Kevin Bedi

Kevin Bedi, MMA '24, wasn’t familiar with Ivey or its reputation when he first came across the program, but he quickly discovered the kind of doors an Ivey education can open – and just how deeply it could impact his work.

“I had the pleasure of meeting a few people in the last couple of years who turned out to be Ivey grads, and for some reason I was very drawn to their nature – the way they spoke, their personalities. And it turned out that one thing they all had in common was that they all went to Ivey,” says Bedi, Senior Data Analyst at Mistplay.

“It felt like there had to be something there; it couldn’t just be a coincidence.”

Bedi had those encounters in mind when he later came across the MMA program through a LinkedIn message from the Ivey recruitment team, suggesting he could be a possible candidate, so he decided to apply.

“I didn't know that programs like this existed; something that really balanced the technical nature of my work, but also gave me those leadership qualities,” he says. “It was exactly the type of MBA I wanted to do.”

At Ivey, he’s found the Case Study Method a “refreshing,” because it’s a different way of learning that allows him to apply what’s being discussed in class to real-life scenarios.

“It forces a deeper discussion, especially in our classrooms, and it shows us, if this were to happen at work, it’s a problem that already existed, and this is how it was approached.”

Bedi says it’s a broader perspective that’s boosted by class discussions, where classmates from different industries tackle the same problem in a variety of ways.

“It’s not that one is more correct than the others, but it's understanding that different perspectives exist and this how they can all mesh together – and that’s by design,” he says. “There is a lot of group work, and the teams are built in a way that means everyone brings a different skillset to the table.”

The MMA has also given Bedi a comprehensive overview of his entire company and allowed him to think more holistically when he’s approaching problems at work.

“As an analyst, it's really easy to just be heads down in your work, but now whenever someone is consulting you regarding a problem they're having or request they have, you kind of take a step back and you re-evaluate how this impacts the entire organization,” he says.

“Even with small tasks, you can think about how they’ll help the overall mission of the company. It helps to prioritize.”

That feeling he had about Ivey before joining its ranks, he adds, has only gotten stronger now that he’s a part of school himself.

“Every time I’m wearing any sort of Ivey apparel out in public, I end up getting into really interesting conversations with strangers. There's immense pride that people carry as Ivey students or alumni. And within the program, I find myself evolving into a better version of myself, thinking more deeply about how I'm approaching problems, whether they’re work-related or not,” Bedi says.

“I haven't even graduated from the program yet, and I'm already feeling the impacts of the kind of weight the alumni network and being from Ivey carries. I feel like there is this Ivey magic that exists; it’s not just talk.”