Ivey has welcomed its newest Accelerated MBA cohort, bringing together 89 professionals and marking the largest class in the program’s history.
This year’s class includes two groups of students beginning the AMBA together: professionals joining directly from industry, and graduates of Ivey’s inaugural Graduate Diploma in Management (GDM) cohort, who completed the diploma earlier this year and are now continuing into the program.
The students were welcomed at a reception in Toronto on October 29, where they had a chance to connect with classmates, faculty, and staff before classes begin. The AMBA is designed for experienced professionals and offers a flexible, Case-Method learning experience that allows students to strengthen their leadership and decision-making skills while continuing to work.
The students in this year’s class represent 81 companies across 28 industries and bring an average of 5-1/2 years of work experience, with backgrounds spanning financial services, consulting, hospitals and health care, government administration, information technology, and telecommunications.
This year’s class is also an early sign of the momentum behind Ivey’s GDM. Launched in 2025, the GDM was created for university graduates without a business background, giving them a foundation in core business and leadership skills and a direct pathway into the AMBA.
David Wood, HBA ’97, MBA ’12, Faculty Director of the AMBA and GDM programs, said the expanded class reflects the momentum behind both programs.
“We are incredibly excited to welcome the largest Accelerated MBA cohort in Ivey’s history. This expansion has brought together an exceptionally capable and diverse group of professionals who will learn as much from one another as they do from our faculty,” he said. “The AMBA offers a unique opportunity for experienced professionals to strengthen their analytical, decision-making, and leadership capabilities while continuing to apply what they learn immediately in their organizations, and we are looking forward to seeing what this cohort accomplishes together.”
The inaugural GDM cohort brought together 38 professionals from 38 companies across 10 industries, with backgrounds spanning engineering, health care, technology, government, and the arts. Those now moving into the AMBA include professionals working in pharmacy management, industrial automation sales, genomics funding, and telecom operations, adding to the mix of experience in this year’s class.
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