Meet Our Students
The first cohort of 12 Haskayne DBA students started in January 2019. Meet a few of the students from this first class and what they have to say about the program:
Jordan Hahn, Senior Product Manager, Vendavo
"When Haskayne launched the DBA program, it ended up being a great match for my research interests and made a lot of sense logistically for my path to doctoral completion. The program structure allows me to explore different research questions and formats, and my prospective supervisor and I hit it off right away with some inspiring and challenging discussions about a range of topics of mutual interest."
"I think the thing I appreciate most is how much Haskayne embraces the applied research focus of the DBA as a coequal complement to traditional, more theoretical PhD research. The mission really comes through from across the leadership we've had the pleasure of interacting with, and gives your research a sense of purpose and traction- we're working to keep up and extend the relevance and impact of business research in the real world."
Profile
With background is in product management and strategy consulting, Jordan has led product overhauls, pricing transformations and new product launches in B2B software, telecom, hospitality, and managed services.
He has an MSc in Business and Management Research from Henley Business School, University of Reading, where he also began his doctoral research. He has an International MBA and BSBA in Marketing from the Daniels College of Business, University of Denver. He currently lives in Colorado and commutes to the Haskayne DBA program.
Jordan’s research focuses on "commercial excellence” - strategic orientation, pricing practices, and customer co-creation of value, using the hospitality technology industry as an example case of a “B2B2C” environment. He is specifically interested in strategy and execution in situations where customers/buyers are distinct and separate from end-users.

Shawn Peet, Vice President, Business Resourcing, Rosen Canada Ltd.
"The program has already provided insights on how to structure tackling problems differently. This type of analytical thinking is valuable in the workplace."
"Our cohort is relatively small. With 12 members it has been easy to interact. Aside from the collaboration in class, which has been great, we have developed strong relationships out of class."
Profile
Having spent the last 18 years in the oil and gas industry, Shawn has collected an abundance of knowledge related to pipeline integrity management. Shawn’s career began in the field of in-line pipeline inspection, working first as a technician within mechanical and electrical disciplines. From there, Shawn moved into supervision and management eventually moving to Houston, TX. There he had roles of increasing responsibility including vice president, business execution.

Aly Sumar, Senior Vice-President and Treasurer, ATB Financial
“Though I had considered Doctorate level education previously, a strictly academic approach at this point in my career did not fit with my objectives. The DBA program for me is the application of advanced education and research, which is exactly what I was waiting for in a program.”
“The professors allow flexibility for us to write papers with topics we desire. This has allowed me to bridge the goals of the course with an area I’ve wanted to explore further at work by researching topics for classroom assignments which can be synthesized to objectives in the workplace.”
Profile
During his 18 year career in the banking industry, Aly has worked in various roles in retail banking, small business and corporate banking and corporate treasury. In his current role, Aly is responsible for a group that is entrusted with asset-liability management, regulatory and economic capital measurement and reporting. Under his leadership, treasury is also accountable for the liquid asset portfolio, asset securitization and Treasury market execution.
He has an MBA from Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia. His undergraduate degree, a Bachelor in Arts (Economics), was awarded from University of Calgary.
