“My wardrobe includes coats, suits and hiking boots.”
Hometown: Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
Fun fact about you: I am the first Slovenian citizen to complete an MBA at Ivey Business School.
Basic education and qualification:
- McGill University, Bachelor of Science, minor in Langue et littérature françaises
- University of Toronto, Master of Health Science (Speech Pathology)
Where did you last work before enrolling in business school? Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, Veterans Centre, Speech Therapist
Where did you do your internship in summer 2023? Ivey is an intensive one-year MBA program. Internships are not part of the curriculum.
Where will you work after you graduate? KPMG, Healthcare and Life Sciences, Senior Consultant
Community work and leadership roles in the business school:
- Forte Fellowship, Recipient
- Speech Pathology Mentoring Program, Mentor
- Podcast “Women in Business”, co-host
- Ivey Student Ambassador Program, Ambassador
- Ivey Olympics, Team Captain
- Ivey Alumni Technical Prep Program, Contractor
- London Health Sciences Centre, Movement Disorders Clinic, Speech Therapist
What academic or extracurricular achievement are you most proud of while studying at business school? The extracurricular accomplishment I am most proud of during my time at Ivey is launching a Women in Business podcast with one of my classmates. As a Forte Fellowship recipient, I created the podcast to reach out to women and inspire them to consider studying business. The goal was to showcase women from diverse educational and professional backgrounds and encourage other women to think about their own future options. As a woman from a non-traditional background pursuing a business degree, I felt a strong connection to this project. I hope the next group of Forte Fellows can continue to expand the podcast to share the stories of other incredible women at Ivey.
What achievement in your professional career are you most proud of? Part of my responsibilities as a clinical speech pathologist is to ensure patients are able to eat and drink safely. This includes conducting detailed assessments of their chewing and swallowing function to reduce the risk of choking. The accomplishment I am most proud of in my professional career is developing a curriculum for hospital staff that focuses on safe feeding practices. Because many patients require assistance with eating and drinking, staff must assist with these tasks, although some staff do not receive training on how to safely and effectively assist a patient with mealtimes. The development of this curriculum was made possible through a collaboration with nurses, managers, and nursing assistants. Once implemented, the curriculum enabled staff to feed patients with confidence and resulted in a reduction in safety incidents in the facility.
Why did you choose this business school? The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the healthcare system motivated me to pursue an MBA. During this time, I felt inspired to leverage my clinical experience and pursue a role as a decision-maker in the public health sector. I realized I lacked the business acumen needed to make this transition and decided to pursue an MBA. Ivey’s MBA program initially attracted me because of its one-year curriculum, as my goal was to get back to work as soon as possible. As I began to investigate Ivey’s program further, there were many other attractive features of the program, such as the use of the case method, brand recognition in Canada, and an outstanding recruiting team! All of these factors made Ivey my top choice for a business school.
Who was your favorite MBA professor? I have a lot of respect for all of the MBA professors at Ivey. Dr. Nadine de Gannes particularly stood out in her teaching of responsible business leadership. She was able to maximize discussion in class by using the Socratic method. In particular, she responded to student comments and turned case studies into thought-provoking questions. She also had a wealth of knowledge on specific topics that students referenced during discussions, so the classes were always engaging and informative. In addition, she was friendly and easy to get along with outside of class as well.
What was your favorite course during your MBA? Responsible Governance was my favorite MBA course at Ivey. I found the subject incredibly interesting as I was new to the structures and principles of corporate governance. Due to my professional background, I had no experience with the practice of responsible governance. I appreciated the structure of the course as three different professors covered the subject from the perspective of accounting, finance, and strategy. Each professor was able to spark a stimulating discussion among students due to the ethical dilemmas in each case study. This course was offered as an elective, but I strongly believe it should be included in the core curriculum as this topic is relevant to anyone working in a business function.
Looking back on your MBA experience, what would you do differently and why? As I reflect on my MBA experience, there is one thing I would have done differently if I had the opportunity: start the program earlier. Before accepting my offer from Ivey in December 2022, I had been considering applying to an MBA program for about two years. I was hesitant because my academic and professional background would not make me a good fit for an MBA. I had never met a healthcare professional with an MBA in my professional career, and I was afraid I would not be successful academically. After expressing my interest in Ivey’s program, I was put in touch with a handful of clinicians, including a former speech therapist! These interactions gave me the confidence that the Ivey MBA is designed for all students, including those from non-traditional backgrounds. Fortunately, even though I started my studies a year late, I am leaving the program with a great group of friends, a diploma, and a promising career path!
What is the biggest myth about your school? In my research on the Ivey MBA program, I kept hearing from alumni that the cohort was very close-knit because the vast majority of students relocated for the program. Essentially, Ivey is not a commuter school; students are usually separated from their family and friends. I found this to be the case, too, as students moved from Toronto, Eastern and Western Canada, and abroad to attend the program. As such, the cohort relied on each other for support and socialization. There were regular events sponsored by the MBA Council and individual students, to which all members of the cohort were always invited. In my opinion, the “biggest myth” has been proven true – the Ivey cohort is a close-knit community due to the location of the campus and the attitudes of the students selected for the program.
What did you like most about your business school city? The best thing about London, Ontario is the Thames River Walk Loop. The loop is a paved path that runs along the Thames River. I have been walking this path year-round to take a break from studying. The path is even accessible in the winter as it is regularly cleared of snow. Walking the path reminded me of my home in Hamilton, which also has a walking path along Lake Ontario.
What surprised you most about business school? At Ivey, I was very pleasantly surprised by the camaraderie that existed within the group. I expected the business school to be very competitive, with the majority of students competing for a very limited number of positions available through campus recruitment. Although I felt the group was geared toward academic success, I did not experience any competitiveness among the students. My fellow students were incredibly helpful and kind to each other. The positive interactions I had with my fellow students made me enjoy the program even more.
Which MBA classmate do you admire the most? Pranav Rao is the MBA classmate I admire the most. I worked with Pranav for the first few months as we were assigned to the same study team. I was impressed by Pranav’s commitment to helping his classmates, including myself, with various core subjects. Pranav helped conduct group teaching sessions for courses on operations and decision making with analytics and provided one-on-one tutoring. What was particularly admirable was that he never seemed to say no; he always made time to help anyone who needed it. Aside from academic support, Pranav also presented himself in a positive and approachable manner. He was considerate of students from diverse backgrounds and sought to learn more about his classmates. I am grateful to have Pranav as a classmate and friend.
What are the two most important things on your professional bucket list?
1. Make a meaningful contribution to public health care in Canada. In particular, I want to leverage my niche as a frontline clinician to support decisions at the C-suite level.
2. Volunteer with Speech Therapy Cambodia to help develop speech and language therapy training in the country’s health care system.
What made Olivia such a valuable addition to the class of 2024?
“Oliva has been an exemplary role model for women in the MBA program. It is no surprise that she was selected as a Forte Fellowship recipient as she is passionate about helping women carve out a place for themselves as leaders in business. Together with her co-host, Olivia started a podcast (Women in Business) to inspire women – even those from non-traditional educational backgrounds – to pursue a business degree.
Academically, Olivia has performed well in all of her courses. Her peers have recognized her as a strong contributor who participates in class discussions in a thoughtful and informed manner. She is more than deserving of this nomination as an outstanding member of the MBA Class of 2024 and the Ivey community.”
Kate Palmer-Gryp
Director, Full-time Programs
Ivey Business School
