Executive Team

CEO

  • Phoebe is currently pursuing her MBA in the Langone Accelerated Part-Time program at NYU Stern, where she also serves as the 2024-25 Langone Student Government Co-President. With an MS in Bioethics from Columbia University coupled with her professional experience in M&A integration and operations strategy, Phoebe brings a unique perspective to her studies. Throughout her MBA program, Phoebe has continued to work in the strategic investment space, leveraging her life sciences background. Post-MBA, she aims to transition into the alternative investment sector, combining her diverse expertise in bioethics, business strategy, and finance. Outside of her academic and professional commitments, Phoebe maintains an active lifestyle and enjoys exploring new destinations through travel and outdoor adventures.

  • Jonah Kawarsky is an MBA candidate at the DeGroote School of Business, McMaster University, with a background in biomedical science and a passion for strategic innovation, social impact, and global collaboration. With experience in strategy and nonprofit leadership, Jonah currently serves as MBAA President and has led national and international initiatives focused on entrepreneurship, equity, and data-driven decision-making. He brings a unique blend of analytical thinking and creative problem-solving to conversations around business, sustainability, and inclusive growth.

  • Marie Bullano is a seasoned marketing leader and digital strategist. She holds an MBA from NYU Stern and brings over ten years of experience in marketing, brand management, and strategy across the entertainment, sports, media, venture capital, and legal industries. She is currently working for Saper Law, an entertainment and corporate law firm, in Chicago. Marie plans to attend law school next fall.

  • Bringing his substantial experience in software engineering and digital transformation, Julien holds a masters in Computer engineering and hopes to leverage technology, leadership and education to drive positive change. His career highlights include leading Desjardins' internship program, orchestrating sweeping software architecture changes to drive performance, and lecturing at Polytechnique Montréal.

COO

  • Soumya Bhaskaran is a recent MBA graduate from the University of Cambridge, Judge Business School, where she also served as Co-President of her MBA cohort. With over 6 years of experience in Business Development and Corporate Strategy, Soumya has worked across diverse sectors including FMCG, EdTech, and Healthcare/Pharmaceuticals. At Great Learning, she led cross-functional teams of experienced consultants across international markets such as North America and Southeast Asia. Her role at the intersection of sales strategy and business development leadership honed her expertise in go-to-market planning, product knowledge and team management. Earlier in her career, she worked with Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories, one of India’s leading pharmaceutical companies, as an L&D Consultant. There, she was responsible for designing, implementing, and evaluating training programs in collaboration with key internal stakeholders to drive organizational capability building. Beyond the corporate world, Soumya is also a social entrepreneur. She was selected as one of the top 19 changemakers by the UK-based School for Social Entrepreneurs (India) for her commitment to driving social impact. She holds a Young India Fellowship from Ashoka University, a prestigious program in Liberal Arts and Leadership, and is also a trained professional Bharatanatyam dancer with 20+ years of experience, having performed on international platforms including the BRICS International Forum.

  • Nick Wong is an Associate Financial Advisor at Baird, working in the Private Wealth Management department at the firm’s Milwaukee headquarters. He earned his MBA in Corporate Finance & Investment Banking from the Wisconsin School of Business in May 2025, where he served as the 2024 Graduate Business Association President. Deeply committed to building lasting connections, during his MBA Nick also served as a fellow and liaison for the Consortium for Graduate Study in Management and as a Mentor to undergraduate recipients of the Posse Foundation Leadership Scholarship. He remains actively involved in a mentorship capacity with both organizations post-graduation, continuing his efforts to support and uplift diverse emerging leaders. With a passion for relationship-building and leadership development, Nick brings a community-first approach to everything he does—whether engaging alumni networks, designing retention strategies, or mentoring future business leaders. In his personal time, he enjoys watching football, basketball, and soccer, traveling, and staying active. He currently resides in Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

  • Karl Henrik Smith is a former Staff Product Marketing Manager at Okta, where he led go-to-market strategy for the Okta Secure Identity Commitment—advancing the company's vision to help everyone safely use any technology. With a background in sales enablement, pricing strategy, and partnerships at SaaS and security companies including Cloudflare and New Relic, KH brings a multidisciplinary approach to driving security positioning. He's passionate about modern cybersecurity, especially as AI systems reshape threat models. In his free time, KH likes to play tennis and compete in chess tournaments.


    Bringing his substantial experience in software engineering and digital transformation, Julien holds a masters in Computer engineering and hopes to leverage technology, leadership and education to drive positive change. His career highlights include leading Desjardins' internship program, orchestrating sweeping software architecture changes to drive performance, and lecturing at Polytechnique Montréal.

  • I am currently studying the MBA co-op course at Wilfrid Laurier University. I have my Bachelor in Commerce (Financial Markets) and Master of Commerce (accounting) from Jai Hind College, University of Mumbai, India. I have also cleared CFA III (All three levels). I have about 2 years of experience in Research & Consulting with Private Equity firms in India. I moved to Canada in August 2023 for doing my MBA and having gained insights about the banking industry in Canada during my Co-op at RBCGAM and currently working at CIBC. I aim to bring my background in finance & operations to the GBF! Fun Fact: I travelled on a solo trip throughout Europe in 2023 and saw Coldplay in Barcelona. I’ve got into hiking and went to several hikes in Ontario, including Algonquin & Tobermory. I also travelled to Montreal during a blizzard this past winter which was a very snowy experience and lastly ran a 21km half marathon last year!

CMO

  • Yifan Cao is the current Executive Vice President at the Rotman Graduate Business Council and a healthcare professional with experience across health policy, digital transformation, and system strategy. She’s passionate about building strong communities and meaningful relationships, and enjoys bringing people together to support one another, and make things happen!

  • My name is Patrick Wojtera, I've got 3 cats (and fostering more), love to game (board and video), and am excited to be this years VP, Membership & Recruitment for the GBF! Looking forward to meeting various new people and supporting the overall business community.

CCO