Brian Moelich, MBA'13

Why did you decide to do your MBA? Why Rotman?

Prior to Rotman, I was a security consultant at IBM and the only way to advance your career in the security industry is with experience. I thought I could accelerate my career by doing my MBA and use it as a way to either continue down the path of security consulting or switch to strategy consulting. I was attracted to Rotman because of its strength in strategy and was curious to find out what Business Design and Integrative Thinking was all about.

How did Business Design fit into your MBA education?

At the beginning of Rotman, I was completely focused on getting into strategy consulting. When I was preparing for interviews I saw that there was only a finite set of approaches to solve traditional problems. At the same time, I was paying attention to what was going on in Business Design and it opened up my eyes. With this approach, I saw that Business Design practices fostered infinite possibilities and blue sky thinking Business Design had a structured approach to generating creative ideas that opened the door to more possibilities than a pure strategy approach.

Once I discovered that there was a process and methods to learn, it motivated me to take everything at Rotman that involved Business Design and innovation. I took courses such as the Design Practicum, Innovation, Foresight and Business Design, and a Business Design Independent Study. I also took the extracurricular workshops to practice the business of innovation.

What was your most impactful Business Design experience at Rotman?

The second year course, Design Practicum, was a highlight for me because it provided a practical opportunity to work on a real challenge. I was able to see the whole process through a structured way of thinking, and at the same time, it was interesting to go through each phase and realize how messy it is.I learned in another second-year course, the Business Design Independent Study, that you can pursue one path but a new insight could lead you down another more fruitful path that requires you to go back in the process. It was immensely helpful to navigate ambiguity and the messiness of the process. The experience mimicked what I experience day-to-day in my job.