The teams were required to provide a recommendation to the Bank of Canada on how to implement central bank digital currency (CBDC) in Canada. Students had to provide solutions to a number of different challenges including navigating the governance and regulatory process, infrastructure modernization, stakeholder engagement and consumer awareness.

Team Polar Collective proposed a private-public partnership model that would provide value to all members of Canada’s financial services consortium, as well as enterprise and consumers including the underbanked. Their proposed model leveraged the Bank of Canada’s core competencies through a hybrid approach, distributing a retail and wholesale CBDC with a tiered account model. The industry judges, executives representing all the relevant stakeholders such as Interac, Bank of Canada, Commercial Bank and other fintechs, were impressed by the level of depth and breadth of the Asper student’s presentation.

“This case competition was one of the most challenging yet rewarding experiences of the MBA thus far. As a team, we relied heavily on each other’s diverse backgrounds and experiences to bring our idea to life. The skills gained from this competition will extend beyond the classroom and will stay with us as we advance in our careers,” said Polar Collective team member Alana Moffat. “Congrats to my teammates for the weeks of hard work leading up to a stellar presentation. Thank you to our advisors for pushing us to the next level. Lastly, thank you to the women and men who continue to celebrate women’s achievements and push for gender equality in the workplace.”

The Reimagining Women in Leadership MBA case competition provided students an opportunity to connect with peers and industry leaders from across fintechs, financial institutions, academia, and consulting and legal firms.

The team received support in their competition preparation by advisors Judith Jayasuriya [MBA/14], Arly Akerstream [MBA/17], Aditya Kedia [MBA/18] and Trevor Lewarne [MBA/19]. The team was also supported by Gabriel Woo, Chris Nepomuceno [MBA/09], Darren McGill [BComm (Hons.)/10], Howard Harmatz, Nadine Pinette and Diana Dela Cruz [MBA/22].

For more information about how to participate in case competitions please visit student experience or contact Judy Jayasuriya, Lead, Experiential Learning at Judy.Jayasuriya@umanitoba.ca.

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As a full-time Manager of Customer Energy Services at Manitoba Hydro and mother of two young children, it would seem that balancing the Asper MBA program would have been challenging for recent graduate Tanis Brako.  But not only did Brako successfully complete her MBA, she thrived in the program while finding additional time to support others in her industry.

Brako was a member of the winning Asper MBA team at the 2019 East Meets West MBA Leadership Case Competition and for the past five years she’s mentored female engineers as part of Engineers Canada 30 by 30 initiative.

Brako connected with us to describe her experience as a student in the Asper MBA program.

Asper MBA winning team at the 2019 East Meets West Ivey Haskayne MBA Case Competition. Left to right: Matt Borgford, Emily Sanders, Judy Jayasuriya, Tanis Brako and Carlos Kan.

Why did you decide to take your Asper MBA?

I started considering an MBA when I was about seven years outside of my bachelor’s degree in engineering.

I enjoyed the engineering profession and I thought it was challenging, but what I noticed is that I didn’t have a solid sense of what to consider when it comes to business decisions. My business acumen wasn’t strong and I knew I wanted change that.

I looked around my company at different positions to determine what I would be interested in doing in the future. I’m really passionate about people, I love engaging with people and I love being part of teams and I felt pursuing a leadership position made sense for me.

How do you think the program has improved your leadership abilities?

The program has improved my leadership abilities and has done even more for me than I could have imagined. Not only did I learn what I would call “business acumen” but what I feel was the most valuable was the overarching strategic thinking that I developed from the program.

I now feel very confident being able to speak to a president or executive about corporate strategy and I never thought I would feel as confident with these high-level interactions as I do coming out of the program.

I knew I would understand the basics of accounting and marketing, but I really didn’t foresee the overarching business strategy being something that I would feel strong in.

And then of course, the network that I built being in the program with fantastic, amazing people as well as making contacts internationally. Participating in case competitions, I met people from China and South Africa that I’m now connected to on LinkedIn and I feel comfortable reaching out to them at any point if I ever needed advice in my career.

How did you balance school, work and being a parent all at the same time?

The way I balanced it, I literally didn’t watch TV. Any spare moment I had I would do my schoolwork.

I would stay up late – especially when I took Corporate Finance. It was hard, I didn’t want to but when the kids went to bed, from 9pm until midnight I was doing Corporate Finance and for a solid eight hours on a Saturday.

I honestly found that when I was going to school I accomplished more and found that I was forced to organize my days when I had to compartmentalize everything.

For example, I allocated eight hours for work, one hour after school for organizing the kids, an hour for activities and then find time for dinner.

I had a block of time for homework and I had to be extremely organized, extremely regimented and could never skip a day.

I started working out at 5:30 am because if I didn’t do it then it wasn’t happening.

I leaned on my supports too. When my parents were around I got their help and my boyfriend has been amazing and super supportive. He doesn’t live in Winnipeg so I would sometimes be traveling to see him and he traveled to see me.

Plane rides were fantastic as I would get so much work done on a plane.

You really optimize the number of hours you are awake for and you get it done. When you have deadlines you just have to, you don’t have a choice.

Were there any professors or courses from Asper that you found helpful, and whose lessons still resonate today?

There are definitely a few that stick out. Hands down, the best course I ever took was Business Case Analysis. That’s where everything came together for me. All the courses I took leading up to it – they were bits and pieces all put together in Case Analysis. The Case Analysis class is really the essence of what everyone should get out of an MBA, it was a fantastic course.

Negotiations was also a favourite of mine and I find that I use those tactics all the time in the work that I do. I also happened to love Corporate Finance with David Stangeland. It was a lot of work but he’s such a good teacher. I was actually surprised about how much I liked that course as I heard so many scary things about it.

What was your most memorable experience from the Asper MBA program?

The competition on the international stage at the Molson Case competition where we presented front of John Molson. The level of competition and judges was above and beyond what I ever thought I would experience in the program. I know it’s a competition, but it felt very real. You had real executives in the room asking you questions and you needed to know very practical answers to the questions. Things that you would actually put in place in real life and to be put on the spot by some of these executives was so incredibly challenging and very humbling.

To learn more about the Asper MBA program, visit Asper-mba.ca. 

Schaubroeck recently received the Canadian Public Relations Society Communicator of the Year award for 2019 for his work coordinating the Winnipeg Whiteout Street Parties during the Winnipeg Jets’ playoff run last year.

The alumnus has much to share about balancing his two booming careers and what he thinks about Winnipeg’s start up scene.

You were instrumental in the planning and execution of the Whiteout Street Parties during the Jets’ playoff run last year. Do you think these parties helped elevate the city’s reputation?

There’s no doubt in my mind. The Whiteout Street Parties were a phenomenon that blew away everyone’s expectations. When I think back to last spring, I remember seeing video and images that showed our downtown electrified. Having helped manage the public relations campaign, I also know how far our message reached. When you have outlets like Bloomberg and The New York Times praising our city – not just the Jets, but Winnipeg itself – then you know you’ve made a lasting impact.

What was it like managing media relations for the Street Parties?

I’ve never done so many interviews in my life, to be honest. The media launch event last year was more cameras than I’ve ever seen in one place before, and that was just a taste of things to come. Most Street Party days, I was managing anywhere from three to six interviews.

We had interviews with virtually every Canadian media outlet, and I even appeared on Fox News in Las Vegas during the Conference Finals last May, talking about why Las Vegas residents should come visit Winnipeg. We don’t get a chance to share a tourism message with a city like Las Vegas very often.

What do you think makes a good leader?

Someone who leads by example, and inspires others to join them. If you want to be a leader, you need people to buy into your vision – a good salary or workplace culture isn’t going to achieve that buy-in on their own. The leaders I’ve looked up to throughout my careers have been open to criticism, collaborative and ready to jump in and help when things get tough.

That’s particularly true in a start up environment. As a start up CEO, I’m really at the bottom of the organizational hierarchy. Over the past year I’ve gotten hands-on electrical engineering experience, tried my hand at some computer coding and have developed detailed financial forecasts. All of these skills are not a part of my natural skillset, but someone has to do them and more often than not that falls to me! Honestly, I wouldn’t have it any other way. The things you learn when you’re open to new experiences is one of the best parts of being an entrepreneur.

How did you come to create your business?

The whole idea of ioAirFlow started in the MBA program, in the entrepreneurship experiential course. One of the assignments was to reach out and pitch a prototype or concept to some of that industry’s largest companies. We pitched the idea of a decentralized smart thermostat to some of the world’s biggest controls companies and the response we got back was quite positive. Essentially, we were told: “Go build this, test it and come back and talk to us.” When you get a response like that, you have to think seriously about developing your idea – which is exactly what we did.

Just over two years later, and the company has gone through more pivots than I can count. But we’ve arrived at something that I think will be able to have an impact on the green building marketplace. I’m looking forward to seeing how much we can scale up in the next year or two.

How do you manage both your career with Economic Development Winnipeg with your company, ioAirFlow? Is there a commonality between the two?

Hard work and late nights, mostly. With a 9-5 job at Economic Development Winnipeg (EDW), I make time to work about an hour on ioAirFlow before heading to my day job, and another 1-3 entrepreneurial hours in the evening. The good thing about these jobs is how different they are – I’m using very different skillsets, which keeps me engaged even during a 12-hour day.

How have the last two years been in Winnipeg’s entrepreneurial environment?

It’s been a unique experience. I’ve learned a lot over the past two years, which has really complemented my Asper experience. There are a lot of things that you just can’t learn in a classroom – for example, how to negotiate the terms of a shareholder agreement, or what skills to look for when looking for contractors to help on short-term projects. No course can ever fully prepare you for scenarios like those.

I do think that Winnipeg’s start up scene is in an intriguing space, and we’re hearing about more companies finding success and beginning to scale up. I also think that as a community of entrepreneurs, we’re a little more willing to take risks than we were even just a few years ago. I think that places us well to grow the entrepreneurial ecosystem in Winnipeg.

If you could give an incoming MBA student one piece of advice, what would it be?

My best advice would be to take the time to experience all the intangible benefits of the MBA program. Get involved with aMBAsa sign up for competition teams, go on the international trips, attend networking events, and get to know as many of your peers as you can during your time in the program.

Some of the most practical and useful things I learned throughout my MBA education didn’t come from the classroom – it came from putting myself out there and seeking out new challenges.

Were there any professors or courses from Asper that you found helpful, and whose lessons still resonate today?

I was lucky enough to be on a few competition teams during my MBA, including the Business Planning Competitions and Case Competitions. Those courses stood out for me as a way to test my classroom knowledge in something closer to a real-world setting, and being critiqued by industry leaders. That type of experience is invaluable.

I remember in particular pitching at the Cardinal Challenge in Louisville, Kentucky – one of the judges tore into us and demanded more from our team. That was a great lesson in humility, having to take criticism in stride, and improving without being discouraged. I often to back to that moment if I feel like easing up on the gas pedal before a presentation – don’t ever be happy with mediocre.

There are so many courses that I find myself referencing on a daily basis with my start up. I’ve referenced my accounting and finance textbooks more in the past year than I did during the actual courses, and have used negotiation and marketing strategies learned in class on more than one occasion.

What do you do in your spare time, or more importantly, do you have spare time?

My girlfriend has been very good at making sure I carve out some time each day for spare time – for which I’m eternally grateful, or else I probably wouldn’t switch off that often. I do have a few hobbies that keep me occupied. For example, since graduating from the MBA program I’ve been taking cello lessons (with my first recital coming up this summer, which feels more terrifying right now than an investor pitch).

I also try to exercise to let my brain relax – kickboxing, running and hot yoga. If I have some spare time on weekends, I love to curl up with a few records and a good book. Our library at home is getting a little out of hand, but I can’t resist buying books on a regular basis.

Not bad for a company that began as a project in the Asper MBA program.

“When I joined the Asper MBA in 2012, I hoped the program would propel me from aerospace process engineer straight into the director’s office,” says Exigence co-founder Zach Wolff. Only two years into the program, and still a few courses away from graduating, he’s already CEO of the company he helped create.

Co-founder Sheri Governo (MBA/14) took on full-time COO duties at Exigence in November. She says the MBA program gave her and Wolff the “courage to build the company, stand on our own,” and pursue a personally and professionally fulfilling future “beyond the relative safety and security” of careers in corporate management.

Transformational Experience

Exigence began as a business plan developed in the Asper MBA’s Business Venture Analysis class. Taught by Stuart Henrickson, I.H. Asper Executive director of the Stu Clark Centre for Entrepreneurship, the course challenges students to commercialize new technologies developed by researchers from the University of Manitoba and around the world. In this case, the technology was an anti-microbial compound patented by Dr. Song Liu from the U of M’s department of textile science in the Faculty of Human Ecology.

“The Business Venture Analysis project was, for me, really the capstone of the entrepreneurship/innovation theme of the Asper MBA program,” Governo says. “You have to apply what you’ve learned in marketing, market research, finance, accounting – every area of business – while working with people from very different backgrounds and skill sets to create a viable business plan.”

As they got more involved in the project, the fundamental business knowledge, analytic skills and confidence they were gaining in the Asper MBA armed them with the courage to take the plan beyond the classroom and pursue it as an actual business venture.

In addition, the Stu Clark Centre for Entrepreneurship at the Asper School of Business opened doors to mentorship, resources and support they would have found nowhere else. The Centre’s goal is to encourage the development of new businesses and entrepreneurial thinking among Canadians by encouraging them to consider entrepreneurship as their life’s calling.

“Stuart Henrickson was – and still is – our coach and mentor,” says Governo. “He connected us with patent agents, lawyers, funding organizations, commercialization specialists – anyone and everyone who could help us take the next steps. He really opened doors to us.”

The Centre also introduced Exigence’s founders to Winnipeg’s growing start-up community, which helped accelerate the company’s momentum. With the Stu Clark Centre’s support, Wolff and Governo soon found themselves drumming up actual investors, validating the technology, securing intellectual property and regulatory approvals, incorporating the company, and sharpening the scope of the business.

Courage to Succeed

Wolff and Governo are now hard at work preparing Exigence for full-scale operation. As full-time entrepreneurs, they say they’re both exactly where they wanted to end up in their careers – but thanks to the Asper MBA, they’ve reached their destination much sooner than expected.

Wolff, who left a promising career to take on the role of full-time CEO, says going through the Asper MBA program transformed his thinking about success. “I learned that you can define it however you want – there are no boundaries, and there is nobody holding you back but yourself.”

Governo agrees: “I’ve worked for large organizations with lots of opportunity to move up, but this is really what I’m made for. My desire to pioneer things and grow things from nothing has always driven me. With Exigence, all the puzzle pieces have fallen into place.”

She adds: “On my first day on the job full-time, I brought a picture into my office that says, Write your own story. The opportunity to chart our own course is what got us here, and will continue to drive us to achieve our vision.”

For more information about the Asper MBA, visit umanitoba.ca/asper/mba
For more information about the Stu Clark Centre for Entrepreneurship, visit umanitoba.ca/entrepreneur

AMBAsa created the award to recognize a prominent individual who inspires or influences others.

Dori Chudobiak (MBA/14), Government Relations and Current Issues Manager at Manitoba Hydro, presented the award to Dr McCallum. She said students in the Asper MBA program had many reasons for voting to recognize him with the award.

Some described him as the “most influential professor” – one who “shares with students a treasure trove of insights sculpted from real-life experiences and astute observations.”  Others described McCallum as “a true business leader in the community” who “cares about the success of his students and ensures that what he teaches is relevant to the real world.”

This year, the Asper School of Business enhanced its MBA program. The school now offers functional concentrations in finance, leadership and organizations, marketing, and supply-chain management, as well as courses relating to three market-driven business themes: sustainability, entrepreneurship and innovation, and international and emerging markets.

The new Asper MBA, offered for the first time in September 2014, will allow students to focus their degree on market-driven themes relevant to their specific career goals and interests. The new MBA will do this while maintaining the previous program’s tradition of quality instruction and mentorship in core areas: business fundamentals, decision-making methods, and essential leadership strategies. Online courses have also been added giving students more options for taking classes.

The new program allows students to combine concentrations in functional areas like marketing and finance, and business themes such as sustainability, entrepreneurship and innovation, and international and emerging markets. Students can also concentrate their MBA in specific industries, such as health administration or the management of public enterprises.

“Each MBA student has different goals and passions, and now more than ever, each industry and sector demands different expertise from its leaders,” says Marci Elliott, Executive Director of the Asper MBA. “We’ve created a curriculum that ensures our MBAs graduate with a solid business education and highly focused, razor-sharp insights into their field of choice..”

The new Asper MBA immerses students in experiential learning, including international study trips, live industry projects, complex global market simulations, or pitching new business ventures to angel investors. This applied-learning approach gives graduates a distinct career advantage: because of their educational experience applying theory, knowledge and critical thinking to real-world business situations, they can hit the ground running on the job from day one.

The new program places greater emphasis on career development by offering new workshops on, resumé-building, interview skills and etiquette. These workshops build on the recently launched Asper MBA Executive Mentor Program, which matches students with leading business professionals in their field of choice.

Second place and $10,000 went to a team from Northwestern University in Chicago for Innoblative Designs, a breast cancer treatment technology; third place and $5,000 went to a team from University of Louisville for Systemica Health, a new technology to treat gum disease; and fourth place and $2,000 went to a team from the University of Manitoba for Exigence Technologies, an antimicrobial technology to deal with tough bacteria on hospital fabrics.

The 10^th annual Stu Clark Investment Competition hosted by the Stu Clark Centre for Entrepreneurship at the Asper School of Business will see 16 teams vie for over $40,000 in prizes during the competition. Teams will be judged on their idea pitch, company logo and formal business plan presentation.

Teams from the United States, Canada, and Thailand will compete for the first place prize of $20,000 and a berth to the 2014 Global Venture Labs Investment Competition at the University of Texas at Austin.

The University of Manitoba’s Asper School of Business has two MBA teams competing, Exigence Technologies and Don’t Be Skiddish, who was the winner at the 2013 Innovate Manitoba Pitch Day Competition.

Exigence Technologies has teamed up with U of M’s Technology Transfer Office and U of M researcher Dr. Song Lui to bring a new antimicrobial technology – a finish that kills bacteria for the life of the garment – to the North American textile industry, while Don’t Be Skiddish presents a solution to prevent truck and trailer wheel skids by utilizing magnetic sensor and Bluetooth technology.

Judges include 31 local business professionals, from a broad range of public and private sector organizations. In addition, University of Manitoba alum, donor, and competition namesake, Stu Clark, will be actively engaged throughout the weekend and will be judging the Championship Round.

“This competition is much more than an academic exercise,” said Stu Clark. “It provides students with investor feedback, critique and the support needed to secure the necessary capital to launch their business ideas, today, in the real world. The competition is intense and while there can only be one winner – the quality of the plans and their presentations make many of them financeable as presented.”

The competition is hosted by the Stu Clark Centre for Entrepreneurship at the Asper School of Business and will be held at the Fort Garry Hotel, March 14 – March 15.

The media and the public are welcome to attend the Idea Pitch and Logo Competition (sponsored by TD Bank) on Friday, March 14 from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. and the Championship Round (sponsored by Aikins Law) on Saturday, March 15 from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m.

How to give a successful elevator pitch

A task competitors will be asked to do

Over 700 students competing on 23 teams participated in the recently held games in Toronto. The Asper team consisted of 20 MBA students co-captained by Judy Jayasuriya and Amanda Gebhardt, and coached by Sean MacDonald. They competed in all categories: pre-competition, athletics, academic, and spirit.

“We were truly well received by all participating schools with chants of “Asper! Asper! Asper!” filling the hotel hallways in the evening and event locations when we competed,” team co-captian Amanda Gebhardt said.

“This weekend is a prime example that the Asper School of Business is capable of not only competing but contending against the top ranked MBA programs in Canada. The team cohesiveness and school pride we all gained throughout the competition will undoubtedly be a highlight of our Asper MBA experiences.”