Success Story- Ahmed Ashraf
Networking Success
This Success Story showcases the remarkable talents and attributes of a newer member, Ahmed Ashraf. He cites his membership of 3V as being an accelerant of his ability to network in and navigate the Canadian job market. In his telling of the benefits he has received, we uncover a unique and interesting backstory.
Ahmed is a veteran of the Pakistani Army, retiring as a Captain after 9 years of active service (Artillery). Somewhat uniquely, he managed to retire with an impressive business resume. While recovering from a training accident, Ahmed was tasked with turning around a loss-making military-owned educational institution. It took him just 18 months to report a substantial profit. “I added several streams of income. Rather than just charging for tuition, we implemented an upsell business strategy, sold food, upsold students on tech products, and rented the facilities out of hours.” It seems very simple when he says it, but we can all imagine the bureaucracy that needed to be handled to get there. In addition, the Learning Management Solution that he implemented in order to expand opportunities for his students is now being used in 62 other schools. The status-quo doesn’t last long with Ahmed around.
His willingness to take on the establishment showed its head again during his tenure as McGill University’s first-ever ex-military President of the Graduate Society (since 1821). “People tell me that they liked that I took on the bureaucracy in ways that my predecessors hadn’t been willing to.”
Ahmed’s biggest challenge in Canada was translating his military experience into meaningful civilian terms. Fortunately he stumbled on the LinkedIn profile of 3V member, David Mack. Despite not knowing Ahmed, David guided him and introduced him to the 3V network. That conversation with David was instrumental. Ahmed networked with more members of 3V and these conversations helped him to find his way forward.
In May 2023, Ahmed finished his MBA at McGill after completing an extended internship at Sagard Holdings. “I didn’t know that the Chief of Staff role even existed before talking to David. Because of him, I was able to look for such roles and eventually interned at Sagard where I was assisting the Chief of Staff. Guidance from 3V members played a huge role for me in getting that role.”
Ahmed says that membership of 3V has also built his confidence. He recently spoke at a global conference as one of the Top 100 Most Inspiring MBA Candidates from Business Schools around the world. “I am so much more able to communicate my value and how my experience relates to civilian jobs. 3V has accelerated my learning. I also feel that I get actionable and reliable guidance.”
There was a lot more to our conversation that didn’t make it into this summary so connect directly to find out more about him. Since our interview Ahmed has been hired at MNP as a Senior Consultant.