MBA student leads double life as an Ultimate warrior
June 29, 2010
By Jamie Hanlon
MBA student Kiersten Stead
Most people might find completing an MBA to be a daunting, time-consuming task, requiring one to give up on sideline activities and passions in pursuit of their academic prize.
Kiersten Stead is not most people.
Kiersten, a student who recently completed her first year of the Tech Com MBA program at the Alberta School of Business, is an avid player of Ultimate, a 40-year-old team sport where players pass a disc to teammates as they make their way towards a goal zone, similar to football. The sport is popular worldwide, with strong amateur leagues playing in Ottawa, Vancouver and Toronto.
Through years of honing her Ultimate skills, Kiersten has represented Canada on the World Ultimate scene numerous times since 1998. This week, she will be doing it again at the World Ultimate Club championships in Prague, Czech Republic. Kiersten was recruited by another Canadian team to play among their ranks as they battle for disc glory.
“The team that I’m playing on, Chaos, is a Winnipeg club team,” she says. “They won the Canadian championships last year.”
And while it may not be hard to imagine a business student being heavily involved in a competitive activity, Kiersten’s competitive streak far outdates her time as an MBA student.
“I grew up as an athlete. I used to downhill ski race and played competitive soccer.”
Kiersten, who was born in Zimbabwe, also holds a PhD in genetics, and started her master’s program in business after she was named a recipient of the 2009 Alberta Heritage Foundation for Medical Research Studentship award. A self-described Type-A personality, she says that idle is not a word she is familiar with.
“I’ve been playing Ultimate through this whole process. You do have to have a certain work ethic to be able to do both at the same time.”
Kiersten notes, though, that she has had to forsake some Ultimate training because of the intensity of the MBA program. But says that, thanks to superior organizational skills, and an understanding husband, she is still able to train regularly.
“He banks on the fact that I won’t be able to compete in sports forever,” she jokes. “Then, I’ll be playing golf with him. He realizes life with me is a long-term investment.”
Kiersten believes that her skill and knowledge in Ultimate at the world level were the reasons she was chosen to play with the Winnipeg team, many of whom do not have her international experience.
“I think that this might be the last time, so I’m really looking forward to going and competing.”
Beyond her Ultimate career and after completing her next degree next year, Kiersten is pondering career options that range between biotechnology finance to working for an agricultural biotech company. She contends that the lessons learned on the disc gridiron continue to serve her well, including in her transition from dressing room to boardroom.
“For someone of my age and experience, having been involved in sports teams and having led a team gave me leadership experience really early on that I would not have been able to get otherwise,” says the 37-year-old. “You’re responsible for the happiness, motivation and discipline for 25 people who aren’t getting paid and the only power over them is to lead by example, to do a good job and earn their respect.
“Those lessons are really valuable for business and I’m absolutely sure that I’ll benefit from those in the future.”