Philip
Operations Research Analyst, Toronto office
Education
UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO
B.A.S.c in Mechanical Engineering, 2006
Memories of Toronto: Attending great classes such as Entrepreneurship and Business for Engineers and Mechatronics Design; Playing table soccer at Brennan Hall or the Electrical Common room during nearly every lunch break; winning the Autonomous Robot Design Competition
Hometown
Vaughan, Ontario
ZS Career Path
Operations Research Analyst, 2006
On the work
"One of my first projects with ZS involved developing a reporting and analytics tool for a US client. It was an interesting team to be on because it involved working closely with people in Toronto and Princeton. We were responsible for redesigning the many sales and activity reports that the field representatives received and merging them into three very simple reports that streamlined the analytic and territory evaluation process. Once the reports were designed and ready to be rolled-out, I was asked to participate in the sessions held in Orlando, Florida to train the field representatives on how they could utilize the reports to increase their performance. The reports were well-received during the training sessions, and the sales reps confirmed that the new reports would allow them to better understand and increase their sales performance.
"In another project, I was responsible for developing a forecast for a new medication that may be launched in Canada. The forecast involved estimating the number of patients who would require the medication so we could approximate the sales potential. It was a great learning experience because to develop a forecast, you must have a good feel for the disease or condition involved, and the forecasting models that we use can perform very interesting analyses (i.e. ranged forecasts, waterfall diagrams, tornado diagrams, etc.)."
On ZS values
Treat People Right: "Everyone in the office is extremely helpful and supportive. Even when a colleague isn't staffed on your project, they will take the time to explain a concept to you or aid you with your analysis, which provides for a great learning environment. The best part is that this mentality is not limited to the Toronto office, but it is true in all offices. Whenever I seek help or advice from colleagues in other offices, they will take the time to answer my questions."
On life outside work
"I enjoy playing soccer, coaching a local boys soccer team, and working out. I also like watching hockey and keeping up-to-date on the various soccer leagues around the world."
On the Toronto office
"The Toronto office is located in the heart of downtown Toronto with easy access to the PATH, subway and GO Trains. This makes the office extremely accessible for commuters such as myself. The small office environment is great as it supports strong teamwork and everyone gets to know each other."