More than 25 years after graduating, alumna returns to TMU to pursue MBA

As an undergraduate student at Toronto Metropolitan University (formerly Ryerson), Gillian (Whaites) Bagiamis first walked through the business building doors on Victoria Street in September 1993. Thirty years later, the marketing management graduate (’97) returns to her alma mater this fall to start her MBA degree. 

Pursuing an MBA was something Bagiamis had considered while completing her undergraduate degree, but since all programs required two years of employment experience, she began working after she graduated. “Once I started working, I really enjoyed being in the workforce and didn’t want to leave my role,” she said. 

For more than 20 years, Bagiamis has had a successful career in marketing and communications, working in management roles at the Air Miles Reward Program, Dell Canada and LoyaltyOne before becoming the founder and principal of Doyenne Marketing, which provides strategic marketing expertise to business owners. She has also been a part-time marketing professor at Seneca Polytechnic for the past two years.  

Bagiamis says she recently took an interest in the Ted Rogers MBA program at TMU because of the flexible options, practical and hands-on learning approach, in-person delivery and the opportunity to continue building a strong network. She decided to take the leap and apply, and is looking forward to coming back to the school where she first began her post-secondary studies.

Although she attended TMU several decades ago, there are many things she learned during her time here that she has carried throughout her career and will carry forward as a student again. “One of them is to speak up to share my thoughts or point of view, and another is to not be afraid to ask questions,” Bagiamis explained. “We all bring different perspectives and backgrounds to the program that we can all benefit from, which I think is really exciting.” 

This time around, Bagiamis says that there are some things she will do differently as a student. “When I was an undergraduate student, I was intimidated to speak with my professors, and I’m not even sure why because they were all very supportive and approachable. This is something I will change when I go back to school.” 

She added, “Whether it’s to get clarity on their expectations, discuss a concept or ask for assistance, I know the interactions build confidence, create connections and grow professional relationships. Now that I am a college professor, this is something I encourage my students to do and I value the conversations I have with them. So, I guess you can say I’m learning from my students!”  

Bagiamis admits that she is a bit nervous going back to school after 26 years because a lot has changed since then, and she will need to balance the priorities and time commitments of being a student with family and work. “Putting the nerves aside, I’m excited to meet my fellow classmates and professors and achieve a goal I had many years ago.”   

For other TMU alumni considering returning to school after a long time away from it, Bagiamis has some advice: “Take the leap when the time is right. For some people, the right time might be after five years, for others it may be a lot longer, but it needs to be right for you.”