The Value of Diverse Experience in Capital Markets

The Microprogram Capital Markets at Telfer is a specialized program that offers students practical, real-world experience in capital markets. Participants manage the Telfer Capital Fund, which invests real money donated by companies and individuals. The program gives students in finance an opportunity to gain hands-on experience in investing and to learn from both successes and failures. Students invest in the stock market to learn how to apply the knowledge they gain in the classroom. 

Students can enrol in the microprogram for credit during their Bachelor of Commerce (BCom) degree at Telfer. The microprogram runs during the last two years of their undergraduate program and can be combined with another business option. 

The video features Sarah Riopelle and Anastasia Savvidis, two advocates for students in the Microprogram Capital Markets at Telfer. Both Sarah and Anastasia emphasize the importance of mentorship and diversity in decision-making. The video explores how diverse educational backgrounds and experiences help enrich problem-solving skills and lead to better results. 

A key component of the Microprogram Capital Markets is mentorship. Each student in the microprogram is paired with a mentor who helps guide their professional development and explore different areas of finance where they might excel.  

Sarah Riopelle is Vice President and Senior Portfolio Manager at RBC Global Asset Management and is one of these mentors. She shares her journey in the world of finance and the importance of diversification—not just in investing, but in all aspects of life. Sarah shares that decision-making can best be achieved by drawing on people who come from a variety of backgrounds, genders, ethnicities and perspectives. “If you bring different types of people together into a group or into a room to tackle a problem, you’re going to get a lot of different approaches and different ways of thinking,” she reflects.  

Sarah Riopelle, who now manages $190B in assets for 1.8 million Canadians, reflects on her early days at the University of Ottawa’s Telfer School of Management, where she studied finance and international management as a BCom student. She gives back to her alma mater through the Microprogram Capital Markets by mentoring and coaching today’s students. 

Another BCom alum, Anastasia Savvidis, is the former Director of Corporate Development at Dentalcorp. She gained valuable experience in the Capital Markets program as a student, and says that “For me, it was a huge bonus to get that real-world experience and be able to dip your toe into the career that you are pursuing.” She describes working alongside fellow students to manage the Telfer Capital Fund, what it was like handling a fund that invests actual money, and how her mentor helped her explore different areas of finance where she may excel.  

The Microprogram Capital Markets helps students develop a well-rounded understanding of the financial industry. The individual and corporate donors who contribute to Telfer Capital Fund, and our financial industry mentors, provide our students with support and empower them to manage a $200k Canadian market portfolio that has earned returns of 103.73% since inception.

Our purpose-driven students can advance their career goals while bettering the Canadian economy in the Microprogram Capital Markets. Watch this video on the Microprogram Capital Markets to learn about the power of mentorship, the value of real-world experience in finance, and how diversity leads to success in today’s dynamic financial environment. 

The Microprogram Capital Markets enables students to develop a better understanding of the financial industry and prepares them for careers in high finance. Learn more about the program.