Bashaar Hassan

Bashaar Hassan knows you can’t always make career changes on your own terms.

From his own life experiences, and in moving from Dubai to Canada and watching his parents look for new work, Bashaar knows you must be prepared.

“I always ask myself, if I had to start looking for a job tomorrow, how do I best position myself for something new,” said Bashaar, who went from a commerce background to a consulting role at a 30-person boutique strategy firm called Level5, an organization with a strong Ivey alumni network.

“As a qualitative strategy consulting company, my brand was the quantitative guy because I was very comfortable in Excel and had some Python background.”

That blend of strategy and quantitative skills caught the attention of Magical – an AI startup based out of California – and he soon made another career move.

Ready for What’s Next

Still, he knew formal education would be necessary to prepare for whatever came next.

“I had a lot of confidence in my ability to deliver in my new role, but there wasn’t a clear signal to the market or even my colleagues that I had the credibility needed to do it,” said Bashaar. He found that validation in the Master of Management: Analytics (MM-A) at Ivey Business School, backed by one of the strongest business brands in the country. “The program gave me the confidence to be able to sit in front of an organization or client and say I have the education to do that.”

Former Ivey colleagues at Level5 spoke highly of the School and its extensive alumni network. Bashaar found the program well-designed for working professionals, with clear expectations, predictable schedules, limited exams, integrated assignments, and strong faculty support.

“The 12-month, while-you-work format was also really appealing because life could keep moving forward instead of getting bogged down in a three- to five-year program,” he said. “Plus, the blend of discussion over theory made me feel that Ivey could give me the mix of everything I wanted.”

Bashaar also connected with the case-study method – a core element of the Ivey experience. It mirrored his consulting work and strengthened his ability to engage with diverse perspectives and communicate with people across functions and industries.

Learning from Every Angle

That kaleidoscope of perspectives has helped Bashaar in his new role.

“The classroom environment, the School and the actual coursework have met my expectations,” said Bashaar, “What has far exceeded them was the program’s ability to cultivate a very social environment. The ways they have brought us together and the thought put into the experience has been awesome.”

Exposure to classmates from diverse industries such as military manufacturing, health care, and finance has sharpened his ability to understand stakeholder perspectives and tailor communication appropriately.

Since graduation, he has continued to invest in personal growth through Arabic classes, skiing lessons and public speaking.

“The learning muscles are still there; they haven’t atrophied that much!”

Bashaar sees the long-term value of the MM-A program in relationships and network building. He views it as a career hedge and source of future opportunity – because, as he knows, you can never be too prepared for what lies ahead.