Blog post

Meet the Class of Fall 2019

October 16, 2019

By Chris Wise

It’s been just over a month since the start of the Fall 2019 semester at John Molson and we have started meeting some incredible students across our different graduate programs. Students come to John Molson, many from abroad, for various reasons. But they all come bright eyed and with the shared drive and ambition to find the best in themselves. We would like to use our Meet the Class series to introduce some of these aspiring and inspiring John Molson graduate candidates to you.

Marie-Pier Darsigny, MBA candidate

Marie-Pier chose the John Molson MBA not only because of JMSB’s good reputation and great cultural diversity, but because she loves her native city of Montreal. “I honestly think Montreal is one of the best places to be in the world, especially some neighbourhoods that I really love, like the Mile-End.

The city is open-minded, multi-cultural, full of life, and people are generally nice. There are a lot of extremely good companies in various industries, so I also think it is a great place to land a career in business.”

Marie-Pier holds a BSc in Health Sciences and started her career in medicine, but she has been interested in business for a long time and thought pursuing an MBA was a great way to develop her business skills and knowledge, as well as building her professional network. She was particularly attracted by the reputed quality of the teachers at John Molson and, as a French-speaker, she also preferred to study in English in order to improve.

Marie-Pier really likes dancing and singing and, when she was young, she was obsessed with giving shows, seizing any opportunity to perform in front of people. Now, with work experience as a Data analyst at a tech startup and, presently, at the Innovation Department of the Quebec Ministry of Health, Marie-Pier is aiming for a consulting position at an international firm after graduation.

“Where do I see myself in 5 years? Well, it’s hard to say. But let’s say with an MBA. And working. Hard. Travelling. Having a positive impact in the world.”

Sarah Herchet, MSc in Management candidate

Sarah is from Würzburg, Germany and, after getting her BSc in International Management in 2015, was working in Business Development and Human Resources Management in Germany and Italy for 4 years prior to attending JMSB. She wanted to make sure to gather some work experience before completing her academic career with a Masters degree.

“For me, this was just the right decision. It is so interesting to learn about evidence and explanations for what you have experienced in the workplace while exploring scientific theories and studies and, ultimately, conducting your own research. The John Molson MSc in Management offers exactly the right mix between strategic management courses and seminars that investigate the psychological and behavioural nature of people in a working environment, which is a topic that interest me immensely.”

Sarah has never lived in a city as big as Montreal and she feels that it is a beautiful city that strikes the right balance between being metropolitan and still having a beating cultural heart based on its Quebecois heritage. Despite already speaking German, English and Italian, she is also hoping to learn French while living in Montreal. She admits that she likes to read her favourite books “over and over again”; perhaps this technique will be put to good use when studying for exams?

Through John Molson, Sarah is seeking an intellectually challenging and horizon-broadening graduate research program. “I knew when applying that the MSc program has students from all kinds of academic, professional and cultural backgrounds. I find this crucial for a holistic, vital and interesting discussion in our seminars and a great opportunity to learn from each other.”

Sarah would eventually like to work as a consultant in the fields of Human Resources Management or Organizational Change. Consulting offers great opportunities to learn, grow and apply the things learned in Grad School, working on a project-to-project basis with many different companies and the various challenges they face.

“I hope to be able to help others to tackle organizational challenges in a way that benefits the organization and, even more importantly, its employees. Supporting employees to grow, flourish and find meaning in what they do at work, in my opinion, is essential for sustainable business success.”

Andrew Infantino, Executive MBA candidate

Andrew is the current acting Director of Marketing for Canada's largest and fastest growing chain of 100% Plant-Based fast-casual restaurants, Copper Branch. With over 5 years’ experience in the field of marketing, Andrew has specialized in the areas of branding, marketing communication, and customer psychology. He co-founded Copper Branch with his father in 2003, leading the growth and development of the chain from one location opening in downtown Montreal to now over 65 locations across Canada and growing.

“I chose the John Molson Executive MBA because of the program's tremendous reputation and because it is a program that provides me with the opportunity to continue to work full-time, while working toward the degree. With an MBA, I hope to improve my business acumen and overall position within the company.”

Building the Copper Branch brand, while working on strategic and creative marketing programs, budgets and media are Andrew's core projects. When he isn’t hard at work, physical training, food research, playing the piano, and reading, including recent titles like “This is Marketing” by Seth Godin, and “Building A Story Brand” by Donald Miller.

“In 5 to 10 years, I see myself continuing within Copper Branch at a high-level management or executive position. Ideally, having led several successful marketing campaigns and overseeing the successful growth of the company's marketing department.”

Sébastien Bernier, MBA in Investment Management candidate

As a finance student, Sébastien knows that, as with any great investment, the benefits need to outweigh the costs. After earning his Bachelor Degree in Finance and Economics at John Molson in 2017, he began working in the industry: learning the basics of wealth management as a Senior Financial Service Representative at Mackenzie Investments; gaining a more direct contact with the stock market, implementing wealth strategies and trading securities as an Investment Representative at Group Investors; and, presently, as an Inside Wholesalers (Regional Consultant) for the Atlantic division at Russell Investments, learning everything from portfolio creation, to market valuations, to business development, all while honing his presentation skills in front of top wealth managers in the industry.

Sébastien believes that this diverse practical experience will enable him to get the most out of the John Molson MBA in Investment Management. He chose to pursue the CFA designation to be part of a group of elite individuals that are held accountable for higher standards in the financial industry.

“Having the CFA designation will set me apart as a Capital Markets expert. But being smart is not all that matters; to succeed in this industry, I believe it is essential to have strong soft skills, particularly in relationship building and presenting – this is where the MBA will add great value. I will need to combine my knowledge with the ability to communicate my ideas in an efficient matter if I want to establish the trust that my clients need to follow my advice.”

As a French Canadian who did not speak a word of English until the age of 16, Sébastien struggled through his studies leading up to, and even during his bachelor’s degree, where he was given a conditional probation! “This gave me the kick that I needed to roll up my sleeves and study harder. I was able to finish in the top 15% of that academic year and successfully graduated in 2017.” Now, he feels he can do anything he sets his mind to. Fast forward to 2019, he passed the CFA Level 1 exam, is working on finishing the Chartered Investment Manager designation, and is a Chartered Market Technician (CMT) Level 3 candidate.

Sébastien’s dream job would be as a Portfolio Manager, “but I still have a long way to go before achieving that!” However, he is confident that he will have all the tools he needs to work his way up. “My short-term goals would be to be promoted as an Regional Director/VP Sales and help advisors within my own region to develop and help their clients reach retirement in the most efficient and enjoyable way.” He would eventually also love to use all the knowledge acquired through these hard years balancing studies and work to mentor new up and coming talent from the industry.

“In five years, I picture myself in the Bahamas enjoying a few drinks with my future wife and children. Professionally, I would like to be working in a role where I enjoy every moment and where I am able to put into work everything I learned during my 3 years at the Goodman Institute. To future MBA students: hopefully we will meet at industry conferences or Alumni meetings!”

Concordia University Open House is happening this Saturday, October 19th from 10am to 4pm. Take this once-a-year chance to meet our recruiters in person or live stream the info sessions throughout the day. For more information on the full range of John Molson graduate programs, visit our website.

Stay tuned for future posts in our Meet the Class series, where we'll present another selection of students from our excellent graduate class of Fall 2019!