Shirish Mannur

Why DeGroote?

DeGroote is an elite, top-tier MBA with a strong network in Toronto’s financial district. Given my background in finance, I was hugely attracted to the various course offerings covering a spectrum of financial management areas. From using intensive case-study methods in applied courses such as Corporate Finance and Financial Statements Analysis to the practical application-based subjects such as Big Data in Finance, Financial Modelling using VBA and the virtual trade floor-based Market Trading with Options course; the School’s finance-focused specialization is highly reputed and has a strong curriculum which was a major factor for me to choose to do my MBA at DeGroote.

Why an MBA?

As an Industrial Engineer by qualification, my professional experience was largely in the Credit Risk ratings/Corporate Banking sphere. I wanted to gain a holistic view of how businesses ran from the various functional aspects of an organization and also acquire a formal qualification in business studies. I pursued an MBA to learn the impact of applied business decisions across organizational units and grow my leadership skills to effectively manage a team. Furthermore, my aim of specializing in the Finance concentration was largely behind my decision to apply to DeGroote, given the School’s stellar reputation in the Canadian BFSI space.

What surprised you about DeGroote?

DeGroote’s experiential learning opportunities such as the Summer Internship program and Integrated Consulting Project provided me with an extraordinary real-world experience of working with Canadian corporate giants such as RBC and Bell Canada. The ability to network with alumni/recruiters from prestigious Bay Street names, participate in some of the biggest case competitions and immerse oneself in the highly finance-focused curriculum along with leadership-oriented courses was pleasantly surprising.

What piece of advice would you give to anyone considering doing their MBA at DeGroote?

My advice to incoming/interested MBA students would be to have a targeted career search strategy through a pre-decided list of roles in industries of interest. Students gain vital insights to succeed by making new relationships with people currently working in those roles/ industries. Early networking is a key component of this approach (especially via LinkedIn!) and should be utilized to connect with DeGroote alumni, upper-year students, professors, recruiters, and industry experts.

What has been the highlight of your DeGroote experience so far?

The feather in the cap of my DeGroote journey has been the chance to work at Royal Bank of Canada in the Financial District, Downtown Toronto as part of my summer internship. This was only possible thanks to DeGroote CPD’s efforts and guidance; I was able to gain deep insights from some of RBC’s biggest leaders which has been one of the high points of my MBA experience. The opportunity to work and build my skill sets on some of the biggest names in the investment management industry and the trusted bread & butter consumer giants has been remarkable.

What extra-curricular activities have you been involved with while at DeGroote

• Competed in DeGroote’s “Pitching in for Charity” event on behalf of Burlington-based charity- The Carpenter Hospice; we presented our idea to enable improved infrastructure and facilities for caregivers and for the community’s elders at the Hospice.
• RBC Student Ambassador representing the Bank’s Group Risk Management Function at McMaster University for Fall 2019. Organize and manage events along with the RBC Student Ambassador team on-Campus including Q & A sessions, guest speakers and other career help activities (resume, cover letter, networking and interview tips).

Tell us one fun fact about you!

I’m a lifelong Chelsea Football Club supporter and am hugely passionate about football/soccer. I play with my course colleagues in the MBA FC team in McMaster’s intramural league!