Building Digital Community

Justin is a recruiter turned business student that has a strong passion for entrepreneurship, sports, and a love for bartending. He has spent the past 5 years within the field of recruitment sourcing and hiring for a diverse set of industries including health care, pharmaceuticals and sales. However, his true passion in life lies in the world of business and  most specifically, in the opportunities of creating something from nothing. Some interesting facts about Justin is that he used to work as a Bartender for the KEG and was a Team Canada prospect for a Japanese martial arts called Kendo. Justin is a fun loving and sociable guy so don't be shy to say hello!

The featured charity for this episode is: https://handoverhand.ca/

Vinayak is an MBA co-op student at the DeGroote School of Business. He graduated in 2016 with a BBA specializing in marketing. After graduating he worked in consulting for a little over 3 years focusing on clients in the media and manufacturing sectors. He loves watching cricket and football(soccer) and is a big Chelsea fan. He enjoys spending his weekends grabbing a beer with his friends while watching a game or playing poker.

The charity for this episode is Zomato Feeding India. Find out more about them here: https://www.feedingindia.org/

Remy is a recent graduate of the MBA program at DeGroote and you may know her as the former MBAA President. On this episode of the podcast we talk about Remy's journey to starting an MBA, her passion for healthcare, her learning throughout her many leadership positions while at DeGroote and we make some plans to get neighbouring yachts in the next few years! 

This episodes target charity is the Interval House of Hamilton. You can find out more about them here: https://intervalhousehamilton.org/

Welcome to the podcast Siddharth! 

Siddharth is a FT-MBA student at DeGroote with over 5 years of professional experience. He completed his B.Tech in Computer Science and Engineering before starting work as a Software developer with Wipro Technologies. Later he started his own start-up which was a blockchain based healthcare product company. He expanded his start-up to Ecuador where he had loads of fun and interesting experiences. He speaks over 5 languages, plays 4 instruments, makes perfumes, and lots more.

The charity of choice for this episode is the Akshaya Patra Foundation. Check them out here: https://www.akshayapatra.org/

We're back! On the first episode of season two we have Zaryab Ahmed. Zaryab was born in Pakistan but has lived most of his life in cities across southern Ontario. He completed his undergraduate degree in Biological Psychology from Queen’s University in 2020 and chose to go directly into his MBA at the DeGroote School of Business. During his time at Queen’s he was a part of the Queen’s Healthcare and Business conference as well as one of Canada’s first artificial intelligence incubators. Zaryab is passionate about the start-up ecosystem working at 2 distinct digital health start-ups as well helping co-found one of his own. Zaryab looks forward to pairing his scientific background to a formal business education and applying it to improve the healthcare system.

 Islamic Relief Canada is this episodes sponsored charity. Check them out here: https://www.islamicreliefcanada.org/

Alissa is from Troy, Michigan and is an MBA co-op student at McMaster. She completed her undergrad at Hope College (Holland, Michigan) as a double major in business and communication in 2020. She has worked in marketing and consulting all around the world, including Sydney, Australia, Paris, France, and throughout Michigan. Alissa played on the women’s basketball team at Hope College, and is continuing as a graduate student-athlete on the women’s basketball team at McMaster. When not in the classroom or in the gym, Alissa loves to be active outdoors. Some of her favorite hobbies are skiing, surfing, hiking, and laying out on Lake Michigan’s gorgeous beaches!

Sabrina started her journey at Sheridan, where she graduated with an advanced Business Administration diploma. She then transitioned to completing a Bachelor of Commerce, specializing in marketing management at Ryerson University. During her educational journey, Sabrina worked as an Educational Events Coordinator. Her responsibilities included analyzing the market to conduct marketing strategies as well as coordinating the logistics of educational events. In her role, Sabrina worked closely with the VP of Operations, account managers, and the marketing and customer experience departments to ensure customers received the most value at each event.

When Sabrina is not busy with school, she enjoys outdoor activities such as hiking, yoga, and jogging.

Kopica is a 2020 graduate from McMaster University from the Life Sciences Co-op program. She always knew that she wanted to work in healthcare, and spent the last few years exploring different roles with the goal of bringing about positive change. After working in both government and healthcare, she decided to start her MBA journey at the DeGroote School of Business, aiming to specialize in Health Services Management. Aside from her academics, Kopica has grown a lot thanks to all the mentors in her life, so she enjoys paying it forward by taking part in different mentorship programs to support other students. She also takes on a leadership role with a Global Health Committee to design educational workshops for current and prospective medical students. Kopica is a big foodie, loves board games, and also recently started a small business where she makes balloon garlands for party decor. Welcome to the podcast Kopica! 

Stefan graduated with a Bachelor of Business Administration, specializing in marketing. He has worked for a packaging company as a Marketing Specialist that services CPGs such as Unilever, Mondelez, and Kraft-Heinz. As a marketing Specialist he supported the National Sales Directors with responsibilities that included organizing a marketing campaign, and researching and presenting opportunities for growth across various departments of the organization.

In his role, Stefan was also an active member of a company committee that organizes, allocates, and distributes company resources to a wide variety of initiatives that promote community development and corporate social responsibility.

When Stefan is not busy with school, he enjoys playing competitive sports, cutting hair, and spending time with loved ones.

Welcome to the podcast Stefan! 

Brandon Kober is a small-town guy with big ambition. His experience as a Registered Nurse and a manager left him wanting to do more for people in the worst life circumstances. Brandon is interested in working to shape public policies and programs that will improve health at the population level. He wants to spread a message of radical compassion, arguing that people have more in common than they do differences. Brandon is pursuing his MBA at the DeGroote School of Business to complement his frontline healthcare experience, learn the ropes of systems as they exist today, and collaborate with a diversity of current and future leaders to solve society’s biggest problems. Welcome Brandon!