Ian Graham’s career path has led him to four provinces, three companies, two degrees, and one colourful resume. He earned his BCom degree from Sauder School of Business in the spring of 1997 with a specialization in marketing. Upon graduation, he accepted a position in the marketing division of General Motors Canada in Toronto working directly with auto dealers. Moving first to Winnipeg, then to Calgary with the company, he ultimately led GM’s marketing function in Alberta until his resignation in the fall of 2002. After consulting for a short period of time, he then took a client service position at a marketing and communications firm, Trigger Communications.
Subsequent to completing his MBA at the Haskayne School of Business in the spring of 2006, Ian joined Saxon Energy Services (SES) as a Financial Analyst. SES is an international energy services company that operates drilling rigs in Canada, USA, Mexico, Ecuador, Peru, Columbia and Venezuela. After 18 months as the Financial Analyst, Ian then participated in the company’s IT implementation project. He ultimately returned to the finance group as the Manager of Financial Analysis and Planning in summer 2009. Given the company’s exciting growth profile, he expects several more cross-departmental openings to become available in the coming months and years.
Originally from Calgary, Ian is enthusiastic about the opportunities and lifestyle that the city affords its residents. “I don’t think Calgary is diverse or cosmopolitan yet as Vancouver, Toronto or Montreal, but we have advantages here that those cities can’t offer. Calgary is a very young city and the influx of people from all over Canada has helped to expand the dialogue around what it takes to be a world class city. We have the Rocky Mountains on our doorstep and can get to them without fighting volumes of traffic.” He also makes a point to emphasize Calgary’s “tremendous volunteer spirit and rapidly expanding arts and theatre scene.”
Ian’s spare time is currently split between too few ski trips to the mountains, a handful of volunteer activities and a very demanding and engaging leadership course.
When asked for his advice to recent graduates, he offers the following:
Be patient. I appreciate that Canada (and the world) is still emerging from a recession but companies are already starting to hire again. Plus, with the baby boomer demographic retiring, you will be in demand.
Be prepared. I have done a number of interviews and was always impressed by people who had taken the time to find out about our company and tie that to a relevant question about the position they were applying for. I believe I can teach you about my business but I can’t teach you how to take the initiative – I’ll hire for attitude over industry knowledge.
Be unafraid. I’ve not always been the best at taking my own advice but understand that as a young graduate, you can’t make too many wrong choices. Evaluate the options in front of you with an eye to what kind of opportunities they give you (rather than a right or wrong outlook) and know that the occasion to change and move in a different direction will present itself down the road.
