Although Anderson appreciates the skills in economics he learned as an undergrad, he says his Ivey experience inspired him to unleash more career potential.

“At Ivey, I learned that, hey, I can apply my economic skills to business problems and create tangible solutions,” Anderson says. “The modeling, the stats can carry forward to real world experiences.”

This quest to unleash data potential and apply it is what brought Anderson to Ivey where he graduated with a MSc in Management, Business Analytics ’21. He was also the vice-president of Business Analytics within the MSc Association.

“My eyes were opened to the practical applications of statistics at Ivey,” Anderson explains. “It was very much like the Moneyball revolution where I learned of all of the untapped potential in data and how it can revolutionize businesses.”

Although he was content with his economics specialty – Anderson graduated from Western with an Economics degree in 2019 – he wanted to unveil the valuable answers to the “so what” factors of data that allows businesses to make better decisions.

Anderson is now a data scientist at investment bank, FirePower Capital, in a new unit focused on data consulting. Part of the intrigue of big data is its application diversity. Anderson explains how survival rate data models in healthcare, for example, can be applied to software apps, identifying why a user might leave a platform. The developer can take Anderson’s information and create a new and improved product.

“It’s making a difference that excites me,” Anderson says. “I love helping mid-market companies build an analytic foundation that will help them be successful.”

Anderson points out that many of the skills he uses in his current role have a direct relation to the case method approach he was taught at Ivey.

“With this analytical foundation, we can better predict how a marketing campaign will work, or how to improve customer retention,” Anderson explains. “What’s so cool about it are the parallels to the cases I studied at Ivey.”

Beyond data analysis skills, Anderson says that Ivey helped him develop a unique set of softer communication skills that he otherwise may not have nurtured. These skills are difficult to define, but he is forever grateful for the opportunity to experiment with modern presentation techniques and styles in a safe but challenging learning environment.

“Ivey helped me prioritize what I was interested in,” Anderson says. “My profs all helped tailor my communication skills. And the way they (profs) critiqued our presentations, our reports, our executive summaries, to distill weeks of work into understandable bullet points – this is what really sticks out in my mind when thinking about Ivey.”

Almost every day in his role at FirePower Capital, Anderson uses techniques he was taught at Ivey to help clients achieve their business goals and dreams. Seeing these processes come to fruition from beginning to end is inspiring, he says.

“People choose Ivey because their programs and courses relate everything back to real and practical outcomes,” Anderson says. “This gives grads an incredible advantage and this is why companies keep hiring Ivey grads; they have no gaps in their knowledge and experience.”