As Director of External Relations, I serve as a connector between the Smith MBA community and our broader ecosystem, including alumni, faculty, the program office, corporate partners and peer MBA programs across Ontario. My role is to strengthen these bridges, amplify the Smith MBA brand across Canada and beyond and create tangible value for students through meaningful networking and career opportunities.

I applied for this role because I was eager to contribute to the student experience in a visible and impactful way. Having recently moved to Canada, I also saw this as an opportunity to broaden my professional network while helping classmates navigate the local market. Service has always been important to me. I previously served on a student executive council during my undergraduate years, and I wanted to challenge myself again in a leadership capacity during my MBA.

Professionally, I bring eight years of experience in finance, where managing client relationships, coordinating stakeholders and communicating complex ideas clearly were central to delivering successful transactions. My background in cross-cultural and international environments has strengthened my ability to build trust and align diverse interests.

This year, my focus is on three pillars: deepening alumni engagement through mentorship and speaker initiatives, expanding corporate partnerships to unlock recruiting and sponsorship opportunities and enhancing brand visibility through strategic external communications. My vision is to create lasting value for my peers and position our class as engaged, credible ambassadors of the Smith community.

• SEC position: Director, External Relations
• Hometown: Lagos
• Country of Origin: Nigeria
• Prior Industry: Finance
• Career Focus: Finance
• Email: ezekiel.o@queensu.ca