Smart Savvy

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The gavel has dropped and the winner of the Smart, Savvy + Associates Top Grads competition has been announced.

Callum Ng is crowned the 2009 Smart Savvy Top Grad.

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Affectionately dubbed ‘The Record Holder’, Callum Ng clearly demonstrated that he ‘gets it.’  Callum’s marketing smarts as well as his strong sense of self, resourcefulness, and tenacity helped secure him the win.  He’s just finished his Early Career Masters at UBC as well as his time as captain of the UBC Thunderbirds Swim team. We call him the record holder for breaking the Canadian record in the 50M backstroke at the 2007 World University Games in Thailand.

Swimming aside, he’s a true marketer and understands how to maximize the knowledge he has to get the greatest possible output. “Callum did a fantastic job balancing the three key elements of marketing – research, strategy and connection / creative expression. Although the other contestants were very strong – this is definitely what set Callum apart, ” says Peter Reek, Founder of Smart Savvy + Associates.

Callum made it through quite the extensive selection process. The Top Grad competition’s objective is to find new grads who truly stand apart.  The first step began with an online questionnaire and short video explaining why an employer would want to hire them. From there, ten contenders underwent a panel interview to impress a few key judges from some top companies in Vancouver.

• Stephanie Corker-Irwin, Best Buy Canada
• Laurie Sterritt, Vancity
• Dianne Finn, Johnson & Johnson
• Peter Reek, Smart, Savvy + Associates

The panel cut down the list to five applicants who were then tasked with creating a marketing + launch plan for the (not so real) Gastown Brewery.  The contenders presented their plans to a group of  this city’s key marketers.

• Bryan Mavrow, 1-800-GOT-JUNK?
• Lawrie Ferguson, Coast Capital Savings
• Maya Lange, Grey Vancouver
• Rob Lewis, Techvibes Media
• Andrea Carson, Sage Software
• Catherine Ducharme, Outsidein Communications

Each presentation was strong, as all contestants put in significant effort to ‘flex their marketing muscles’ and demonstrate the marketing know-how.  The Smart Savvy Top Grad competition proved a success for everyone. For the applicants, it was presenting themselves and learning from some experienced professionals, but even the judges took away from this competition, “This was a really refreshing experience for me. I even learned a few things myself,” says Bryan Mavrow, VP Marketing at 1-800-GOT-JUNK?.

A quick shout out to the Top Grad Runners Up: Brian Wong (UBC), aka The Prodigy, and World Traveller, Tyrone Lingley (Royal Roads) , each of whom showed some great insight, strategic thinking and creative proficiency throughout the competition.

Smart Savvy will work alongside these three fine individuals to help them identify their career goals, chart an ideal path, and represent them to prospective employers who ‘fit the bill’.

Hats off to Top Grad, Callum Ng, and all who participated in a fantastic competition.

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After all the dust has settled, only six candidates remain. Interviews for Smart Savvy’s Top Grads program kicked off this past week and students from across the lower mainland vied for their chance to interview with some of Vancouver’s hottest companies. Selected students sat down to do individual interviews with our team (think dark room, single light-bulb waving, etc). We were amazed at the talent level that was showcased, proving once again that BC is producing some of the brightest marketing minds. However much like your favorite reality TV show, some tough choices had to be made, and we had to cut down the group to six.

Without further adieu,  I present to you the Top 6 Wunderkinds of 2009.

The Record Holder - Callum Ng, a UBC Early Career Masters grad, is not only a Canadian record holder in swimming, he is also an entrepreneur, volunteer, and blogger. Callum captained the UBC Men’s swim team last year while finishing off his Masters degree, and ended up having to utilize his management and marketing skills to recruit 10 athletes to the team. Callum’s blend of enthusiasm and real world experience is top notch and we are excited to see him in the next round.

The Prodigy - Not everyone starts university at age 14, but Brian Wong has been an exception his entire life. Graduating this past semester from UBC  was just one of the many things that fills Brian’s day. He is founder of Aer Marketing, a full service marketing company that he and his partners founded in his 4th year of university. He is an experienced Tuk Tuk rider, speaks Cantonese, and loves hockey. How does he find time to fit it all in? Well, he practices the art of polyphasic sleeping.

The World Traveler - Tyrone Lingley is someone who experiences life to the fullest. This Royal Roads BComm graduate has been a university instructor in South Korea, traveled across the world, and started his own  internet marketing company. All of this experience enabled him to be an honor roll student at Royal Roads, while also serving as the Advancing Canadian Entrepreneur’s VP of consulting and the Student Representative for the RRUSA.

The Volunteer - Having an “insatiable appetite for involvements” has led Charles Voon from a tough life situation to one of Sauder’s best students. Encouraged by his mother to begin volunteering at age 7, Charles has never stopped going the extra mile. After winning the Millennium Excellence Award of Canada in 2004, Charles chose to attend UBC and has excelled throughout his time there. His significant volunteer contributions to YOUCAN and Enterprize Canada, are balanced by his impressive Co-op resume, having worked with both Procter & Gamble and Electronic Arts.

The “Make it So” - Adina Dragasanu gets things done. Just take a quick scan of her experience prior to graduating from UBC. Kraft Canada, Telus, Unilever. Besides working with some of the biggest brands in Canada, Adina also served as the UBC Marketing President in 2007 and is the Director of the Commerce Society Alumni Relations program. We have no doubt that Adina’s impressive resume will continue to build in the future.

Mr. President - Krishna Raisinghani describes himself as “not your average marketer”,  referring to his extensive finance and accounting background. The current UBC Marketing Association President has plenty of diverse experiences, including starting his own media company, winning the Gold Level Service Award for volunteerism, and interning twice with Deloitte. This mix of marketing, volunteering and business acumen enables Krishna to excel both in the classroom and in the real world.

Shouts out to UBC for having such a strong presence at this year’s Top Grads competition. Consider this a challenge to the rest of the post secondary institutions in BC.

A News Release written for all the PR folk out there about a new program we just launched. Thought you might like to read it!

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Imagine being discovered and having an ‘agent’ the day you graduate?

Smart Savvy + Associates, a marketing recruitment firm, announced today a program to identify BC’s top three marketing grads to help secure their first killer job with some of the lower-mainland’s best employers. Like Canadian Idol for marketers, Smart Savvy’s Top Grads program is looking to discover the next marketing ‘rockstar.’

“Top Grads allows us to get familiar with BC’s emerging talent and help them jump-start their careers with top companies who are interested in attracting the best and cultivating these young grads,” said Peter Reek, Founder of Smart Savvy + Associates. “Once we select the top three grads, in essence, we’ll become their flag-waving fans.”

This competition is open to marketing students with a graduation date after December 2008 at any BC degree-granting post-secondary institution (and BCIT). Applicants will be taken through an intensive five-step application process to find those that ‘stand out among the crowd.’ Grads are not selected solely based on their GPA, but on their total offering of knowledge, skills, abilities, attitudes, and behaviors. Smart Savvy is looking for individuals who are truly smart and savvy.

“We’re looking for Top Grads who have all the positive “self” qualities: self-aware, self-motivated, self-restrained, and self-confident. We’ll work the applicants pretty hard on a number of fronts as they strive to establish themselves as wunderkind marketing grads,” said Peter Reek.

Grads who apply are first required to complete an online interview and a short video as to why they’d be a great investment for an employer. If short listed (10 will be chosen), grads will be interviewed by a panel of Vancouver’s most seasoned interviewers and marketers. From there, 5 will be chosen to deliver a presentation to some of the city’s noteworthy marketing professionals. We have already secured a solid selection crew comprised of senior professionals from Best Buy, Vancity, 1-800-GOT-JUNK?, Sage Software, SAP Canada, Coast Capital Savings and Grey - Vancouver.

“Even though opportunities aren’t coming in ‘fast and furious’ in this economic climate, the need for talent isn’t going to disappear. Implementing this program is a way to get familiar with the leaders of tomorrow as well as BC institutions who offer great marketing programs,” Peter Reek comments.

To apply for Top Grads 2009, wannabe wunderkinds can visit www.smartsavvy.ca and click on Top Grads for further instructions. Deadline for applications is May 15, 2009.

*wun⋅der⋅kind: a person who succeeds, esp. in business, at a comparatively early age.

If you have any questions please email them to

Julie McLeod
Talent Scout & Office Manager
Smart Savvy + Associates
julie@smartsavvy.ca

Related Links

Smart, Savvy + Associates
Top Grads 2009
BC’s Top Employers