
Evan Flater Internal Strategy Consultant, Mosaic Forest Management 2013 Commerce Scholar evan.flater@gmail.com Evan is a 2013 Commerce Scholar. He's currently working as an internal strategy consultant for a large forestry client in Vancouver. Prior to going "in-house" he worked longer hours with a wider variety of clients as a management consultant at Deloitte. One of his first memories was learning to ride a bike. He has since created a lot of memories through cycling, namely, road racing for Team Canada as a junior, riding solo across Canada and through the Commerce Scholars Program by studying network effects of Vancouver cycling infrastructure. For his research and presentation he won a top presenter award at a UBC-wide undergraduate research conference. This award also won him the opportunity to represent UBC at a global undergraduate research conference in the Netherlands. He is very grateful for his research mentor, James Brander, and the rest of the Commerce Scholars Program team. “The Commerce Scholars Program has provided me with a deeper appreciation and perspective of the scientific method, critical thought and multi-disciplinary approaches to problem solving. These lessons have humbled me and served me well in dealing with client problems at work and in navigating the big, tumultuous world we live in.” |

Margaret Fong Ph.D. Student, Accounting, UC Berkeley 2014 Commerce Scholar margaret_fong@haas.berkeley.edu Margaret graduated from UBC with a B.Com (Finance specialization) with a minor in Mathematics. During her time at UBC, she participated in the Commerce Scholars Program under the mentorship of Professor Dale Griffin, who, along with many other professors including Professors Tim Huh and Harish Krishnan, guided her to and through the PhD application process. Margaret is currently a second year PhD student specializing in Accounting at UC Berkeley and plans to pursue a career in academia. She has also worked for the IT Fund of BDC Capital and is an avid consumer of classical music. “The Commerce Scholars Program helped me discover my interest in academic research and connected me with invaluable mentors who guided me to where I am now. As a Commerce Scholar, I honed communication and critical thinking skills that I still apply to all aspects of my work.” |

Bruno Lam Research and Data Analytics, SauderS3i & Brighter Investment 2016 Commerce Scholar brunolam23@gmail.com Bruno graduated with a B.Com (Hons.) in finance and sustainability. He was the recipient of the Matthew H. Henderson Memorial Prize, given to the most outstanding male graduate of the 2016 graduating class. Bruno is currently a Research Fellow at UBC Sauder S3i. He is interested in the intersection between finance and social impact, with specific research areas in: deal structuring in impact investments, market-based solutions to global issues using financial instruments (social impact bonds, income share agreements). He is also responsible for data analytics for a social enterprise called Brighter Investment. "The Commerce Scholars Program set me up with the necessary skills to approach challenging, ambiguous, but nonetheless interesting problems with confidence and excitement." |

Laura Lam Ph.D. Student, Industrial Relations and Human Resources, University of Toronto 2014 Commerce Scholar laura.lam.yw@gmail.com Laura Lam is a PhD student in Industrial Relations and Human Resources at the University of Toronto in Fall 2020. She completed her Master of Arts in Immigration and Settlement Studies at Ryerson University, and her research interest is at the nexus of migration, employment and gender inequality. She completed her Bachelor of Commerce from the University of British Columbia with a specialization in marketing and sustainability. She has previously worked in a marketing capacity with various startups and technology accelerators. On the side, she is a social entrepreneur and active in supporting anti-human trafficking initiatives in Canada. “CSP fostered in me an inquisitive mindset and fresh approach to tackle tough problems through data and evidence - instilling in me a lingering pursuit to find answers to problems that I see in my community today.” |

Florence Lee User Experience Architect, ITHAKA 2009 Commerce Scholar fswlee@gmail.com Florence is currently a User Experience Architect at ITHAKA, working primarily on the JSTOR platform. She got to UX through design, marketing, and business. After graduating from UBC Sauder with a specialization in Marketing, she worked at a web development company in Vancouver doing digital marketing for several years before moving to the US to complete her Masters in Information Science at the University of Michigan. She now lives and works in Ann Arbor. “The Scholars Program helped me learn how to do and evaluate research, and gave me a framework and grounding with which to pursue problems I am trying to solve. It's given me a lot of insight into how researchers and scholars do their work, which definitely gave me a leg up in my current role.” |

Jack Leung Senior Consultant, Deal Advisory – Infrastructure, KPMG 2013 Commerce Scholar 3602620@gmail.com Jack is a Senior Consultant in KPMG’s Deal Advisory practice, where he specializes in project finance, investment due diligence, strategic sourcing and procurement, and business optimization. He advises private investors and governments on issues across the lifespan of capital-intensive projects and enterprises—from investment, development, procurement to operational transformation. Prior to KPMG, Jack was a member of PwC’s Infrastructure and Project Finance practice. “Early in my university studies, I knew that I was keenly interested in the infrastructure sector. The Commerce Scholars Program matched me with an incredible research mentor who empowered me to ask questions and seek answers about investments in public infrastructure - a topic that is often taken for granted and ignored.” |

Dennis Ma Ph.D. Student, OBHR, UBC Sauder School of Business 2009 Commerce Scholar dennis.ma@sauder.ubc.ca Dennis is a current PhD student in the OBHR division at the UBC Sauder School of Business, where he also completed his B.Com in 2009. During that time he realized a passion for research through the Commerce Scholars Program and has been involved in research work with organizations like the University of British Columbia, Simon Fraser University, the University of Saskatchewan, Statistics Canada, and even a biotech startup! "Before the CSP, I never expected to set foot on a research-focused career path. Because of the program, I gained firsthand research experience and have since had the pleasure of collaborating with incredible people on intellectually stimulating and rewarding projects. The CSP was the best and most impactful part of my B.Com experience. I would not have the gratifying career that I do without it." |

Stefanus Soegiarto Workplace Management and Occupational Health Analyst, Coast Mountain Bus Company 2016 Commerce Scholar stefanus.soegiarto@gmail.com Stefanus obtained a BCom degree with a double option in Transportation and Logistics and International Business in 2016, and was the recipient of the Dan Muzyka Head of the Class Award in Commerce for earning the top marks and standing at the head of his graduating class. He subsequently attended the University of Toronto and completed the Master of Industrial Relations and Human Resources (MIRHR) degree program in 2017. In his final two years at the UBC Sauder School of Business, under the guidance of Dr. Adam Saunders, he participated in the Commerce Scholars Program, conducting an original research project on how the course registration policy at UBC affects student selection of sections within a course and how it impacts the course’s grades distribution. While he was an undergraduate student, he was also actively involved in the complete redesign of a core course in Management Information Systems (COMM 205/391), and contributed to the redesign of a mandatory course in Human Resources Management (COMM 203/392) and an introductory course in Organizational Behaviour (COMM 292). Stefanus currently works as a Workplace Management and Occupational Health Analyst for Coast Mountain Bus Company, TransLink’s largest subsidiary. “The Commerce Scholars Program is more than just an opportunity to conduct research; it’s all about embracing my passion, building a lifetime relationship, and challenging my own beliefs. It’s where I could focus on a niche subject matter that I truly care about, where I met talented and amazing individuals along the way with whom I could freely share my thoughts, and where I was motivated to constantly question my own ideas and improve upon them.” |

Jessica Su 2017 Commerce Scholar jessicasu188@gmail.com Jessica graduated from Sauder with a specialization in Marketing. Since transferring from UBC’s Psychology department, Jessica has always been interested in how individuals make decisions. Her passion for Psychology has pushed her to pursue a career in studying consumer behaviour. Jessica is currently a Marketing Specialist at TELUS Health. Before that she worked as a Research Associate at Lux Insights, a marketing research company. She is excited to apply what she has learned from Sauder and her previous CSP mentor, Joey Hoegg. In her free time, Jessica enjoys playing hockey, skiing and hanging out with her dog.
“The Commerce Scholars Program has opened many doors for me. It was the perfect outlet to explore my interest in consumer behaviour and learn how to conduct academic research from a distinguished scholar. I recommend to CSP to anyone (even if they are not interested in graduate school). The experience of completing a research project from beginning to end really honed my critical thinking skills. I attribute my current career pursuits in market research to CSP. Finally, the people I met in this program (my cohort, the CSP committee and my mentor) are incredibly bright, genuine and kind people.” |

Justin Yee Staff Accountant, KPMG Enterprise 2017 Commerce Scholar justin.yee811@gmail.com Justin graduated from the UBC BCom program with a double option in Finance and Accounting and was a 2017 Commerce Scholar. Within the Commerce Scholars Program, Justin studied under the mentorship of Dr. James Vercammen and performed a survival analysis of products within the US breakfast cereal industry as his final research project. Justin is now an accountant with KPMG in their Vancouver Enterprise practice, which is dedicated to helping entrepreneurs and private companies improve their businesses. He has worked for and with companies in a variety of industries including distribution, hospitality, and real estate. "The CSP truly enriched my experience at UBC by encouraging me to be inquisitive about my everyday observations of the world around me. The research seminars and conversations with my mentor and cohort provided invaluable opportunities to share my ideas and develop different approaches to solving complex problems." |