2020 MBAs To Watch: Kevin Crosby, University of Miami (Herbert)

Kevin Crosby

University of Miami, Herbert Business School

A driven individual that is focused on learning and quietly achieving his goals.”

Hometown: Halifax, Nova Scotia

Fun fact about yourself: In 2004, I won the Gillian Wilson Award as the Canadian Junior Equestrian Athlete of the Year.

Undergraduate School and Degree: Acadia University, Bachelor of Business Administration- Finance

Where was the last place you worked before enrolling in business school? Prior to enrolling in business school, I worked in a variety of roles at a business called Angelstone. Within the business, we operated a large series of international showjumping tournaments, I competed as a rider at the international level, and we were active in high-end horse dealing. During my time there, I also separately retailed apparel, worked on developing a fantasy sports app and became a minority shareholder in a rapidly growing group of pizzerias in Toronto called North of Brooklyn.

Where did you intern during the summer of 2019? JP Morgan Private Bank (Palm Beach)

Where will you be working after graduation? JP Morgan Private Bank (Palm Beach), Associate

Community Work and Leadership Roles in Business School:

  • Ibis Scholarship Award for Entrepreneurship
  • Natiello Scholarship
  • Student Managed Investment Fund
  • 2018 Miami Leadership Challenge: First Place Team, Individual Awards: Best Executive Presence, Cool Under Pressure Award

Which academic or extracurricular achievement are you most proud of during business school? Being a member of the winning team in the 2018 Miami Leadership Challenge was a proud moment for me. The Leadership Challenge involves a simulated corporate crisis situation in which an executive management team has to handle a rapidly-changing environment. The event took place over a weekend and tested our ability to handle a rapidly-evolving situation that took many unexpected twists and turns. This was a great opportunity to work closely with several of my classmates, as well as students from other graduate business programs. It was a real achievement for my team to win, and I was thrilled to receive several individual accolades for it. I highly recommend this type of competition to any current or prospective business school student.

What achievement are you most proud of in your professional career? I feel both lucky and proud to have been able to pursue a sport that I am truly passionate about as a career prior to returning to business school. I am from an equestrian family, so the sport of show jumping is in my blood. Following my undergraduate degree, I had opportunities related to my field of study and with horses – I chose to pursue my equestrian related opportunities. Over the years, I was able to enjoy success in both the business and the sport of show jumping. Despite my commitment to the sport, I always knew that I was interested in pursuing a full-time career in finance.

I knew that it would be a challenging transition, which is largely what motivated me to pursue an MBA. Receiving an internship, and then a full-time offer from JP Morgan was a great accomplishment for me and validated all the hard work associated with the MBA.

What was your favorite MBA event or tradition at your business school? Something that has become a tradition for many of my classmates and I has been attending the on-campus pub, The Rathskeller (The Rat). The Rat was one of the focal points of our orientation week and has remained a place that has been widely attended by many MBA students throughout the degree. It has been a central meeting place to discuss coursework, kill time between classes, meet with professors, or to celebrate after exams. Its central location on campus and beautiful view of the lake makes it a great place to spend time, and I’m sure it will remain a key part of the UM MBA experience for the foreseeable future.  

Why did you choose this business school? As a Canadian, I had mostly considered MBA programs in Canada and in the UK early in the application process. However, as I considered my desire to pursue private wealth management and reflected on my prior career experience in south Florida, I was drawn to consider the University of Miami. I contacted the admissions office and scheduled a visit to the business school. I was lucky enough to get a private tour and was able to meet various faculty members and see the beautiful campus. I was subsequently invited to attend a conference on the economic development of Latin American and the Caribbean that was being hosted by the business school. It was at this point that I was able to develop an appreciation for the school’s focus on establishing ‘The U’ as a Hemispheric Leader at the crossroads of the Americas, an initiative led by President Julio Frenk. I was also made aware of the school’s commitment to teaching sustainable business practices. After this trip, I understood that the school’s values were very much aligned with my own, and it felt like a good fit.

What is your best advice to an applicant hoping to get into your school’s MBA program? It’s important to take advantage of the helpfulness of the admissions team. My application benefitted tremendously from the fact that I was able to meet with some of the admissions staff prior to applying. Respectfully developing relationships with some of the people at the school helps put a face to your name as all applicants are being considered. The best way to do this is to visit the campus prior to submitting your application.

Beyond the above, it’s important to develop an understanding of the University of Miami’s broader mandate and goals, to ensure that they align with your own. Further, it’s important to be yourself in the essays and interviews, rather than trying to represent what you think an ideal MBA candidate should be. The culture at the University of Miami encourages individualism, so it will serve all applicants well to represent the true version of themselves when applying.

Looking back over your MBA experience, what is the one thing you’d do differently and why? While I have no regrets about my time at Miami Herbert Business School, I would have liked to have pursued a more active role in the Graduate Business Student’s Association. Undertaking a role within the student government would have brought me closer to some of the students in other programs, which could have enabled me to broaden my perspectives and make lasting connections with other graduate business students.

Which MBA classmate do you most admire? As I mentioned, I’ve come to admire the individuals who have pursued active roles within the Graduate Business Student’s Association. Two of the people who have involved themselves the most in this organization are Jack Shelgren and Gabrielle Gallou. Both Jack and Gaby were in my cohort in the first year, where I was exposed to both of their innate leadership qualities and strong work ethics. In our second year, both individuals have assumed leadership roles within the GBSA. I admire how Jack can seemingly do a thousand things at a time, while also working outside of school. Gaby seems to be involved in every one of the school’s extra-curricular events, and I think it’s great how she has spearheaded the development of the Women in Business Club. I’m sure both individuals will be extremely successful in their future careers.

Who most influenced your decision to pursue business in college? My wife. She really encouraged me to pursue an MBA, and I’m so glad she did. She motivated me early on to apply to a number of schools, and her belief in me kept me motivated throughout the process.

  • My immediate goal is to excel within JP Morgan. I feel privileged to have the opportunity to join such a great organization, and I hope to become a VP as soon as possible.
  • More broadly, I’d like to become commercially involved with show jumping again. The sport is on a fantastic trajectory, and I’ll definitely become active within it at some point in the future.

In one sentence, how would you like your peers to remember you? Ultimately, I hope that my classmates will remember me as a hard-working, intelligent person who always behaved with integrity, and also as a genuine and nice person.

Hobbies: Golf, basketball, squash, poker, avid Toronto sports fan!

What made Kevin such an invaluable addition to the Class of 2020?

“Kevin has without a doubt has a large impact on myself, and it is my honor to share this anecdote about my experience with him as an invaluable addition to our student body.

Kevin was one of the first applicants I had the opportunity to meet with when I began my role as Assistant Director of Admissions here at University of Miami Herbert Business School. Kevin was as personable as one can be from the moment we first interacted. He immediately stuck out from the rest as he described to me his unique background, the goals he had set for himself, and portrayed his very distinguished presence.

In his youth, Kevin was an incredibly accomplished equestrian in his home country of Canada. This extended into his time spent in the Palm Beach region, where he continued to build a professional network using his ties to the equestrian community. This segued into his MBA career wonderfully. He came from a unique professional background, identified a career path that he was passionate about in wealth management, and utilized his program of choice at Miami Herbert to assist him in achieving this goal.

Looking at the aforementioned points, Kevin is exactly the type of professional we strive to build within these MBA programs. Kevin won the awards for both “Executive Presence” and “Cool Under Pressure” at our Leadership Challenge event; both of which are perfect descriptions of him. He identified a difficult goal and saw it through to completion. Throughout the process, he utilized the resources and individuals surrounding him advantageously. Above all, he was an excellent student and classmate. Without question, Kevin Crosby was an invaluable addition to the Miami Herbert MBA Class of 2020.”

Scott Westphal, MBA
Asst. Director, Graduate Admissions

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