Before joining the EMPA I was…
A senior manager in the risk practice at Deloitte Canada. I grew up in in Egypt before moving to Canada and witnessing from a distance the political changes in the country and region, the engineer in me begged for some structure or a framework through which to understand the political landscape and to frame the important issues of democracy, political reform, economic development etc.
Why did you choose the EMPA?
LSE is tremendously respected worldwide. Moreover, the format of the program allowed me to continue my busy day job in Toronto while pursuing an intellectually challenging and enriching degree. The program exceeded my expectations with a fantastic world-class and engaging faculty, plus the bonus of diverse and talented classmates.
How has the EMPA influenced your career?
Even with a prior MBA, this degree certainly challenged my thinking and allowed me to have a more diverse view of the world. In my current role as a partner in Deloitte, I am able to leverage a lot of the learning in my day to day job in ways I sometimes didn't expect, such as evaluating the impact of programs and projects.
What was your favourite thing about the EMPA?
The EMPA was certainly the experience of a lifetime. I now miss the class discussions, the debates, the many "aha" moments and I am very grateful for the wonderful friendships I built during the program with many of my classmates who live tens of thousands of miles away from me but who somehow decided in a fortunate moment to apply to the same program to better ourselves and our communities. I believe we’re very glad we all made this decision.