Schulich & Deloitte join forces to develop next generation of business analytics talent

TORONTO, October 3, 2017 – The Schulich School of Business at York University and Deloitte, two global leaders in the field of business analytics, announced plans to create the Deloitte Cognitive Analytics and Visualization Lab, an innovative laboratory, supported by a leading data scientist, to foster advances in the visualization and interpretation of big data.

The new Deloitte Cognitive Analytics and Visualization Lab and the Deloitte Data Scientist position at Schulich will be established in partnership by Schulich and Deloitte as part of their joint commitment to building tomorrow’s leading talent in the field of analytics. The Deloitte Data Scientist position will support the Lab and was made possible through a significant private investment. The Lab and Data Scientist will be housed within Schulich’s future Centre of Excellence in Business Analytics, one of several Centres of Excellence to be located in the School’s new $50-million Rob and Cheryl McEwen Graduate Study & Research Building, scheduled to open in late spring 2018.

The new lab and partnership were announced at a networking breakfast at Deloitte’s Toronto office, where industry professionals were shown the latest technology and techniques in data analytics and visualization. A panel discussion featuring Deloitte and Schulich analytics leaders followed.

“Ever since Schulich became the first business school in Canada to offer a management degree in business analytics, our School has been a global leader in analytics research and education. Deloitte, meanwhile, has been at the global forefront of utilizing data analytics to help businesses gain a competitive advantage,” said Schulich Dean Dezsö J. Horváth. “Establishing the state-of-the-art Deloitte Cognitive Analytics and Visualization Lab at Schulich will enable both of our organizations to continue providing world-class expertise in business analytics.”

“Deloitte is committed to helping Canada understand and leverage analytics, machine learning, artificial intelligence and cognitive computing against a rapidly changing and complex business and economic environment to deliver financial, social and economic value,” said Anthony Viel, Managing Partner, Financial Advisory at Deloitte in Canada. “By sharing our industry experience, our globally recognized analytics team, and our ecosystem of resources, like our Greenhouse and relationships with Schulich we know we can together develop the next generation of business analytic talent and business leaders faster to make Canada better.”

“By taking a leading role in business analytics education and research, we will equip Canadian leaders with the in-demand skills they need to grow their businesses,” said Frank Vettese, Managing Partner and Chief Executive, Deloitte Canada. “Business analytics is a rapidly expanding field and the Deloitte Cognitive Analytics and Visualization Lab will uncover the insights and innovation we need to not only distinguish our leaders on the world stage but also drive Canada’s future prosperity.”

The approximately 800-square-foot lab will be designed to support teaching and research goals, as well as explore advances in predictive analytics, natural language processing, machine learning, analytics design and visualization, and data-based story-telling. It will be equipped with cognitive, data analytics and visualization technology, available to students and faculty in Schulich’s Master of Business Analytics program, Master’s-level programs, Executive MBA and MBA programs, as well as undergraduate business programs.

There is a high demand now for business leaders with the expertise to analyze and communicate trends, patterns and insights, quickly understand and navigate industry shifts, as well as to influence and drive change. Visualization techniques are the easiest way to translate very complex data into a form that is ready to be used by business executives to solve problems and plan for the future.

“Schulich is excited to work with Deloitte’s pioneering data analytics team to prepare future business leaders to visually interpret and communicate insights generated by big data collections,” said Murat Kristal, Director of Schulich’s Master of Business Analytics Program. “Business analytics and data visualization are a potential game changer for every industry.”

The future Schulich Centre of Excellence in Business Analytics, of which the Lab will be the major component piece, will provide a focal point for industry outreach, collaboration, research and practical teaching. Once established, the Centre will be the business school’s fourth centre of excellence. Other centres at Schulich, which will all be located in the new building as of spring 2018, include: the Brookfield Centre in Real Estate and Infrastructure; the Centre for Global Enterprise; and the Centre of Excellence in Responsible Business.

Schulich was the first business school in Canada to launch a graduate-level business analytics program in 2012. Graduates of Schulich’s business analytics program are in high demand and have been recruited by a wide range of companies, including Deloitte, Aimia, TD, Bell, Labatt, CIBC, and Statistics Canada.

About Deloitte
Deloitte, one of Canada's leading professional services firms, provides audit, tax, consulting, and financial advisory services. Deloitte LLP, an Ontario limited liability partnership, is the Canadian member firm of Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited.

Deloitte refers to one or more of Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited, a UK private company limited by guarantee, and its network of member firms, each of which is a legally separate and independent entity. Please see www.deloitte.com/about for a detailed description of the legal structure of Deloitte Touche Tohmatsu Limited and its member firms.

About Schulich
Known as Canada’s Global Business School™, the Schulich School of Business in Toronto is ranked among the world’s leading business schools by a number of global surveys. Schulich’s MBA program is ranked #1 in the world by Corporate Knights, the world’s largest circulation magazine with an explicit focus on Corporate Social Responsibility, in a global survey that identifies which schools are doing the best job of preparing future business leaders for the environmental, social and ethical complexities of modern-day business. Schulich’s MBA program is also ranked #1 in Canada and among the world’s leading schools by The Economist, Forbes, CNN Expansión and América Economía. Schulich is also ranked among the world’s top 35 business schools for a career in investment banking in a global survey by eFinancialCareers.com. The Kellogg-Schulich EMBA program is ranked #5 in the world by The Economist and #1 in Canada by the Financial Times of London. For complete ranking details, please visit www.schulich.yorku.ca.

Global, innovative and diverse, Schulich offers business programs year-round at its state-of-the-art complex at York University; at its Miles S. Nadal Management Centre located in the heart of the Toronto’s financial district; and at its new campus in Hyderabad, India. Schulich also operates a number of satellite centres in Beijing and Shanghai, China; Mumbai, India; Seoul, South Korea; Mexico City, Mexico; and Sao Paulo, Brazil. Schulich offers undergraduate, graduate and postgraduate business degrees that lead to rewarding careers in the private, public and nonprofit sectors, and close to 30,000 alumni working in over 90 countries. The School pioneered Canada’s first International MBA (IMBA) and International BBA (iBBA) degrees, as well as North America’s first ever cross-border Executive MBA degree, the Kellogg-Schulich Executive MBA. In addition to Schulich’s Master of Finance, Master of Management and Master of Accounting degrees, the School launched Canada’s first Master of Business Analytics degree and the world’s first Master of Real Estate and Infrastructure degree. Schulich’s Executive Education Centre provides executive development programs annually to more than 12,000 executives in Canada and abroad.