BE Cohort 9

WE
BE COHORT 9
GRADUATES
ARE
READY
INSIDE FRONT COVER AD PLACEMENT - RIGHT
Special Edition
May 2016
1
Proof Copy: Not optimized for high quality printing or digital distribution

The program is over, long
live the Business Edge!
2
Cohort 9: Rust Bikkinin
Proof Copy: Not optimized for high quality printing or digital distribution

Ana Lozano
Proof Copy: Not optimized for high quality printing or digital distribution
3
Amin Islam

Editor's Words
When Asad wrote the article for Rotman, I was inspired to collect all
the best memories we had with Business Edge and make them into a
special souvenir for both the program and the Second-to-None Cohort 9. I
believe the value of this book will grow with age, just as the BE Cohort 9
Bell, our wisdom, and wine.
Cheers!
Elaine Ruijuan Li
4
Proof Copy: Not optimized for high quality printing or digital distribution

SPECIAL THANKS TO ALL PROFESSORS
AND GUEST SPEAKERS FOR YOUR
GUIDANCE AND SUPPORT.
..................................................................................................................................................................................................
FROM OCT 2015 TO MAR 201616
5
Proof Copy: Not optimized for high quality printing or digital distribution

Graduates
VERONICA SILVA
Veronica Silva is an accomplished and
bilingual marketing and communications
professional with over 10 years of
international experience managing and
implementing media and marketing
campaigns. The industries she has worked in
include Media & Communications, IT
and Banking. She is a strong leader who
enjoys creating a vision and working with
teams to deliver positive results.
Veronica holds a Bachelor degree in
Communications and a Postgraduate
Certificate in Marketing Management. She is
fluent in English and Spanish. She loves
dancing, traveling, going to the theater and
spending time with family and friends.
6
Nozinhle Kasaval
Currently as a program Coordinator,
Nozinhle Kasaval supports the Program
management team in key activities and
projects for the Leadership Development
and Career Management deliverables at
Felix Global Corp. Her role includes yet not
limited to assisting and often leading the
execution of various program offerings and
providing administrative support for the
core team.
With a diverse background in the CPG,
Aviation and Non Profit sector some of her
strong competencies are in relationship
management, event management and
coordinating projects. A staunch advocate
for service excellent; the customer is always
top of mind with a demonstrated ability to
go beyond the brief.
Her interest and devotion to her own
personal development and growth keep her
occupied as an executive member of
the Downtown Achievers Toastmasters
club in Toronto. A fitness enthusiast who
believes in becoming the change she
wants to see in her world, she is
involved activities as a member of
Volunteer Toronto and charities based in
her home country, South Africa.
.................................................................................................................................................................................................
..
Proof Copy: Not optimized for high quality printing or digital distribution

I am grateful to
Ann Armstrong - who is awesome
– I'm thankful to Ann for making this
program possible and for giving her
constructive feedback on presentation!
Terry Compton – who is
extraordinary, the best instructor ever –
I'm thankful to Terry for teaching me
how to be more concise, get to the point
and for constructive feedback on writing
and speaking skills.
Shannon Thompson – who is
the amazing coach, I'm thankful to
Shannon for the great suggestions on
the Career Management Plan and for all
her support!
Sabina Michael and Valerie
Gow, wonderful supporters of BE and
who kept all informed and on track.
Me In Life
Stefania enjoys going to
the opera and ballet,
travelling, and spending
time with her friends.
She is also performing as
an amateur actress in a
local Romanian theatre
production. She is
passionate about reading,
learning new things, and
helping others.
Stefania Silisteanu
Stefania Silisteanu is the Administrative
Coordinator at The Learning Partnership, a nonprofit
organization which supports, promotes and advances
public education in Canada. Her main project is to
support the Welcome to Kindergarten program which
provides early learning resources for pre-kindergarten
children in Canada.
She received her Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing
from the Academy of Economic Studies in Bucharest,
Romania. She feels privileged that she had the
opportunity to be part of the Business Edge program at
Rotman Business School. The program offered her not
only the chance to have outstanding instructors who
guided her through a great journey, but also she met a
wonderful group of highly educated individuals who
became her friends.
...................................................................................................................................................................................................
7
Proof Copy: Not optimized for high quality printing or digital distribution

Umair Ahmed
Operations Coordinator and Logistics
Analyst at Fortune Metals Inc.
A certified supply chain management
professional with expertise in inventory
management, logistics, warehousing and
import/export. Experienced in demand/supply
planning, sales, logistics and inventory
analysis, and forecasting. Demonstrated ability
to form relationships with management, clients
and key stakeholders. Industry experience
includes CPG (Coca-Cola) and Resources
(BASF).
I am taking away from this
program the ownership of my
career, the tools to advance my
career and the line of direction to
achieve my career goals.
The positive change I see in myself is that I
have gained confidence through business edge
and I have got good friends from whom I can
have honest feedback. I hope that this program
will help me to blend in Canadian job market.
My dream now is to get my desired role and
get out of this underemployed situation.
The Aha moment that I remember the most
is our final group presentation that was highly
appreciated and rated at top.
I would really like to thank all Business
Edge team and coaches to give me motivation
and guidance to get on the right track to
achieve my goals.
Also, I would like to thank all my BE
colleagues for the great time we had together
and for the countless mutual support with
encouragement during the program.
8
Business edge program brought a big change in
my life. It gave me better understanding of
...................................................................................................................................................................................................
Canadian workplace culture.
Proof Copy: Not optimized for high quality printing or digital distribution

ach class
helped me
rethink my
Estrategy and
helped me learn how to
better leverage my skills.
I’ve learned to be patient
and to value each player
from this battle, but to
own the attribute that
will differentiate me from
the majority. I would like
to thank you all for the
countless hours of
revisions and advice, for
all the support and
guidance.
Working with each
of you helped me in my
career, and will continue
to inspire me. Thank you
for giving me a lot of
inspiration on how to
become a better
Canadian employee.
Each of you was a great
mentor for me and you
have been very generous
in sharing your rich and
valuable knowledge in
your field! Can't thank
you more, I really am
grateful!
Alina Cotoi
For me, each class was a
piece from a puzzle that now
gives me the full picture of the
Canadian work environment.
Vivian Talosig
Test Engineer,
Semtech Toronto, Canada -Snowbush IP
Business Edge program gave me the tools to
adapt the Canadian workplace, it was
comprehensive that it will take you to the
pinnacle of learning. My confidence was developed
and now I feel competitive enough to
take the next challenge of my career.
....................................................................................................................................................................................................
..................................................................................................................................................................................................
9
Proof Copy: Not optimized for high quality printing or digital distribution

Good luck to all
of you with your
endeavors.
Rust Bikkinin
I've really enjoyed my experience at Business Edge. Apart from
seminars, coaching sessions and team projects, I've grown so much from my
relationships with fellow students. Your determination and personal success
stories inspired me to push the boundaries of my comfort zone. The program
helped me largely to redesign my personal branding, take a leap in the
career development and regain my confidence that faded after coming here
to Canada.
Most importantly, I am glad to spread the knowledge and skills I've
learned at the Business Edge to other people, and recent immigrants, who
are not lucky to graduate from the program. I truly believe that the more we
give, the more we get; as our success is also determined by how many lives
we touch.
10
Proof Copy: Not optimized for high quality printing or digital distribution

Arsila Mehnaz
Business Edge was a
wonderful journey. I have met new
people, made friends, and learnt
some real life hacks on the way.
Being new in Canada it was tough
to adjust to new circumstances but
everyone I met in this cohort has
made the journey simple and
enjoyable. To each and every one –
continue being the amazing people
you all are. And to all the faculty
and Sabina & Val – you guys
rock !!!
Veronica Paez
Dear Sabina, Thanks
for allowing me to participate of
the top notch program that you
manage. I really appreciated the
great support that you and your
team provided me while I was
interviewing. I learned tons about
myself and how to continue
moving forward in my career. It
was a pleasure to be part of
Business Edge and I hope to keep
in touch!
....................................................................................................................................................................................................
11
Proof Copy: Not optimized for high quality printing or digital distribution

12
Abi Alabi
It was an amazing and
invigorating journey of personal
re-branding, self rediscovery and
pushing my goals and objective to
a whole new level.
Recently I came across the Business
Edge, enrolled and completed the course. The
program has been a bridge between me and
some unanswered questions in my cultural
assimilation process.
I wish to express my gratitude to Anne,
Sabina, Valerie and the professors, coaches,
organizers and previous cohort members who
participated in our cohort for the terrific job they
did. They were able to successfully make a
complex and dynamic process of navigating and
understanding the workplace culture a fun,
interesting, exciting and most importantly
achievable process. It was a complete pleasure
working with these awesome, inspiring
professionals. Tammy was an incredible coach,
her effort and hard work on my career
Human Resources Professional with
over 5 years’ experience in various
aspects of HR practice, such as full
cycle recruitment, performance
management, training and
development, among other HR
functions.
I completed my Masters in Human
Resources Management at London
Metropolitan University, London, UK and
became a graduate member of the Chartered
Institute of Personnel Development, UK some
months later. I am currently a member of
Human Resources Professional Association,
Ontario, Canada and working towards my
CHRP.
Shortly after I arrived in Canada, I found
a job in my profession, and noticed
differences in communication style and team
culture between UK and Canada workplace.
The position was a contract and when it
ended, I found myself working in a Call
Centre. I started making effort to get back
into my profession but it was a tedious
process.
"This is the beginning of
greater things. "
management project will continue to impact
positively on my value branding and
confidence building.
I also had the pleasure of meeting and
learning with my cohort 9 classmates, a group
of smart, talented, inspiring and determined
professionals. They made a tremendous impact
on my journey to self rebranding with various
back and forth feedbacks. I want to thank my
cohort members for their encouragement,
support and I believe we will continue to be like
a family. This is the beginning of greater things
to come in our collaborations with each other.
Most of my spare time these days is spent
brushing up my French Language Proficiency.
....................................................................................................................................................................................................
Proof Copy: Not optimized for high quality printing or digital distribution

My passion for marketing led me to Dubai
into the world of luxury fragrances, cosmetics,
leather goods, watches, sunglasses and
fashion accessories, managing the retail
marketing and wholesale distribution of wellknown
brands like Bulgari, Burberry, Chopard,
Jean Paul Gaultier, Kenzo, Guerlain and Clarins
among others. I was responsible for building
strategic relationships with world class retail
formats like Saks Fifth Avenue, Harvey
Nichols, Bloomingdales, Sephora, Debenhams
and Galleries Lafayette.
Anwar Sahib
Brand Accents
BE has helped me
sharpen my
communications skills
make me job ready for the
Canadian market.
Managing a team of over 90 nationalities with
different cultures for leading companies in Dubai
was a huge learning experience that broadened
my perspective and taught me to work in cross
functional multicultural teams in matrix
organizations. Having travelled extensively
internationally and interacting with top business
executives has given me fascinating insights in
business leadership.
Born in southern India and raised in Mumbai, I
graduated from Mumbai University with a
Bachelor’s Degree in Commerce and continued
my education with a Post Graduate Diploma in
Business Management with Marketing as my
specialization from the Sydenham Institute of
Management in Mumbai.
I made Toronto my home in 2012 and
had the opportunity to work in the
technology industry at Tiger Direct
managing top tier corporate
accounts across Canada to keep
them in step with the latest IT
hardware and software technologies
in private, public, government and
educational institutions, like De
Beers, TDSB, PDSB and the City of
Toronto. I had the opportunity to be a
part of the Business Edge program
at the Rotman School of business
which has helped me sharpen my
communications skills make me job
ready for the Canadian market.
Currently, I am doing my Masters in
Business Management at the Ivey
School of Business and also
developing my consulting business. I
am looking for opportunities in
strategic marketing and business
development. My passion includes
travel, music, fine arts and
occasionally taking to the skies in a
microlight aircraft.
....................................................................................................................................................................................................
13
Proof Copy: Not optimized for high quality printing or digital distribution

Elaine Ruijuan Li
14
Business Edge is the program that defines who I want
to be. It’s more about inspiration than just
information.
From this program, I understand better what the Canadian workplace expects from
an employee and what leadership employees expect from managers. I’m ready to kick-start my
Career Management Plan and I’m looking forward to turning the challenges to opportunities with
my knowledge, experience, strength and a strong support of the brilliant alumni from this program.
I want to thank all of you for the
company in the last 5 months. With
your cool stories, creative ideas, cultural
customs and individual characteristics,
you gave me the chance to learn the
world by just being around. I thank you
for the trust that you allowed me to
have to expose my weakness in order to
help me to be a better person. I’ll
remember all these smiles, debates,
hugs, encouragements and laughs.
I especially want to thank Ann,
Sabina, Valerie, Tammy and all our
professors. You are the real models of
professionalism. As a student under this
high standand set by you, I’ll have no
other choice but to follow as close as
possible.
Marketing & Sales Professional
with an Education Specialty
Elaine R. Li has a great passion in
Education. By leveraging her
international experience in sales and
marketing, global networks, cultural
awareness, and a diverse language skill
set, she is devoted to the success of
international communities through
learning opportunities provided in
Canada.
"I have a broad range of interests in
culture, language, arts, photography,
theatre, dance and sports and I enjoy
participating and volunteering in
events of these fields."
Photo by Asad Rahman @
U of T April 2016
....................................................................................................................................................................................................
Proof Copy: Not optimized for high quality printing or digital distribution

Asad Rahman
Business Edge is the
best thing that has
happened to me. It
boosted my nfidence and
now I am ready to face
any challenges moving
forward.
I started my career in Singapore, in
the Marketing field with an engineering
company after I graduated in Business
Administration. Like many new
immigrants, I struggled finding career in
my won filed after arriving in Toronto.
That changed when I was hired to work
for one of Canada’s top media company –
Astral Media and later with Bell Media
and the Disney Television Networks. I’ve
been working in the Media industry
since then specializing in Digital Asset
Management (DAM).
I am thankful for having been given
this amazing opportunity. I learned a
great deal and also about all of you
during this program. One of the things I
am taking away from my involvement in
this program is a the sense of privilege
and honor of meeting all of you. I have
leaned something from each of you which
only enriches my experience. Your
contributions to this program are equally
valuable as the program itself.
Melissa, my Resume coach has been
extremely helpful and generous with her
time and efforts. I have no words to
thank her. That said; I love all our
instructors and I feel that they were
carefully selected for this program.
Me in Life
As a Social media enthusiast, I have
created a few FB pages such as ‘Where
in Toronto’ and am working on final
stage of my Photo-Blog. I love cooking
international cuisines and all things
“ARTS”, but most of all, I love travelling.
I have 60,000 travel photographs an
working on photo book titled ‘Parallel
World’. My dream is to get that book
published.
....................................................................................................................................................................................................
15
Proof Copy: Not optimized for high quality printing or digital distribution

She wants to thank all
the teachers from
Business Edge for their
professionalism and
positive words that
encouraged us to
continue working until
to achieve our goals.
She is grateful to her
amazing coach Tammy
Neilson, who provided
Paola great suggestions
on the Career
Management Plan and
supported during the
entire program. Also,
she wants to recognize
as the best instructor to
Terry Compton, very
open person who gave
us very good details
16
about the Canadian
Culture and best
practices on writing and
speaking. Sabina Michael
and Valerie Gow,
wonderful persons who
supported the entire
program with
outstanding results.
Paola is grateful to all
her classmates for the
great support, feedback
and nice days we spent
during almost 6 months.
All the best for each one
and of course we will be
in touch.
___________________
I want to say my heartfelt
THANK YOU for all the support and
knowledge I received from everyone
on the Rotman team and especially
Valarie and Sabina.
Paola Velarde
Paola Velarde joined TD Bank
Financial Group in 2010 as Business
Analyst. In this role, Paola delivers
projects by gathering business
requirements, providing technology
impact assessments, and leading
project management work to ensure
that Wealth Management business
and operations’ needs are met. Prior
to this role, Paola worked as a Project
Manager in a prestigious Insurance
Company from Perú for 6 years. Paola
also worked as a Team lead for a
Business Intelligence (BI) team on the
same company during 5 years.
Paola holds a
Bachelor of Computer
Science. She lives in
Milton, Ontario with
her husband and two
sons. In her spare time,
she loves to cook,
travel, watch movies
and spend time with
family and friends.
___________________
______
Tushar Patalia
....................................................................................................................................................................................................
Proof Copy: Not optimized for high quality printing or digital distribution

By Participating in the
program I regain the
confidence to go
through with my
dreams.
Alboury
Ndaw
A
Bachelor in Finance & MBA specialized in financial accounting. CPA-CMA in
progress. During his free time he enjoys watching political debates or soccer and he
is really interested in swimming, traveling and cooking.
fter five years of
experience in accounting and
financial analyst in Paris
(France), I decided to move to
Canada. First I lived in
Montreal (Québec) where I got
the certificate access to
accounting profession at HEC
(Haute Ecole de Commerce -
university of Montreal) for
almost three years then I
moved in Toronto since
December 2013 in order to
improve my English.
After a long way, I ended up at
Business Edge where I
learned to better understand
how to navigate Canadian
workplace culture and most
importantly how to take
control of my own Career.
Also thank you to Valerie,
Sabina, Ann and all the
professors for the wonderful
job they did during the entire
program. Believe or not, it was
a joy for me to work with such
dedicated and talented
professionals that they are. I
am very delighted with the
revisions that Shannon
made on my CMP’s and
especially appreciated her
advice. The extra time and
effort she put in were certainly
worthwhile.
It sounds hard to believe simply
because I am always struggling
with the language and
sometimes it is hard for me to
express my feelings but my
wonderful classmates
Cohort 9 are my friends forever,
my lifelong network. You are
always in my heart, always in
my prayers. I love you dearly. I
gained confidence from Business
Edge and at the same time from
you guys! Thank you to all of
you.
....................................................................................................................................................................................................
17
Proof Copy: Not optimized for high quality printing or digital distribution

Brahim Mahmoud
Financial Consultant, Wealth Management
As a Financial Advisor, I help clients get more out of
their money so that they get more out of life. I do
this by providing financial guidance in six key
areas: Investment, Retirement, Mortgage, Estate, Tax
and Insurance Planning.
18
....................................................................................................................................................................................................
Proof Copy: Not optimized for high quality printing or digital distribution

Chetna Jain
I am proud to be a part of
Business Edge Cohort 9
Chetna Jain, an Indian descendent with over 8
years of experience in Business Strategic Research,
Financial Analysis and Operations Management
serving globally diverse clients. Presently working
at CIBC managing its Retail Transactions and
Operations.
It's a wonderful program which offers you a package of
handy tools that increases one's self awareness, making
them more adaptable to diversity and in setting up realistic
career targets. Special thanks to program coordinators,
management, coaches and all lovely buddies.
Navid Nazhand
——Chetna
Navid started his career in IT industry. Being
Microsoft Certified system engineer, he
started teaching networking courses. Working
from network engineer to higher level IT
manager, he was introduced to MBA courses.
Graduated in marketing, he continued his
education in management and received his
doctorate in strategic management. Navid
coached many inventors to commercialize
their products by helping them with their
business plan, marketing plan and providing
them strategic guidance. As marketing
consultant he provided solutions to
companies to improve in their business. At the
moment, Navid works as a business
management instructor at Canadian Business
College.
....................................................................................................................................................................................................
19
Proof Copy: Not optimized for high quality printing or digital distribution

Alireza Kowsari
EMBA,Sales and Marketing
Professional
Over 15 years of valuable international
experiences with big names like
Panasonic as National Director of
Sales
More than 18 years of experience in
life coaching, success and selftransformation
training as well as
business coaching for individuals and
Companies
Member of Iran Management
Consultant Association (IMCA)
Bilingual English and French, as well
as Native Farsi
I am always passionate to create
great successes in Companies and
peoples’ life. I am eager to learn and
make difference. I am honored to be
awarded as major supplier of
consumer products from the biggest
chain store in Iran as Panasonic
supplier.
I am also honored to be received
hundreds of testimonials from
Companies and trainees for the
coaching and training sessions that
they had with me and for their
successes in their personal and
professional life.
I love socializing, helping people and
fly. I am paraglider pilot. I love music.
I was playing classic guitar and
amateur singer.
Business Edge
Put me back on track. I had this
opportunity to meet dedicated,
committed and passionate people with
a clear vision to help internationally
educated professionals to find their
path of success in their new country,
Canada. For me as a coach, working
with professional and absolutely
strong coaches was tremendous.
I need to thank Sabina, Valerie,
Ann and my great coach Tammy for
their great supports and sincere efforts
for every one of us.
20
Proof Copy: Not optimized for high quality printing or digital distribution

Michael Akunyili
I
s a focused, self- motivated and performance
driven professional with over a decade career
experience spanning across the financial,
telecoms and public sectors. Currently
employed at Ontario Pensions Board as a
Business Analyst, he delivers IT solutions that
support and align with the strategic goals and
objectives of the enterprise. A bachelor’s degree
holder in Computer Engineering and expecting
the Certified Business Analysis Professional
(CBAP) and Project Management
Professional(PMP) designation makes him stand
out amongst his peers.
For leisure he enjoys laughing, watching soccer,
swimming and exploring the beauty of nature.
Business Edge has not just equipped me with the necessary
tools to advance my career confidently but also connected me
with other highly skilled professionals plying their trade in the
top tier industries moving the Canadian economy.
H
aving migrated to Canada, he
acquired a job similar to his previous
role and felt confident he would excel
but that was not the case. Two months
down the road, he was faced with
uncertainties, conflicts and
challenges navigating the Canadian
work environment. He pondered day
and night and arrived at the
conclusion that the Canadian work
culture actually differed from his past
life. There was a void, how would he
address this gap? How would he excel
in this wonderful position he landed?
How does he network and build
professional relationships in the
Canadian context? These questions
needed answers and behold he
stumbled on a Business Edge article
during his early morning commute. It
struck him at once, Yes, this was the
solution he had been seeking.
The courses, facilitators and coaches
were amazingly helpful but four
courses stood out for him namely
Intercultural dynamics due to the
diversity in GTA, unwritten rules/
feedback to understand Canadian
expectations and cues,
communicating your value by
aligning his transferrable skills to his
desired positions and peer coaching
to formulate his short and long term
career management plan.
21
Proof Copy: Not optimized for high quality printing or digital distribution

22
Proof Copy: Not optimized for high quality printing or digital distribution

Thanks to everyone that contributes
to this magazine.
23
Proof Copy: Not optimized for high quality printing or digital distribution