When Angélica Velásquez Gordon, EMBA ’23, was considering doing an Executive MBA, she wanted more than a traditional classroom experience – she wanted to learn how to navigate both current and future business challenges. Ivey’s case-based education appealed to her so that she could learn from examples from real companies.
“It gives you the context of uncertainty that we all live in and it teaches you to make a decision,” said Velásquez Gordon, who is a Product Manager at JMCC Group in Toronto.
Now that she has completed the program, Velásquez Gordon says it delivered all that and more. In addition to learning about how technological advances; such as automation, ChatGPT, and robotics; are changing the world, she learned from Ivey’s strong focus on sustainability.
“Before I started the program, I wasn’t even aware of the Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations. Now, I’m not only aware, but I know how to navigate and support a better world for the current generations and those to come,” she said. “Ivey teaches you to think, not just about the next quarter of your financial statements, but also about your actions. What are the impacts of those actions that you do every day in your companies?”
Prepare for the workforce of the future
Velásquez Gordon said there is a lot of fear about technological changes, particularly how artificial intelligence might displace jobs. But she encourages future students to embrace the opportunity to incorporate new technologies in the way they work to reach their fullest potential.
“One of the challenges that I see for future students is how to seize those advancements in technology to create new businesses, to create new opportunities, and to create different societies,” she said. “At the end of the day, innovation is about that – creating things that didn’t exist before and that nobody could imagine.”
Watch the video above where Angélica Velásquez Gordon reflects on her time at Ivey and what the future might hold.
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