MBA at the Richard Ivey School of Business: Student Profile

TopMBA.com talks to Mark Healy about his decision to do his MBA at the Richard Ivey School of Business in Canada, and his post-MBA career. 

What were you doing before your MBA?

I worked as an Application Specialist and Technical Sales Representative for an Ottawa-based biotechnology firm, specializing in industrial enzyme and green fuels (bio-fuels) development.  My role included account and client relationship management, in-field project management, and the systemization of operating protocols and training tools for scalable growth.  It was a cool job.      

What were your main reasons for deciding to attend business school?

As my technical responsibilities gradually decreased and my management responsibilities increased, I became more and more interested in the underlying business strategy of my firm, and in the practice of professional management in general.  I felt I was not sufficiently equipped to pursue a successful management career.  I felt an MBA would provide me with the platform of business knowledge and the tools I would need to purse that career.      

What research did you undertake in selecting your school?

- I looked very carefully at four Canadian schools, knowing I wanted to stay in Canada.

- I checked therankings,

- attended information sessions,

- recruited candidates for my previous employer from one school, and

- visited two other schools including Ivey.

However, I relied mainly on the honest feedback of then current students at each of the four schools, who were part of my personal network.

What were the main criteria in your selection?

I had three:
- reputation - I wanted to attend a top-flight school, knowing that reputations are normally earned, and that the reputation would in turn lead to becoming part of a tremendous professional network.
- experiential learning environment - I am not much of a lecture/note-taking learner.  I learn by doing, experimenting and discussing.  Thus, I preferred case schools.
- two-year program - I really wanted the soak time to absorb and aggregate the learning, as well as the opportunity to try out a new career in a summer internship.     

Why did you decide to study either in your own country or overseas?

I am married and my wife has a career.  Neither of us had a desire to disrupt her career, nor our strain our relationships with peers, colleagues or family members.  The decision to stay in Canada was an easy one.      

How well do your think the MBA is regarded in your home country?

I believe the Ivey MBA program is regarded as the top program in Canada.  The rankings and my discussions with recruiters, professional managers in Canadian business and my business colleagues consistently affirm this belief.      

How are you financing your studies?

I had some savings coming into the program, however I am financing the bulk of my studies via student loans.      

Did you apply for any scholarships? If so, which ones?

I applied to Ivey's financial aid scholarship fund. (At Ivey, one applies to the pool, and not to specific scholarships. The school then decides based on merit the specific scholarship and level of award for successful candidates.)      

Were you successful in obtaining a scholarship?

I received the "MBA Student Award of Excellence" scholarship, for academic distinction and leadership.  I also received the Morrie Schneiderman Award for Excellence in Operations Management.

Have you already been, or do you intend to become an entrepreneur?

I have not been part of a start-up in the past, however I will be joining (have already joined, in fact) the management team of a new tactical consulting practice in Toronto - Mezzanine Business Consulting. The firm is creating a new market space, and all team members are very entrepreneurial - it is an exciting time.      

Are there any well-known and/or successful entrepreneurs that are alumni of your school?

Ivey has many successful entrepreneurs amongst its alumni.  Among many others, Arkadi Kuhlmann started ING Direct USA, which now has $30 B in assets under management.  Morley Ivers started Points.com, an internet firm which exchanges loyalty program points.     

What do you expect to do on graduation and where do you expect to be based?

I will be joining (have already joined, in fact) the management team of a new consulting practice in Toronto - Mezzanine Business Consulting - as Director of Operations.  Mezzanine is the evolution of Ivey Business Consulting Group.  We are creating a new market space in Tactical Consulting, operating under a differentiable, non-traditional business model, including fixed price contracts and reasonable bill rates.  All team members are very entrepreneurial - it is an exciting time.  For more information, please visit our website at www.mezzanineconsulting.com.     

Where do you see yourself in ten years time?

I see myself as a business owner.  I plan to work extremely hard over the next ten years, to ensure I am successful, and to ensure that I can then carve out time to spend with my family, as a good husband and father.      

How easy or difficult do you expect it to be to achieve these objectives?

I have no illusions that any of this will be easy.  People are constantly giving out advice such as "work smarter, not harder", and while there is some merit to that, I really believe that there is no substitute for consistent, relentless hard work. I fully expect that if I keep up a positive, doer attitude, if I keep my client's, partner's and employees' best interests in mind, and if I remain focused at all times, I will achieve my objectives.     

Any other comments?

I believe what goes around comes around.  I am committed to giving back.  I am committed to teaching - at work, and in volunteer roles - believing that is a responsibility stemming from the privilege of having attended a top-tier MBA program.  I believe strongly in business professionalism, and so I wrote two cases on the subject and taught those cases to incoming MBA students.

Right now I am having a fantastic experience working with a few other students on a new initiative: Ivey Builds.  IB is an MBA student-led Corporate Social Responsibility initiative.  We are working with Habitat for Humanity to have all students at Ivey participate in designing, funding and building a wheel-chair accessible home for a local London family.  We are also organizing a national conference on CSR in April, and recently confirmed Ralph Nader, Stephen Lewis and Avi Friedman as our keynote speakers.