Andy Hoang

While Andy Hoang, MM-A '24 Candidate, already had a strong background in finance, he wanted to deepen his technical and data skills to better serve his clients and become a leader in an increasingly tech-focused world.

“The world is clearly heading towards the age of data, AI, and machine learning, and while I've always had an interest this field, I don’t come from a technical background, so I felt it was important to get a good understanding of these skills,” says Hoang, Principal and Director of Partnerships at Quantum Growth Advisors, a boutique capital advisory firm focused on the healthcare and technology sectors.

“I also meet a lot of start-up founders and CEOs in my line of work, and I felt the Ivey MM-A would help strengthen my credibility and build trust with clients because the Ivey name carries a lot of weight.”

While Hoang had worked to teach himself programming and coding before joining Ivey, he’s found the program helpful to solidify his understanding of core concepts, and he appreciates being able to bounce ideas and questions off classmates who have more expertise in that area.

“There's two sides to this program, the business and the technical side, and we have such a diverse group of people helping each other to succeed,” he says. “For classmates who do not have a business background, I can offer a hand, and they can help me with the technical side. It’s a nice balance that is needed in today's world.”

In addition to the group learning, Hoang says he’s enjoying the clear and well-organized instruction from his professors, who are also approachable and willing to adapt their teaching to student needs.

“My Art of Modeling professor, for instance, teaches in a way that’s easy to understand, and provides different tips and tricks about Excel, regardless of your level, which I find very helpful,” he says.

“My finance professor has incredible credentials, and while some of the concepts are more of a review for me because I work in finance, he makes it so easy to understand. I wish I had a professor like that when I started learning about finance in my undergrad – so I'm confident that my classmates are getting top-notch education in finance.”

Hoang has also found useful frameworks and concepts in the leadership courses and cases, which have placed him in situations where he had to role play and make decisions for his team.

“The leadership component is so crucial because you’re learning from world-class faculty members at Ivey, you’re working with interesting people in your class from different backgrounds, and you’re getting an opportunity to practice your leadership skills within that context.”

He says the program has transformed the way he thinks about and tackles business problems and helped him become a better user of data.

And while juggling a Master’s program with a full-time job, a three-year-old, and other personal goals can be a lot, Hoang says he’s been able to manage it with the support of his wife, following an honest conversation before he began the MM-A.

“It's so important to manage your time effectively, have clear schedules, have clear goals every day,” he says. “I spend 20 to 25 hours a week at least for the program, because I want to come to class fully prepared. It’s time-consuming, but it's worth it.”

The curriculum is challenging, he adds, “but in a good way.”

“It pushes you to think harder. The Case Method doesn't just teach you the narrow business problem; it provides a lot of context and peripheral information, and helps you develop into a more well-rounded person,” Hoang says.

“And I think it is such a unique offering that Ivey has.”