Jeremy Hunt was the youngest member of his MBA class, but he didn’t let age serve as a barrier to advancing his career when the time was right.
Now a recent graduate of Ivey’s Executive MBA program, Hunt lives in Ottawa with his wife, Alex, and is the Director of Stakeholder Relations & Outreach in the Prime Minister's Office. On summer long weekends, you can find him in Orillia on the lake. In the winter, he gets out to his parents’ place in Canmore, Alta. to go skiing and snowboarding.
Despite being more suited for a full-time MBA program, Hunt’s choice to do the Executive MBA was inspired by the program’s flexible, part-time schedule, which allowed him to keep his job. Below, Hunt reflects on what led to his decision to come to Ivey, and how his education has impacted his career:
Q: How did you end up where you are today?
I started volunteering in politics during my undergraduate studies. At the time, I had no plan or expectation of working for the government, much less for a decade. The plan at the time was to do my undergraduate degree and then go into law. But, when Prime Minister Harper won the 2006 election, I had already spent a lot of time with the people who made up his transition team from those volunteer hours, so I got a job offer right after that election to work for Ian Brodie (a former Western Professor of Political Science). As I was considering that offer, Brodie gave me some great advice that really hit home – he asked what job would provide better experience to someone studying political science than to work for the Chief of Staff to the Prime Minister? After about a year in Brodie's office, I was assigned to the Prime Minister's Advance Team.
Q: What did you do there?
In that capacity, I worked domestically and internationally to prepare the Prime Minister’s travels. Through that experience, I got to know the Prime Minister fairly well, so when the office needed to replace his longtime Executive Assistant in 2008, I was lucky enough to be chosen as his replacement. I spent the next 5-1/2 years in that role, learning something new every day, from the best CEO in the world. I now head up two departments in the office, our Stakeholder Relations & Outreach team and our Tour team. So, I'm putting the program to work in real time.
Q: When did you begin considering an MBA?
By about 2010, I realized my plan to do law school had pretty much tanked. After a few years as the Prime Minister's Executive Assistant, starting over as a law intern was just not going to happen for me. But I had always wanted to do more than just undergraduate studies. So, I started to think about what programs would complement my work experience. Many of my coworkers suggested an MBA, as the curriculum touches on so much of what we do here in the Prime Minister’s Office. However, I was really conflicted about leaving the office, so I put the idea on the back burner.
Q: So, how did you end up applying to Ivey’s Executive MBA program?
In the summer of 2011, I had the opportunity to meet (now former Ivey Dean) Carol Stephenson on a Canadian trade mission to South America. During that trip, she asked me if I had ever considered an MBA. I told her that I was interested in the content, but that I wasn't ready to leave the Prime Minister’s Office, so I wasn't thinking much of it. She suggested that I explore the Executive Program and to follow up with the school if it was something I was interested in. A few months later, I did just that, although I was hesitant because of my age – typical EMBA students are in their 40s and I was in my late 20s. I knew that Ivey was the school for me, though, when they assured me that my experience would be a valuable addition to any class, and that I should apply if it was something I wanted.
Q: What was the highlight of the program for you?
The Ivey Executive MBA has an amazing curriculum that will see you explore new areas of your own professional development and personal growth. But the highlight of the program is, without a doubt, the people who become your professors, classmates, and friends. It was both refreshing and rewarding to spend 18 months with a group of individuals who thrive under pressure, compete tenaciously, and then come out the other side knowing who you can count on when it matters. You won't come out of this program being friends with everyone, but you will leave with a deeper appreciation for the variety of skills that people have and how important they are to solving problems.
Q: What was the biggest challenge?
The biggest challenge was time management. The program is structured to see you succeed if you consistently make your learning a priority. But if you don't consistently apply discipline to your studies, reading and group work, success will be much harder to achieve. So, you have to be on the ball with your own time management and not just in terms of your academic responsibilities, but also your personal and professional responsibilities.
Q: How do you feel the program affected you?
I tell people all the time that doing the EMBA at Ivey was one of the best decisions I've ever made. The program has improved the structure of my thinking, sharpened my communication skills, and elevated the way I deal with teams and people. As a result, I now try to approach problems with more context, empathy, and patience for team development than I did before.
Q: What part of completing your EMBA are you most proud of?
That's a tough question. I think just completing it successfully. It was pretty dicey at times, because work never stopped. But, I was really lucky to have the support of the office and my family. My boss was always pushing me to succeed and my wife was always very accommodating, so that made things easier. I really couldn't have asked for better support from work or my family.
Q) What piece of advice would you give to an executive only a couple of years into his or her career?
I would say a few things:
- First, it's important to set goals. You have to know where you want to go and why. If you don't, you're going to get derailed by people who do.
- Second, you have to be the hardest working person chasing your goal. If you're not, you'll get beaten by the person who is.
- Third, don't expect to be celebrated for having a goal and working towards it. Keep your head down and do good work. In the age of social media and immediate gratification, I suppose that could be seen as a bit of an old school philosophy, but I've certainly see it pay off.