my parents navigate the immigration process with five children (for the second time) from London, England to Toronto, Canada. It’s very easy to tell a child to “never give up.”  It adds an infinite amount of credibility to that statement to watch your parents try over-and-over to obtain a visa, plan, and execute a full move and then build a new life from scratch with relentless determination. I go back to this event in my mind often when I feel like whatever I’m doing is ‘difficult.’ It has gotten me through some tough times, including making sports teams, applying for universities, running for clubs leadership roles, and even applying for jobs.

Where do you see yourself in five years? I see myself working with a team of like-minded problem-solvers to help organizations get from where they are to where they need to be in order to maximize their potential. I imagine that I will be getting as much information as possible on the next disruption in order to strategize a plan in response to it. I also see myself assisting organizations on their path to being industry disruptors.

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