When Jeff Mocha, EMBA ‘22, began his Ivey journey, he was looking to develop the leadership skills needed to have a broader impact within his organization’s various divisions, and to expand his knowledge of the business principles underscoring its strategy.

“We have a number of businesses in the public sector as well as a regulated utility, so I wanted to be able to figure out the best approach for each aspect of the organization,” says Mocha, Chief Technology and Innovation Officer at OEC.

“I was in a position where I could use my seniority to have an influence, but I wasn’t sure how to do that most effectively.”

As he was beginning his Executive MBA, Mocha was promoted from VP of Enterprise Innovation to his current role, so he was able to immediately apply classroom learnings to his new work.

“My career progressed during first term at Ivey, and I was thankful to be in the program. I took on accountability of our IT team and was responsible for digital transformation. Several times over the last few months I felt like I was suddenly immersed in an Ivey case at work,” says Mocha.

“On the leadership front, I’ve been working through some department organization, so the course materials were really impactful and helpful.”

A volunteer position as a board member for The Smart Grid Innovation Network Canada Inc. (SGIN), a group that works in the clean energy space, also provided Mocha with an opportunity to practice skills gained at Ivey around engagement, leadership, and stakeholder management.

“The more I can understand about the needs of new members, the more effective I’ll be at attracting them and delivering value,” he says.

While that focus on leadership and the practical Case Method Learning were two of the key drivers behind Mocha’s decision to choose Ivey, he’s also been pleasantly surprised by just how effective the learning teams have been when it came to working through those cases.

“The amount of time dedicated and the level of detail we get into, as well as the challenges we work through together, really prepare you to dig into the material in class. It has been just a really incredible way to learn,” he says.

“The faculty put a lot of time and effort into selecting those teams, it’s not done casually, and I think that shows. It’s a diverse group of people, in experience as well as personality, including their approach to learning and leadership. It’s a very effective way to introduce some diversity into the learning process, which I now appreciate is such a critical part of the experience.”

Heading into the second term of the program, Mocha says he’ll continue to rely on the support of his family and his company, which employs other Ivey grads.

“You have to have that conversation with your family, friends, and anyone else that is supporting you, because your life is going to change,” he says.

“It’s a very big commitment, but I’ve already been able to apply my learnings in my day-to-day work, and with this promotion and the board work I’m going to be focused on, there will be a lot more opportunity to use it.

I’m striving to be influential beyond where I’m directly accountable, and the more that I learn, the more I understand what impact I can have in an organization.”