Souvik Sinha
This past September was supposed to be a time of celebration for Souvik Sinha. He had completed the Master of Finance (MFin) program at the Sobey School of Business and was set to convocate. However, Hurricane Fiona’s province-wide destruction cancelled those plans – until now. Before he walks across the stage in this special-edition Fall convocation, Souvik sat down with us and reflected on his journey through the MFin program.
Preferred Name: Souvik
Home Country: India
Graduation Date: Fall 2022 (Convocation January 2023)
Previous Degrees: Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA), specialized in Finance, from International School of Business and Media, Pune, India
Why did the MFin program appeal to you?
The MFin program of Sobey School of Business is an accelerated, one-year program which comprises of multiple in-depth Finance courses, a corporate tour to Toronto and assistance for the Chartered Financial Analyst (CFA) examination. The school is in the prime location of Halifax, which is one of the fastest growing cities in Canada while being easier to live in than other major centers, such as Toronto and Vancouver. The school ranking in Canada is impressive and the class cohort is small, which enables us to interact with Professor seamlessly. For these reasons, I chose to study at the Sobey School.
What, in your mind, are the most valuable skills/experiences that the MFin program provided you with?
The MFIN program at Saint Mary’s University provided a unique opportunity to navigate the financial markets of Canada. It created a platform to interact with employers, associates and alumni, and attend career fairs. The intense coursework helped us to enrich our finance knowledge, and graduate career services and the writing center provided professional development.
Do you have successes you’d like to share, or difficulties you were able to overcome, during your time in the program?
The program was fast-paced and I experienced significant successes which would not have been possible if I had not enrolled in the program. Some highlights for me were:
Participation in Ethics Challenge conducted by CFA Society Atlantic Canada
Participation in Halifax Innovation Challenge conducted by RBC and IBM
Executives roles in different student societies:
President of the Saint Mary’s Investment Society
Vice President Public Relations, Toastmaster’s Club at SMU
Co-chair, Graduate Advisory Committee by SMUSA
In regards to difficulties, I experienced a few health setbacks including being sick with covid and breaking my elbow in an accident. These were tough times, however SMU supported me taking a short time off for recovery.
What have you been doing since graduating back in September?
After graduating, I started working as a Business Analyst at RBC Capital Markets, Halifax.
I am working on Portfolio and Change Management team of RBC Capital Markets.
What are your future plans?
I would like to continue working with RBC Capital Markets, learning and growing within the organisation. In addition, I would also continue my CFA education.
I also love to travel, and I would like to visit most of the Canadian provinces in coming years.
Do you have any advice for incoming students?
Saint Mary’s University has lot of resources, utilizing those will be highly rewarding for future.
Interact, learn, and share with all your professors and classmates. Communicate with other students in your program. Join a student society and participate. Attend employers-driven online or offline programs. Be curious! Enjoy the lovely people and beautiful city of Halifax.
Thank you Souvik for your time, and we hope you have an incredible convocation!