The document provides an overview of mentorship opportunities available through the Management Department at UTM. It profiles several successful mentorship relationships between students and alumni and how they have benefited both parties. The mentorship programs highlighted include the UCS BizMentorship program, SMA workshop series, and the alumni mentorship program connecting undergraduates with professional alumni. Student mentees provide feedback on how the programs have helped them develop both personally and professionally. Mentors also discuss the value they find in mentoring and helping students achieve their goals.

1. IMPACTWinter 2016
The Mentorship Issue
Page 6

2. Connect With Us:
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Development Program UTM
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@ManagementUTM
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@ManagementUTM
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- UTM

3. TABLE OF CONTENTS
InsideScoopDiscover intriguing stories
about your professors
Mentorship Learn how mentorships have
impacted students and alumni
TheEditorialTeamGreetings from the faces
behind this magazine
DreamChasers Hear from students
achieving their dreams
WhereAreTheyNow? Meet some of our
inspiring alumni
PDLC Explore how this new centre
is helping our students
ProfessionalDevelopment
See how
our students
grow
MGTGivesBack Inspiring student contributions
to the community
MakingaMark Showcasing student
success
ClosingRemarks Message from senior
administration
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4
10
12
14
18
16
20
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Coverlefttoright:MartinIshtayev,SarahSultana,KaitlynD’Lima,andRyanLam

4. Last year’s IMPACT showcased the myriad ways our
students and alumni embraced opportunities and
made our community a better place. This year, our
magazine focuses on the value of mentorship--
traditionally defined as“a personal development
relationship in which a more experienced individual
guides a less experienced one.”However, we often do
not realize that mentorship can occur imperceptibly,
and evolves into a mutually-beneficial exchange.
As you flip through these pages, you will see how
these experiences have been rewarding to mentors
and mentees. We hope that you will think of a person
who has guided you, and be inspired to pay forward
the value of mentorship.
A special thank you to Ryan Cerrudo and
Heather Hines, you have been mentors to us.
The Editorial Team
Throwback to Impact 2.0
In the Winter 2015 edition, our cover stars
represented the diversity of our business
programs. Today, although two of them have
graduated, the other two have continued
making an impact on campus! Jacky Li is
hard at work completing his third year in the
accounting program, attaining high academic
distinctions. Meanwhile, Temi Babajide is
working as a Career Assistant at the newly
launched Professional Development & Learning
Centre and is excited to graduate in spring
2016. We are confident that bright futures lie
ahead for you! For our class of 2015, Matt Zak is
now a Project Specialist in telecommunications,
while Haya Asim is making her mark in
accounting. Cover stars, we hope you enjoy
chasing your career dreams and keep in touch
with the UTM community.
Yuki Zhong, Editor-In-Chief
Joshua D’Lima, Production Manager
Sarah Jane Silva, Layout & Copy Editor
4

5. The
Inside
Scoop
Growing up in Vancouver, Professor Lisa Kramer showed early signs of becoming a
financial economist. When she was a teenager, she pondered whether it was worth
picking up a penny from the ground, because of the amount of food that one
would need to eat to compensate for the act of bending down. This observation
shaped her studies in behavioural finance.
When she is not calculating the marginal cost of
picking up pennies, she devotedly volunteers for
non-profits. Back in university, she developed a
passion for social justice causes such as animal
rights. She even co-designed and funded a
campaign that ran on the Toronto subway system.
Professor Kramer hopes to influence the choices
that people make and raise awareness about animal
suffering and factory farming systems. What is her
favourite animal? Pigs! One of Professor Kramer’s
favourite pastimes is to snuggle with rescued pigs
at farm sanctuaries. If you share a passion for animal
rights, drop by Professor Kramer’s office to see how
you can help make a difference.
Lisa
Kramer
Professor,
Finance
Eckhard Schumann
Assistant Professor, Accounting,
Teaching Stream
Professor Eckhard Schumann grew up in a small but
beautiful city called Durban in South Africa before he
moved to Canada in 2000. At UTM, he enjoys teaching
a number of advanced accounting courses. What made
him pursue accounting in the first place? Like many
university students, Professor Schumann could not
decide what he wanted to do for his career in high
school. He was always interested in a range of different
fields, such as electronic engineering. After considering
the results from an aptitude test and receiving guidance
from family members, he was confident that a career in
accounting was the right fit.
When he is not teaching, Professor Schumann is active
on the sports field. Since rugby and cricket are two of
the main sports in South Africa, Professor Schumann
tried, loved, and excelled at them. In fact, if he could
change one thing about his childhood, Professor
Schumann would have pursued his love and talent of
cricket more. Besides cricket, Professor Schumann is
also a member of the Marathon Maniacs club. Last year,
he ran over 14 marathons and a number of other races.
Discover the intriguing lives of your professors
outside of the classroom.
5

6. E N T O R
The true meaning of mentorship is no longer
limited to its formal definitions. A mentor could
be a professor, colleague, friend or anyone who
has provided another person with impactful
support and guidance.
The Management Department at UTM offers a
range of mentorship opportunities in order to
support students as they strive for their goals.
As you read about the following mentorship
stories between our students and alumni, we
hope you will think of a special mentor who has
influenced you. Perhaps you will even be inspired
to embrace the gratifying experience of joining a
mentorship program!
WhatisMentorship?
M
6

7. H I
Undergraduate
CommerceSociety(UCS)
BizMentorship
StudentManagement
Association(SMA)
Mentorship
The UCS BizMentorship program pairs a first-
year or second-year student with a successful
upper-year Commerce student mentor with
the same specialization. According to mentee
Andrea Koop,“Talking with my mentor
motivated me to challenge myself. He made
me think about what it actually was that I
wanted to accomplish this year and pushed
me to get it done. With his advice, I applied to
KPMG’s Ace the Case Competition and made
it to the first selection event.”At the same
time, mentors enjoy the opportunity to make
a positive impact while developing their
interpersonal skills and building meaningful
new connections.
The SMA has embarked on a group-based
approach to mentorship with its series of
skill development workshops hosted by life
coach and former Toronto Argonauts player
Jonathan Hood. Since October, students have
been gaining valuable skills to help them“stay
ahead of the game.”The topics of the eight
sessions include: budgeting, goal attainment,
communications, networking, presenting, job
search, leadership, and social enterprise. After
successful completion of the program, many
students develop a well-rounded set of skills to
prepare them as leaders of tomorrow.
Cover
StoryPS
7

8. Muneer Malik
“My reason for joining this program was to gain a
better understanding of the types of careers that exist,
and to learn about the various paths that can help
lead me to where I want to go. I was fortunate to be
paired up with a very warm and welcoming individual
named Wendy Chung. Wendy helped me understand
the various roles that exist within the marketing
industry. She shared her knowledge and experiences
with me and helped me realize that a particular field,
whatever it may be, is very broad. One should not
look at it from a narrow perspective. Her willingness
to share her insights prompted me to pick her brain
with questions. She encouraged me to get out of my
comfort zone and undertake greater responsibility
which led to me getting more involved within my
academic societies.
I like to think of mentorship as a word that is
synonymous with guidance. Being a part of a
mentorship program allows you to connect with
individuals who have gone through the same things
you are currently going through. It allows you to learn
from their mistakes and successes and then use that
to lay the bricks on your path to success.”--Muneer
Two years ago, the Department of Management launched a mentorship program with
the Office of Advancement to connect current undergraduate business students with
experienced professional alumni.
Wendy Chung
Muneer
and Wendy
enjoying a
round of golf
at the annual
UTM Alumni
Golf Nine &
Dine.
“I graduated in 2004 and am now working in finance
at a banking institution. What brought me and Muneer
together in the first place? I was interested to share my
own experience in terms of career direction and signed
up to be a mentor. In the beginning of the program,
Muneer and I followed the guidelines provided.
However, as I got to know which areas he wanted more
guidance in, we changed the focus accordingly.
For example, we narrowed down the industry he
wanted to work in and I shared my tips on resumes,
interviews, and job search.
I have experienced the value of being a mentor
and a mentee. In my current job, I am also part of a
corporate-wide mentorship program in which a more
senior mentor shares career development experiences
with me. I think that to facilitate more value out of
mentorship, the mentee should make an effort to
take more of a leadership role. Muneer did that very
well and now it is very heartwarming to know that he
is doing well on a career path that he enjoys. A more
rewarding accomplishment would be to see Muneer
take on a mentor role in the near future and help other
undergraduate students reach their goals.”--Wendy
8

9. Q: What made you participate in the program?
“I believe that individuals who have successfully
gone down the path you are on can act as catalysts
in your career. The mentorship program provides
that experience with mentors who sincerely want
to pay it forward and mentees who are hungry for
guidance. It is a very constructive environment with
both parties working at their best.”--Ramandeep
Q: What have you learned
through this experience?
“The most important things that I
have learned with this mentorship
are probably common business
practices that can have a huge impact
in the future. A simple thing such as
sending a LinkedIn request or a quick
follow up email can open doors to
opportunities!”--Pragya
Q: How have you progressed as a mentee?
“I’d like to think that I’m definitely much more
polished as a professional in both my soft skills and
technical knowledge.“--Ryan
“I realized the importance of taking time to help
others. I have taken on various roles on campus to
help out new students and share my experiences.
I wouldn’t be here if people like Doug had not
taken the time to volunteer and help.“--Hassaan
Q: What value do you find in having a mentor?
“Learning from their experience. You can run
different scenarios or questions past your mentor.
Based on their experiences you can figure out
if a certain decision you make will yield a
positive result.”--Jeanine
Q: What have you learned from Doug?
“I learned that giving back to the community is
extremely important. That is why I decided to take
on more leadership roles in order to be able to help
other students achieve success.”--Mohamed
Doug Varty
Q: What is your role as a mentor?
As a mentor, I provide professional guidance and
career advice for my mentees. For example, I review
their resumes and prepare them for networking and
job interviews. My ultimate goal is to ensure that
my mentees achieve their full potential and become
valuable young professionals.
Q: What value do you find in mentoring?
Having been involved in campus recruiting for
KPMG for many years and as a father of one UTM
student (and a Waterloo student), I appreciate how
competitive the world is for graduating students.
In the“semi-retirement”phase of my life I thought
it would be helpful if I shared my knowledge and
experience as a partner in one of the leading global
professional services firms with business students at
UTM. So for the past three years I have been working
with business students helping them pursue their
goal of becoming young business professionals.
It has been very rewarding and a learning
experience for me, too!
Q: How would you describe your
undergraduate experience at UTM?
The Commerce program taught me how to think
critically--a transferable skill highly valued in the
business world. Also, gettng my CA and having the
career with KPMG would have not been possible
without my U of T degree and the knowledge and
learning skills I obtained while at UTM.
From left to right: Hassaan Saleem,
Ramandeep Jutla, Ryan Mok, Doug
Varty, Mohamed Sidibé, Pragya Narula,
Jeanine Evangelista
9

10. Eva Mitre
Third Year Accounting
After graduation, Eva would like to travel
abroad, take some time off, meet new people
and explore different places. One of Eva’s main
goals is to help less developed populations,
since volunteering and giving back is a strong
initiative of hers. Eva also plans on being
involved with all the community initiatives at
PwC this summer as an intern and in the long
term as a full-time employee. Beyond giving
back, she also hopes to be involved in a lot of
projects such as helping host Scotiabank Nuit
Blanche and travelling, not only as a visitor
but being culturally immersed in the cities
she visits.
D r e a m
Daniel Jayasinghe
Fourth Year Accounting
Daniel is part of a team under the Office of Student
Transition that is creating a mobile gaming app called
Guardians of UTM--designed to help new students learn
about campus resources in an engaging format. To solve the
game, players must tour the campus, complete challenges,
and collect clues and tokens. Daniel is the only business
student in the student-led app development team. His
primary role is the lead story writer. How did he get involved
in such an exciting project and how did video games help
him land a job at PwC?
Growing up, Daniel loved playing all kinds of video games.
In high school, he experimented with making some on his
own, but he never thought that this passion could become
an actual career. When the opportunity of developing a
game specifically for UTM came up, Daniel knew he had to
get involved.
During accounting recruiting season, Daniel combined his
academic achievements with his love of the video game
industry by incorporating his unique passion into his
cover letter. This led to an interview at PwC, where the first
question the recruiter asked was:“Daniel, tell me about this
video game.”Ultimately, Daniel’s video game dream set him
apart from other applicants and landed him a full-time job
as an Associate at PwC after graduation. Daniel has showed
us that it is possible to do what you love and turn your
childhood passion into a reality. Game on, Daniel!
10

11. Aditya Prabhune
Fourth Year Accounting
It takes substantial deliberation and
determination to delay graduation and
embark on the transition from school to work.
Aditya made that critical decision and has not
looked back.
When a valuable internship opportunity with
IBM surfaced after third year, Aditya struggled
with the choice of not graduating with his
classmates. After careful deliberation, Aditya
started a 16-month internship with IBM in the
Finance Department as a Financial Analyst.
He loves the challenge, flexibility, and travel
opportunities that his job brings.
After the internship, Aditya will return to
school and finish his last year of studies and
pursue a CPA designation. As for his ultimate
career goal, Aditya hopes to become a
business owner, managing his own company
and making it grow. His IBM internship is an
important step in reaching this goal because
he can apply what he learned about a
multinational corporation’s internal processes
to his own business venture.
Hannah Boyle-Manzi
Fourth Year Political Science
& Criminology
Hannah’s first experience with the Department of
Management was at Ready, Set, Market (RSM) in 2013.
To say she was hesitant to participate would be an
understatement, although it turned out to be one
of the best decisions she has ever made. She was
hesitant because her major isn’t exactly the usual RSM
demographic. However, bringing the skills she has
amassed from a different program allows her to have a
unique perspective; this interdisciplinary collaboration
can lead to great things.“Through participating in events
with the Department, you are able to make connections
that wouldn’t have existed otherwise. You’re able to
learn about your strengths and weaknesses and prepare
yourself for life after graduation.”The connections
Hannah has made opened many doors and have led her
to a position as Institute for Management & Innovation
Competition (IMIC) Group Director. Her advice to current
students would be to participate, to take risks, and do not
be afraid to push yourself out of your comfort zone. Her
involvement with the Department of Management has
helped to define her time here at UTM. As she prepares
to graduate, the opportunities that are open to her are a
direct consequence of her involvement.
C h a s e r s
11

12. Where Are They Now?
During his studies at UTM, Maksym was
the president of the Undergraduate
Commerce Society (UCS)--an invaluable
experience that helped prepare him for
future career success. This leadership
role gave him opportunities to lead
while balancing the needs of external
stakeholders. He recalls one of his proudest
events as“Camping for the Cure”, where two
UCS executives lived in a tent outside the
Student Centre for a whole week! Ultimately,
the team raised over $10,000 for
breast cancer.
After graduation, Maksym worked at
Ernst & Young and attained his accounting
designation. What does he miss about
UTM? The extracurricular opportunities
and freedom. Moreover, the memories and
friendships he made during the four years
were enough to last a lifetime. If he could
tell his first-year self one thing, he would
say,“don’t forget to‘make’yourself.”He also
encourages current business students to
experiment with different career options.
Find what you like to do while keeping in
mind that the business world is full of so
many options.
After he successfully transitioned from
UTM to the workplace, Maksym still
managed to stay connected to the campus
community, especially with the Department
of Management. What’s next for his career
path? Maksym is embracing the challenge of
entrepreneurship! He has incorporated his
martial arts background to provide physical
activity programs for private and Montessori
schools. We are sure that this experience
will make Maksym’s future career prospects
even more exciting.
Maksym Tochinskiy
Chartered Professional Accountant (CPA)
Entrepreneur
12

13. Anni Huang
Senior Accountant
Deloitte Canada
For Anni, UTM’s business program
was the perfect catalyst to
catapult her from a fresh high school
graduate to a professional working
on Bay Street. There were copious
opportunities for anyone who
wanted to join the fun on campus.
She really liked being able to not
only work with her peers but also
build long lasting relationships with
so many of them.
During Anni’s time at UTM, she
tried as many things as time
allowed with the UCS, Department
of Management, Department of
Economics, and Residence Life.
Through these experiences, she
learned how to be a leader.
She still looks up to the people she
has met through the roles she held
on campus.
One of Anni’s mentors is volunteering in Africa with the Clinton Health Access Initiative,
while another mentor is highly involved with Ascend Canada--a non-profit dedicated to
address the shortage of Asian leaders in the business world. Personally, Anni’s career goals
are always changing, but with the examples that have been set for her, any aspiration of
hers is achievable.
With such a busy work schedule, how has Anni managed to stay connected to the UTM
business family? Anni applauds Heather Hines and Sue Prior, who are so passionate about
connecting current students with alumni. Anni found it really easy to stay in touch and
become involved with UTM students because there are many events to pick from.
There are also ample alumni events for the alumni to connect with each other.
Looking back, if she could give one piece of advice to current Commerce students, Anni
emphasizes the importance of getting involved. In her words,“Take a deep breath, and
just get up and get out there.”
“Take a deep breath, and just
get up and get out there.”
Alumni Reflections
13

14. This year, the Department of Management launched the
new Professional Development & Learning Centre (PDLC)
to offer career-related programs and activities, specifically
tailored for undergraduate business students. It is not
only a space for students, but for employers, alumni,
and community partners who add value to our growing
network of career services. As a centre for collaboration
and learning, the PDLC aims to brand our students and
department as leaders in leveraging experiential learning
to facilitate student success. The aesthetically-pleasing
space is further separated into a Learning Hub and Group
Collaboration Hub with capacity and technology for a
range of career-related activities.
Under the lead of Careers Officer Natasha Walli and a team
of work-studies, the PDLC successfully hosted numerous
career development events since its launch in September
2015. In the future, the PDLC hopes to offer an even wider
range of professional development opportunities.
14

15. “It’s a beautiful thing when a career and a passion
come together.”
Although‘passion’can be seen as an overused
buzzword, it’s the fuel that pushes drive and
motivation and should be a non-negotiable element
of your career success. Ask yourself-- what are your
genuine interests? What are your key skills and try
to find the‘sweet spot’where you can incorporate
this in your career advancement. While money and
stability are key factors, significant achievement will
come from a deeper place, where there is a genuine
interest and energy.
My personal favourite:
“Great things never came from comfort zones.”
Going to a networking event, cold calling a contact
or reaching out to someone for an informational
interview-- it’s never easy. Career development and
advancement requires that you diversify skills, take
risks, and be proactive. Often to get the competitive
advantage and personal development, you need to
challenge yourself by doing things outside of your
preferred comfort zone and routine. These new
challenges will allow you to achieve the highest level
of personal and professional progress. Once you push
yourself, you will eventually get used to it.
This attitude of taking risks and challenging yourself
will be a lifelong skill that will help you in all aspects
of your life.
Upon entering the PDLC, visitors are
greeted with a wall of inspirational
quotes. Here are Natasha’s favourite
ones. Which quote resonates with you?
IBM Career Chats:
The PDLC invited recruiters from IBM to
facilitate one-on-one career chats to discuss
the organization, application process, as well
as available opportunities. Many students
took advantage of this opportunity and made
favourable impressions on recruiters. This is a
new partnership that will continue in
upcoming years.
Banking and Telecommunications Mock
Interviews:
For students interested in working in these
industries, the PDLC partnered with UCS and
invited recruiters from leading companies to
provide a valuable networking and learning
opportunity. As students gained more insight
into industry dynamics, they also practiced and
improved their interview skills.
Associate Yourself Fair:
This first-ever fair educated students on
the value of industry associations such as
Chartered Professional Accountants (CPA),
Chartered Financial Analysts (CFA), and many
more. Representatives from each association
were invited to talk about the benefits of
membership, events and resources offered,
as well as other opportunities open to
students. Over 170 students and 18 industry
associations attended.
Event Highlights
15

16. MGT Gives Back
Our students and staff
consistently recognize the
importance of giving back to
the community. Not only do
they enjoy a sense of reward
and purpose in the process,
they also learn new skills
and build new connections.
Breast cancer has long affected millions of families around the world. Since 2010, UTM has joined the
fight against cancer with its highly-anticipated event, Run for the Cure. On Oct. 4, 2015, the UTM team
was led by Ryan Cerrudo, Communications Officer for IMI, and Carla DeMarco, Communications and
Grants Manager for the Office of the VP Research. The two organizers introduced new initiatives such as
Best Bites--where staff members submitted recipes and sold the“bites”as samples, and Chop the Mop-
-where staff and students“chopped”off their hair to raise awareness for a great cause. The actual run
itself attracted over 2,500 participants and was hugely successful, raising over $23,500 towards cancer
research for the Canadian Breast Cancer Foundation. The event truly united the UTM community and
showcased the power of our collective efforts, winning us the Postsecondary Team Challenge Award.
Run for the Cure
16

17. Dodge for the Cure
Hosted by the UCS in October 2015, the annual
Dodge for the Cure tournament aimed to
unite UTM to fundraise for the Canadian Breast
Cancer Foundation. This year’s winning team
was Planet RAWC. This event is a fantastic way
to connect students’passion for sports with
community engagement.
This year marked UTM’s 9th annual environmental
sustainability case competition, led by Mansee
Bubber and Austin Oude-Reimerink from the UCS.
The mission of SMG is to inspire future business
leaders to strive for new ventures that are both
environmentally responsible and economically
profitable. In addition to valuable networking
opportunities with industry professionals,
students from across Ontario enjoyed a series of
workshops that resonated with their passion for
the environment.
Even when the stressful exam period approaches
just before the holidays, our students still remember
the importance of contributing to the local
community. In the last week of November 2015,
UCS, SMA, Business Consulting Association (BCA),
Rotaract Club, and the UTM Residence Council
jointly launched the first-ever week-long campaign
for students to donate and help just in time for the
holidays. After the successful food, clothing, and toy
drives, students enjoyed a De-Stressor event with
fun activities ranging from designing holiday cards
to decorating gingerbread cookies.
The Five Days of Giving
Show Me the Green
17

18. Professional Development
On September 17th, we hosted the
2015 annual Welcome Reception
to congratulate our second-year
Management and Commerce students
for joining our“business family.”
Welcome Reception
Faculty and senior staff from the
Department of Management and
IMI provided inspiring advice to
encourage students’professional
development. The importance of
getting involved on campus was
also emphasized by speaker and
life coach Jonathan Hood, whose
thought-provoking and engaging
speech prompted everyone to
get up from their seats and share
their best moves! In addition to the
official remarks, students had the
opportunity to network with faculty,
staff, as well as senior leaders of
business-affiliated student groups.
To end off the night, students took
home“IMI swag”such as laptop bags.
Jointly hosted by the SMA
and the UCS, the 7th annual
Business Banquet is the
largest networking event
at UTM. Students leveraged
the opportunity to build
connections with experienced
professionals in the fields of
accounting, finance, marketing,
and management. This year,
the theme was“Making a Mark,”
aimed to inspire attendees to
reach their potential and make
an impact. The memorable
night culminated in a keynote
presentation by Sunjay Nath,
who is not only the youngest
Canadian to earn his Certified
Speaking Professional
designation, but also a magician,
comedian, and actor! His speech
captivated the audience and
encapsulated the theme.
Business
Banquet
18

19. FASTrack
IMI Finance
Competition
Ready, Set,
Market!
FASTrack is an annual program that
provides a series of skill-enhancing
workshops to prepare students for
career success. By attending all five
sessions, students are automatically
admitted to the Director’s Circle--
an honourary designation and year-
end networking celebration for
students who have demonstrated
commitment to professional
development throughout the year.
Each session focused on a relevant
topic, ranging from the power of
image, personal branding, dining
etiquette, risk and reward, to
presentation skills.
Our largest annual marketing
case competition was
collaboratively held by the UCS
and the SMA. Groups of aspiring
marketers were presented
with a case from our corporate
sponsor--Erin Park Lexus / Toyota
/ Scion, and worked together to
develop a creative and feasible
strategy to address marketing
issues. Not only did participants
enjoy the opportunity to hone
their analytical and presentation
skills, they also gained industry
knowledge in many of the
workshops. Congratulations to
team A$AP (Alice Li, Brandon
Black, & Ansar Khan), awarded
with the top prize of $1,200!
This year marked the second
annual IMI Finance Competition
jointly hosted by the Li Koon Chun
Finance Learning Centre (FLC) and
our student groups. Undergraduate
students have $1 million of virtual
money to apply theoretical
trading strategies in real-world
market situations. At the opening
ceremony held in November 2015,
students were introduced to the
new trading platform“StockFuse”
as well as a crowdsourced stock
recommendation platform called
“Nvest”. After the trades started,
weekly newsletters were sent to
update contestants on current
market trends and leaderboard
performances. At the closing
ceremony in March, the top
traders presented their investment
strategies to a panel of esteemed
judges. All attendees also enjoyed an
interactive networking opportunity
to exchange different perspectives
on the dynamic finance industry. For
the students involved, this year’s IMI
Finance Competition was a terrific
way to participate in experiential
learning in the world of finance.
19

20. Making a Mark
The mission of DECA is to engage its members through
participation in core business-related competitions and
conferences against other like-minded students across
Ontario. The competition themes range from marketing to
entrepreneurship. Some of DECA’s events include the 7th
annual Inter UofT case competition open to all three U of T
campuses. At this year’s DECA U Provincials, Jennifer Dao won
first place in Human Resources, Meenah Saravanabavan and
Ethan Le won third place in Business Financial Services, and
Harbani Kaur won third place in Restaurant and Food Services.
The IMIC group is an elite
team that provides an
opportunity for members
to hone their skills by
participating in national
case competitions. In its
second year led by directors
Hannah Boyle-Manzi,
Sarah Sultana, and Ruslan
Nazyrov,12 members from
different business programs
were selected to create a
well-rounded and
diverse team.
With help from professors,
IMIC members regularly
partake in a range of
training workshops to
improve their analytical
and presentation skills.
This year, IMIC members
participated in LIVE, RISE,
CORE, the CFA Research
Challenge, and Divercity.
Out of 16 teams in Ontario’s
local level challenge, the
UTM CFA team placed in
the top four!
The Business Consulting Association caters its
professional development events to students
interested in the challenging world of consulting.
This year, some of BCA’s events included a soft-
skill symposium called“The Leader Within”, a
consulting case competition called Think Like
a Pro, as well as a boutique consulting night.
Additionally, the group partnered with a local
nonprofit in its corporate social responsibility
project called Operation Christmas Child.
IMI Competition Group
BCA
DECA
20

21. Closing Remarks
Mihkel Tombak
Chair, Department of Management
Tanya Kirsch
Director, Undergraduate Programs
It has been a privilege and joy to step into the
big shoes of Professor Louis Florence, who
is on sabbatical for the second half of the
2015/16 academic year. I have enjoyed being
more involved in learning from, and working
with, our wonderful and inspiring group of
students -- and talented and dedicated team
of staff and faculty.
This year has seen further expansion in the
Undergraduate Program Office, with the
addition of Linnet Kocheril from our BBA
program. Linnet is a valuable addition to the
team, which continues to support the smooth
running and growth of the Department.
In the Marketing and HR disciplines, we
made some changes –- the HR stream is now
housed within the Management program,
and our BCom Marketing specialist stream
has been strengthened and expanded
through the introduction of a number
of new courses.
As we wrap up this academic year, I extend
my congratulations to our graduating class
and all the best to our students, faculty, staff
and alumni for their continued success.
Welcome to the third edition of IMPACT.
The 2015-2016 academic year was another
exciting one for the Department of
Management. There are many undergraduate
students in our Commerce and Management
programs who exemplify the standard of
excellence in education we hold in the
Department, and I am delighted to see them
featured in this issue.
As well, I am pleased to introduce the latest
addition to our faculty cohort: Laura Derksen
(Ph.D., London School of Economics) is
an applied microeconomist with research
interests in health and development. We look
forward to the exciting contributions she will
make to our Department.
We have continued to develop a strategic
plan for curriculum growth that will allow us
to realize our mission. I would like to offer a
sincere thank you to all those who support
our programs by helping us continue to
move forward.
This is an exciting and stimulating community
and I encourage you to take full advantage
of the exceptional opportunities for learning
and advancement that await you here.
21

22. Assistant Director, Operations
heather.hines@utoronto.ca
(905) 569-4972
Heather Hines
Want to learn more?
www.utm.utoronto.ca/management
This issue of IMPACT has been all about the
value of mentoring relationships. As you turned
the pages, you have seen evidence of the formal
programs and activities geared towards bringing
mentors and mentees together for mutually
beneficial exchange, support, and learning.
What this issue doesn’t talk about however, are
the informal mentors who come into your life
--sometimes when you least expect it. Often,
their influence and approach is so subtle that
they are hard to recognize at first for who they
are. They help shape your interactions with
others by being a sounding board for ideas, they
call you out when good sense has left you, and
they are your biggest supporter during the good
times and the bad.
I was fortunate enough to have such a person in
my life. Mike Jalland, for those of you who never
met him, was the first Undergraduate Programs
Director here at UTM. He was humorous, quick witted, kind, curious, innovative, and incredibly dedicated
to the undergraduate programs. Sadly, in October of last year, Mike passed away but his influence lives
on. Not a week goes by that I don’t have occasion to recall his words of advice and encouragement.
So, what is my advice to you? Be on the lookout for those hidden mentors in your midst and when
you find them, cherish the relationship. They are very special and will colour your world for the better.
Perhaps as in my case, mentorship will progress into a lasting friendship – how wonderful would that be?
- Heather Hines
Support. Inspiration. Friendship.

23. Thank you to all our students,
faculty, alumni, and partners for
your participation and support of
the Department of Management’s
initiatives. We could not do all that
we do without your time, talents,
and desire for excellence.
THANK YOU!

24. utm.utoronto.ca/management