Graduate Success Stories

Mark Dervishian, a graduate of the class of 2011, is Vice President, Operations at Ardene, a Montreal-based fashion accessory retailer with over 400 stores throughout Canada.  He believes the Queen’s MBA experience has significantly broadened his knowledge of business practices and enabled him to take on many new responsibilities within the organization. He credits the program with helping him to further develop his team and leadership skills and providing knowledge and concepts that have proven to be of tremendous practical relevance in his business.

"I was truly impressed by the program and found it to be extremely well-organized and well-structured. The delivery technology is cutting edge, and the team-based approach actually reflects the workplace. The diversity of topics covered in the program, complemented by professors with extensive backgrounds in each of these topics, made for the ideal learning experience. The supporting staff consistently made us feel like we were “traveling first class”, and the impressive network of friends, colleagues and professors that I met in the program will be an invaluable asset for the rest of my career."

While in the Queen’s program, Daniel took advantage of Queen’s partnership with CMA Canada and began working toward the Certified Management Accountant designation. Upon completion of the program, he joined MasterCard Canada as Director of Finance. He was subsequently promoted to Vice President and Regional Financial Officer, and served on the Strategic & Risk Management Committee of the Society of Certified Management Accountants of Ontario. He has recently been promoted to Area Head, East and West Africa, MasterCard (Middle East & Africa Division). Daniel chose Queen’s MBA for Business Graduates because the curriculum leveraged his undergraduate degree by focusing on advanced management topics that had an immediate impact on his knowledge and
skill set.

"Queen’s MBA for Business Graduates was an exceptional opportunity for me to add strategic management to my finance background. The program’s high-calibre professors, challenging course work, and outstanding peer networking opportunities made me a well-rounded professional. The benefits of the program continue to accrue and seem to ramp up as the years go by."

When Jeremy entered the Queen’s MBA for Business Graduates program, he knew he wanted to start his own business. Upon graduation he did exactly that, founding Trendhunter.com, which has grown to be the world’s largest trend publication, with over 10 million views per month. He also wrote the book Exploiting Chaos, which was selected by Inc Magazine as one of the top books for business owners. He has since spoken at more than 100 conferences and appeared in the media more than 150 times.  He has been described as “a new breed of trend spotter” by The Guardian, “an eagle eye” by Global TV, an “Oracle” by The Globe and Mail and “on the forefront of cool” by MTV.  In an article in the Financial Post, Jeremy cited Queen’s MBA for Business Graduates as the source of his inspiration for Trendhunter.com, and a key building block for success.

"Not only am I one of the biggest proponents of this program, I was also the first-ever applicant. Within hours of the launch press release, I applied.  At the time, I was working at a management consulting firm that would have paid to send me anywhere, but Queen’s was the only place that I applied.  This program structure was perfect for me since I didn’t want to take two years out of my life to go to a traditional program. In addition, the brand, curriculum and experience are exceptional. I’m truly thankful for the experience. Not only did I enjoy the material and meet a network of great friends, but one of my classes inspired me to start Trendhunter.com!"

When Samantha enrolled in the Queen’s MBA for Business Graduates program, she was working at Samson Belair/Deloitte & Touche as a Senior Consultant in their Enterprise Risk Services group. Following completion of the program, she was promoted to a management position, providing her with an opportunity to work on International Financial Reporting Standards projects, as well as provide training to junior staff. Recently, she accepted the position of Senior Manager, Global Audit Advisory Services at Deloitte.

"Queen’s MBA for Business Graduates was one of the most amazing experiences of my life. Being in an environment where I was surrounded by highly motivated, energetic, and intelligent individuals from across the country was absolutely inspiring. The team approach to learning was very supportive and allowed me to step out of my comfort zone and challenge myself. It also allowed me to grow as a person and learn so much. The relationships that were fostered during the program are certainly set in stone."

When Mike entered the program in 2006 he was a Financial Planner with TD Waterhouse.  During the program, he took on the role of Senior Sales Manager with TD Asset Management.  Upon graduation, he moved to UBS Bank, as Director and Senior Private Wealth Manager.

But for Mike, his Queen’s MBA experience wasn’t only about furthering his career. It was about life-enriching experiences.  Within three years of completing the program he had delivered more than a dozen leadership keynotes and lectures to universities and professional organizations throughout North America.  He had also co-founded the social venture, Climb For Change, and led two international mountaineering expeditions raising over $200,000 for charity.

"For me, the Queen’s MBA was a capstone experience from which to build in every area of my life. The team experience was exceptional. Coming together with a group of like-minded individuals with varying professional and personal backgrounds, and working together towards a common objective was extremely rewarding. The relationships forged in the program are for life, and a number of synergies and opportunities to help each other post-graduation have already proved to be very valuable. The professors in the program were passionate and engaging, and the delivery technology was second to none."

Prior to joining the program, Kelly had held several cross-functional roles at Unilever including Marketing, Sales and Category Management. Shortly after completing the Queen’s MBA for Business Graduates program, Kelly received two promotions, most recently to the role of Senior Brand Development Manager at Unilever. Managing a portfolio of brands for all of North America, she is responsible for leading the development of brand strategy, communication mixes and innovation platforms to drive business objectives for Canada, the United States and the Caribbean. She credits the Queen’s MBA for Business Graduates program with further developing her strategic thinking abilities and providing her with a broader perspective when approaching business issues and opportunities.

"Completing the Queen’s MBA for Business Graduates program was a truly rewarding experience. The program helped me round out my general management skill set and challenged me to approach problems from a broader perspective.  It also gave me an opportunity to develop a personal network from across the country. Completing the program while working full time enabled me to put what I was learning into practice almost immediately."