Director, Agile Delivery - Technology & Operation, Royal Bank of Canada
Graduate Program in Public Policy, Administration & Law, Master of Public Policy, Administration and Law (MPPAL) 2014

Tell prospective students a bit about the work you do.

At a high level, I'm a people leader responsible for software and hardware delivery (technology) teams in the banking industry. My role is accountable for setting the strategy for our technology teams, ensuring team members execute this strategy, coach the team through obstacles, and ensuring critical software/hardware projects are delivered on time and on budget. Working with numerous different internal and external stakeholders, the success of this role is driven by proven and measurable results. Each day presents a unique challenge and new opportunities such as team level transformation, strategy planning and execution, project management, needs/gap analysis, requirement planning/writing, and a myriad of other technical practices.

Tell prospective students a bit about how your studies at York helped you to get where you are today.

Studying Public Administration at York University in my undergraduate years really set the foundational stage for the work that I do today. With first grasping York University - specifically the Master of Public Policy, Administration & Law program - offered me the opportunity to hone my leadership skills and instill a sense of confidence that I carry to this day. I started my career in this industry with little to no experience, while I was still in graduate school. The encouragement from my classmates and the administration, as well as the opportunities afforded to my through the program to build my professional muscles were critical foundations. From being a more tactful speaker, to sharpening presentation skills, to the ability to think critically and ask uncomfortable questions, my time at York helped provide me the hard and soft skills needed to excel.