Taking Big Data to the Brewery
Glaukus Chaves is an MBAN candidate at Schulich with over 15 years of experience in Telecommunications, Consulting, Banking, IT and CPG/Retail. The MBAN will be his second Master’s-level degree after already completing an MBA in Marketing in Brazil.
As Glaukus wraps up his final full academic term of the program he’s looking forward to an exciting summer role he landed with a major brewery (details to follow!).
Below, he lends insights about why he chose to do a second Master’s degree at Schulich – and how training in analytics is a solid strategic move in a competitive business landscape.
Why did you choose to come to Schulich? What attracted you to the MBAN program?
Schulich is positioned as the most innovative B-school in the country and it’s undoubtedly committed to high-standard education as well as to a welcoming environment that promotes innovation and diversification.
My choice for the MBAN was easy to make. No matter what the scope of your role is within an organization, competitiveness is a reality for every business – and nowadays, competitive companies are storing ample amounts of consumer information.
What are some important shifts you see across industries that speak to the growing importance of big data?
Industries are using data as a tool to generate and analyze insights that were previously barely guessed at. In marketing, the implications of big data are changing the way companies compete, advertise and communicate with their consumers, revolutionizing conventional practices into quantitative models. As a result, today more than never before, companies are able to treat every customer as a unique individual – but the full implications are still yet to be uncovered with the continuing developments of business intelligence. Big data is no longer a matter of competitive advantage, but rather of basic operational need. Either you have, and use it, or you will be part of someone else’s database.
And how does that translate to opportunity?
In the end, Big Data is all about hiring the right people – those who are able to match business, strategic and holistic perspectives with hard technical and scientific skills to generate insightful recommendations.
“Big data is no longer a matter of competitive advantage, but rather of basic operational need.”
How would you describe your experience in the MBAN program?
It’s been a great opportunity to simultaneously develop my hard and soft skills. The program combines the ability to originate recommendations and to effectively communicate them.
I consider the core coursework as a solid foundation of business knowledge in technical areas such as Analytics Consulting, Predictive Modelling and Multivariate Methods for Analytics. This is balanced by the strategic side, with core courses such as Case Analysis and Skills for Leadership.
In addition to these, I have the good fortune of learning other great content through electives like Consumer Behavior and Service Marketing.
Tell us about the summer job you’re looking forward to!
This summer I’ll be working at Labatt Breweries, on the National Sales Intelligence Department, particularly with New Business Data Integration (the company’s acquisitions) and supporting strategic decisions with market information, insights and marketing initiatives analysis. I’m looking forward to applying the concepts I’ve learned in my core courses in combination with my own work experience and previous knowledge. I’m excited to contribute to the company’s continuous success towards their business goals!
What advice would you give to other students thinking of pursing an MBAN?
First of all, try to use all of Schulich’s resources, like specific workshops and market information sessions (Euromonitor, BMI, etc), in addition to your professors’ and colleagues’ practical and theoretical knowledge. Second, be aware that the program is really intense. Not only in terms of in-class activities, but there are a lot of assignments and readings, as well.
Last but not least, no matter what your background is, focus on developing both your hard and soft skills!