For Sid Santdasani, AMBA '21, combining an Accelerated MBA with his CFA designation led to the perfect mix of technical and leadership skills for ongoing career growth.

“I think my MBA, combined with some of the other credentials that I have, has accelerated my career,” says Santdasani, Senior Analyst, Institutional Sales at Mackenzie Investments.

“The fact I did my MBA right as I was starting my career with Mackenzie I think led to certain opportunities coming my way sooner rather than later.”

While Santdasani had a lot of technical knowledge of finance, having completed his CFA designation shortly before embarking on his MBA and through his previous roles at RBC and Morningstar, he felt he needed to round out his experience to develop his career prospects.

“The CFA designation is so technical, it is so focused in one area that it cuts you off other things that are happening around you,” he says.

“When I did the MBA, there were so many new things that were introduced to me; it just allowed me to have an understanding of the entire firm. Having both combined sort of balances you out as an individual.”

In fact, Ivey’s strong focus on group work and collaboration was one of the key draws for Santdasani, who chose Ivey’s MBA over another top school’s offer because he wanted to share the experience with classmates from varying fields and build a diverse network.

“I wanted to come out of it having established a very strong network of people who are not just in the asset management industry or in finance,” Santdasani says. 

“Now I have people that are in telecommunications, consulting firms, or work at different banks. Without the MBA it would be very difficult for me to meet them all.”

Working through problems with his classmates helped Santdasani find new ways to think about challenges and connect with people across his organization in different ways.

It’s also led to an expansion of his responsibilities to include managing client-facing relationships and given him a better understanding of how different sections of the business fit together.

“Not only am I more involved in some of our strategic projects, but I’m taking more of a leadership role at those projects,” Santdasani says.

“Some of the courses within the MBA basically teach you how to read the landscape when you’re in an organization, how do you make relationships with people when you’re new to firm or if you want to go up the chain, where do you find structural holes or areas where there’s no one filling the gap and you get there and you can be that person.

It’s allowed me to become more confident, more engaging with people. There’s a smoother flow to work.”