Well before she was an investment analyst in Toronto, Hilary Swan looked forward to earning a business degree from Ivey.

“As I was pursuing interesting opportunities while in high school, I became aware of the nature of the Ivey program,” the 23-year-old says. “I was involved in mock trials and business case competitions, and I was drawn to Ivey’s Case-Method Learning that trains you for the real world.”

Real-world experience is Ivey’s secret weapon, says Swan, who earned both her HBA and Master of Science in Management (Business Analytics) degrees from Ivey, the latter in 2022, and now works as an investment analyst at Choice Properties Real Estate Investment Trust in Toronto.

“Ivey really has an unparalleled reputation, and the skills taught in the classroom translate to the real world,” Swan says. The school’s career management and alumni networks, combined with diverse club offerings, are what set the school apart from others.

“The Ivey alumni network is really remarkable. The alums are so willing to engage with students and recent grads, and the club opportunities allow you to grow outside of the classroom,” Swan says.

Ivey offers many experiences that Swan says she carries with her even after graduation, including her participation in the Ivey Real Estate Club and the Ivey Women in Management Club, where she helped coordinate community events.

“Ivey fosters so many opportunities to create a sense of community,” Swan says, noting that one of the strengths of the Ivey community is its diversity. “At Ivey, there is a great breadth of diversity in the classroom and engagement at all levels, and this enriches the entire experience.”

Swan was also drawn to the cutting-edge applications of the graduate Business Analytics program, which she says have been invaluable to her success as an investment analyst, helping her understand the nuances and possibilities of big data. More than a trend these days, anyone running a successful enterprise must understand the ins and outs of data, whether it’s the Toronto Blue Jays or, in Swan’s case, working the analytics angles in Toronto’s vibrant and complex commercial real estate space.

“In many ways data analytics is very much the Moneyball story,” Swan says about the Michael Lewis book and 2011 film starring Brad Pitt, which tells the story of how the small market Oakland Athletics built a competitive Major League Baseball team by using revolutionary data analytics to identify undervalued players.

“We take insights from the data to not just understand and analyze it, but to allow businesses to make more informed and better-reasoned decisions.”

Another perk of graduating from Ivey – no matter where she finds herself in the business community – Swan says she’s bound to run into an alumnus.

“Ivey creates a bit of a small world in the much larger business world. Whether at real estate conferences or developing business at a Raptors game, Ivey alums always manage to find one another, and there is great camaraderie,” Swan says.