Principal
Amy's most significant formative experience was the 60-90 minutes
of piano practicing she did each and every day for most of her childhood years. In addition to developing a modest dose of creativity, this instilled an unwavering attention to detail and a commitment to excellence. This artistic background let to the pursuit of an undergraduate degree in English and History that satisfied a deep intellectual curiousity about why events unfold the way they do. This analytical core was unleashed in the unlikely arena of capital markets where completion of the CFA designation led to progressively more senior roles in equity trading and investment research.
After several years of making investment calls based on the success
of other people’s decisions, the next logical step was to apply the learnings from observing and valuing businesses to actually making them better. This led to four years leading strategic growth initiatives at Direct Energy and completion of an MBA at Rotman. The impetus to found Upside in 2006 came from Amy’s passion for making organizations more successful by helping their leaders make better decisions.
Amy lives in north Toronto with her husband and two teenage daughters and can often be found working out or drinking wine at the Cricket Club.
Associate Principal
Stuart’s intense curiosity to understand how things work was evident when at the age of seven he was confronted with a disturbing rattling in his grandmother’s vacuum cleaner. He carefully prepared a safe workspace on the kitchen floor, disassembled the machine, identified the problem, and repaired the broken piece with glue and wire (all without making a mess!). Building on his innate planning and problem solving skills, Stuart pursued an undergraduate degree in economics and later, an MBA. Ever focused on the real-life application of knowledge, he is a passionate advocate for Ivey’s case-based learning method.
After starting his career in commercial banking at RBC, Stuart moved on to leadership roles in the technology, retail and healthcare sectors. The common thread of his career path has been the development and implementation of solutions to complex business problems. Leading the carve out of the $1.3B diagnostics business from life sciences conglomerate MDS was a turning point in Stuart’s career, introducing him to the world of management consulting. He has been collaborating with Upside since 2009.
Stuart is a board member of the Mood Disorders Association of Ontario and the Allenby School Parent’s Association. In his leisure time, Stuart likes to be outdoors and is happiest paddling a canoe in Algonquin Park with his wife and two daughters.
Never content with the answers to her frequent "How?" questions, Kathryn was determined to know "Why" things worked the way they did. This fascination with the full lifecycle of products and services, from conception to consumption led to an unorthodox education and career path.
A licensed Professional Engineer, Kathryn holds an MBA from the University of Western Ontario and undergraduate degrees in Engineering and Political Studies from Queen's University. Kathryn is an accomplished Innovator with a unique portfolio of expertise in strategy, marketing and product development. With over 12 years of progressive experience in B2C, CPG and B2B sectors, she has demonstrated a keen ability to harness the innovation capacity within an organization and develop processes and teams to create sustainable new product and service pipelines for the future.
A desire to get to the root of issues and opportunities has led Kathryn to work with a number of community organizations, including Women in Science and Engineering, the Toronto Board of Trade and Camp Enterprise. A passion for sport and adventure has led her many times to the favourite “Why” question during activities such as marathon-running, sky-diving and snowmobiling.
Consultant
Analyst
An unorthodox childhood as an elite figure skater helped Jordana develop an unparalleled work ethic and desire for excellence at a young age. These traits are put to great use in her current role as the tireless execution of industry research and financial modelling needs for Upside's clients. Jordana's day-to-day activities are powered by a theoretical and analytical foundation she acquired in the Rotman Commerce program, which she completed in 2010 with a specialty in Commerce and Finance. She continues to enhance her quantitative skills as a candidate for the CFA designation.
Jordana is exceptionally active in the not-for-profit sphere. As a student leader she founded the Rotman Commerce Women in Business organization and currently Chairs the Dixon Youth Executive Council. These activities allow her to make a significant contribution to the Upside team as the voice of the Millennial generation, ensuring we stay current on major cultural and technology trends.
Upside Consulting Group Inc. | 100 King Street West, Suite 5700 | Toronto | M5X 1C7 | (416) 628-3195 | info@upsideconsulting.com
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