Meredith Baade

Rotman School of Management, University of Toronto

“Adaptable visionary, teammate, musician, explorer. Committed to learning, self-development, and helping others.”

Hometown: Glen Cove, NY, USA

Fun Fact About Yourself:  I attained my Open Water scuba certification in February 2019 and logged my first post-cert dives in Vietnam and Thailand just weeks before starting the MBA program!

Undergraduate School and Major: Siena College, Bachelor of Arts in Economics; London School of Economics, General Course Program (one year), International Economics

Most Recent Employer and Job Title: Bloomberg LP, USA, Relationship Manager

Describe your biggest accomplishment in your career so far: I managed relationships with Canadian government and sell-side accounts for Bloomberg LP for 4 years. During this time, my biggest accomplishment was facilitating the Bank of Canada’s electronification and automation of its financial markets trading workflow. I also helped the Bank migrate to Bloomberg’s transparent data sets for more informed decision making within their financial risk and economic policy divisions. I was especially passionate about training and consulting at the Bank of Canada and other Canadian government departments and crown corporations in how to better leverage technology and data in order to make policy recommendations.

What quality best describes the MBA classmates you’ve met so far and why? Responsiveness and helpfulness! The peers I’ve met thus far have been receptive to my questions and keen to offer thoughts and recommendations. This also goes for second-years and alumni of the Rotman School.

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? Rotman’s deep relationships with post-MBA employers, its strong alumni network, and resourceful career center. I’ve loved working in Toronto these past few years and expect to live and work in Canada once I complete the MBA.  Through Rotman, employers are accessible via career fairs, case competitions, and “coffee chats” with alumni – all of which were extremely appealing about Rotman.

What club or activity are you looking most forward to in business school? I’m looking forward to taking part in the Self-Development Lab. Aside from the technical knowledge we’ll gain in the classroom, I think the lab will further develop my leadership and interpersonal skills through self-awareness and feedback.

What was the most challenging question you were asked during the admissions process? I was asked about a time that I tried really hard on a project, did everything I could to succeed, but didn’t achieve the desired result. Answering that question in real-time was an exercise in taking accountability for failure and considering what I could have done better.

What led you to pursue an MBA at this point in your career? I had my sights set on getting my MBA since undergrad but knew I needed full-time work experience. After five years of working full-time in sales and financial technology, and an additional five years at startups and small companies throughout and after university, I felt it was time. My thinking was to have enough work experience to add value to others in the program and to my future firm, but be early enough in my career for an MBA to help launch me into a new role.

What other MBA programs did you apply to? I explored Columbia Business School and INSEAD, as well as Rotman’s part-time MBA program.

How did you determine your fit at various schools? During the research process, I went on-campus visits, attended webinars, dug through brochures, and spoke to as many people as possible. What was most helpful was reaching out to current students and alumni and being specific about my goals: land a job at a top investment bank in Toronto. I asked them for candid advice with questions starting with “if you were me…” and I found that even MBA students and alumni from other schools pointed me to Rotman in their responses.

What was your defining moment and how did it shape who you are? In 2014, I spent 5 weeks in Cusco, Peru volunteering for a non-profit called Threads of Peru. My job was to analyze the non-profit’s current client base and social media following in order to recommend digital marketing strategies with the goal of increasing sales and ultimately generating more work and income for the artisans we supported. I kept a personal blog and also wrote for Threads of Peru’s blog. I simultaneously stepped out of my comfort zone, solo-traveled, improved my Spanish, learned about the world, and made a difference – altogether the experience allowed me to see that I have power over my life’s direction.

Where do you see yourself in ten years? I see myself as a senior investment banker who generates new business and actively mentors other women. Also, I expect to be deeply involved in non-profit work focused on education and economic empowerment.