An engineering degree launches a career in business consulting

denny

Denny Tian

  • Degree: Bachelor of Applied Science
  • Grad year: 2017
  • Program:
  • Campus: Vancouver

Job: Consultant at Boston Consulting Group

Would you be surprised to learn that a degree in mining engineering can launch a career in business consulting? Denny Tian says that the knowledge and problem-solving skills he acquired in mining engineering have enabled him to build a successful career helping top international companies develop new products and implement innovative growth strategies.

 

What got you interested in engineering?

Growing up, I used to watch the show How It’s Made on the Discovery Channel about how everyday things like bicycles, bricks and cars are created, manufactured and distributed. I loved learning about the science and design behind the simple daily objects we take for granted. Engineering was a way for me to explore those ideas, while also setting me up for a rewarding career.

How It’s Made

 

How did you choose mining engineering?

Before first year, I didn’t know much about mining engineering at all. But the more I learned about it, the more it appealed. I grew up in Vancouver and was going to school at UBC, and I liked the sense of adventure and opportunity offered by a career in mining – the ability to travel and work in interesting places around the world and to be part of a global industry.

 

What were some highlights of your undergraduate experience?

What stands out for me is co-op. It gave me an understanding of how what I was learning in school applied in the real world, and it enabled me to integrate knowledge from my work experience into my classes. It made the whole learning process much more interesting and engaging.

Co-op also gave me a good perspective on what it means to be an engineer.

Although I might have originally understood engineering to be focused on applying math, science and physics to real-world problems, as I gained more work experience, I realized that engineering is as much about communication, change management and conflict resolution. This helped me approach my studies more intentionally, in terms of the electives I took and the mentors I sought out.

 

Did you have opportunities to learn some of these soft skills in your courses?

Engineering students do a lot of group project work. Frankly, they could be tough – not everyone is aligned on the goals and some people aren’t doing their fair share. But in learning how to work together, you implicitly acquire a lot of these important soft skills. When you are working in an organization, everything is a team effort, so having competency in communication and teamwork makes it much easier to succeed in a work environment.

 

Tell us about your career after graduating.

I was hired before I graduated to work for New Gold at their gold mine in Rainy River in northern Ontario. It was exciting to be part of a mine that was just ramping up and seeing the technology processes and teams needed to run the mine. It was a big change from living in Vancouver – I was in a remote northern community with temperatures reaching minus 30 degrees in the winter.

About a year later, I returned to Vancouver to join EY as a consultant, primarily working with large mining companies. I liked the expanded scope that comes with consulting and the ability to use my problem-solving skills in areas beyond technical challenges to include M&A, asset management and digital transformation. I was able to apply my expertise more broadly as I worked with clients to explore how to increase productivity at certain mine sites, better manage assets, use new technology to manage risks, or assess acquisition opportunities. I also enjoyed working with people from many different professional backgrounds and gaining new perspectives from them.

This is also where I met one of my future co-founders of Zerv, a startup that we built together.

New Gold at their gold mine in Rainy River  EY

 

What was it like to launch a startup company?

It was an incredible learning experience. We were creating a marketplace like OpenTable, but for health and wellness services. 

Our company was very fortunate to be chosen to be part of TechStars, a business accelerator program that provides a capital investment and gives you access to a mentorship program and a venture capital network. 

We raised money, assembled a team, built and launched our product, and grew our customer base. About a year later, we sold Zerv to a company that was looking for a digital product to complement their services and offerings.

 

Tell us about your current role at BCG?

I now work for Boston Consulting Group, a global management consulting firm, and am based in Atlanta. My group works with corporate clients across a broad range of topics including corporate strategy, innovation and growth. The position enables me to leverage my past experience in consulting with my engineering background and experience as an entrepreneur.

I get to work with some of the most iconic companies in the world in industries from manufacturing and logistics to consumer products. This could involve advising on identifying ways to grow and enter new markets, building a growth strategy or launching a new business line.

I love the diversity of the work: no two clients are the same, and no two projects are the same. And it’s fun to team up with clients to build something unique.

Boston Consulting Group

 

Any advice for engineering students just starting out at UBC?

Doing co-op or working in engineering-related internships can help you figure out what you like and what you are good at. I had three positions at very different companies in three different locations. These work experiences help you gain the skills to be able to adapt to new environments very quickly – and given that the only constant in life is change, this is an important skill to have! Also, go to where the work is. Being able to pack up to pursue new opportunities can give you a competitive advantage.

 

Anything else you’d like to share?

While I haven’t needed to rely on my knowledge of geology lately, my background in mining engineering has set me up well to thrive in many different environments and work contexts. Mining is a globally integrated commodity industry, and when you work in mining, you need to understand everything from the technical details to geopolitical trends that affect trade flows and how to calculate the capital needed to build or upgrade a mine.

In many ways, the fact that I studied mining engineering is a differentiator. I work with many industrial clients who are manufacturing tangible products. 

Having this background in industry and having worked in mines means I can bring a very practical perspective to my clients’ challenges.

 

 

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Two UBC mining engineering students at a co-op term at New Gold.

Mining Engineering

UBC’s Mining Engineering program is consistently ranked among the top in Canada. We offer a broad professional degree program that integrates courses on engineering principles, earth sciences, and mining and mineral processing...

Mining Engineering

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