As the days grow sunnier, it means many graduate students will begin the long march to the convocation stage later this year. Each year different students take on a number of leadership roles in the Schulich community that have a direct impact on the quality of experience each grad student has during their time here.

This interview series will provide insight about students’ extracurricular leadership, professional achievements, and personal reflections.

– Frank Paul, Graduate Business Council President, MBA candidate, 2017

Class of 2017 Profile: Meet Ivana Lochhead, MBA candidate

IvanaPart 1: Quick Stats

Age: 29

Hometown: Kingston, Ontario

Undergraduate School and Degree: University of Toronto, Economics

Community Work and Leadership Roles: Founder and President of Manbassadors – Men as Allies, Women in Leadership.

Part 2: Business Education & Achievements

Q: Where did you work before coming to Schulich?
A: I worked at Hotspex. Inc, a Customer Insights and Analytics Firm.

Q: Which academic or extracurricular achievement are you most proud of during your MBA?

A: I have two:

  1. I spearheaded, and am currently leading, an important Women in Leadership initiative called Manbassadors – Men as Allies where male students join their female counterparts to advocate for and engage in the movement for gender equality and women’s empowerment.
  2. I participated in the Environmental Sustainability Global Corporate Knights ‘Business for a Better World’ case competition of decarbonizing the Norway Government Pension Fund Global. My team was selected to advance to the finals (1 of the 3 international teams) to present to a high-profile panel of judges during the World Economic Forum Annual Meeting in Davos, Switzerland.

Q: What achievement are you most proud of in your career to date? 
A: I led a very complex innovation (analytics) project that spanned 12 months where we developed a new methodology and algorithm for our client that generated over $1M in revenue in the first year of release.

Q: What did you enjoy most about Schulich? 
A: It has always been about the people. I am truly grateful for every interaction I have with fellow students, faculty and of course, the friendships I have built that will last a lifetime! We are lucky to have such a diverse and inspirational group at Schulich.

Q: What was the most surprising thing about your MBA? 
A: How many opportunities there are to get involved through extracurricular activities and case competitions. It’s so important to put yourself out there to meet people and hone your skills.

Q: Who would you most want to thank for your success?
A: Parents and siblings (two sisters and one brother), without a question. I’ve received so much support over the years from these incredibly intelligent, compassionate, and hilarious humans.

Part 3: Fill in the Blank…

“I knew I wanted to go to business school when…”
Ivana: …When I started to see gaps in my understanding of business and when my ambition was set on making it to the C-suite.

“If I hadn’t gone to business school, I would…”
Ivana: …Have done a Masters in Economics with the aim of working for the Bank of Canada one day.

Part 4: Fast Favourites

  • Book: Fear of Flying (1973), Erica Jong – figured in the development of second-wave feminism

  • Movie: Anything with Denzel Washington. Also, really love Zero Dark Thirty

  • Musical performer: The Roots

  • Schulich professor: Ashley Konson (Brand Management). He has a winning formula – he’s passionate, knowledgeable, genuine and empathetic

  • MBA Courses: Brand Management, Innovation Through Technology & Design, Case Analysis and Presentation Skills, Negotiations

Stay tuned for more profiles of the Schulich class of 2017!