When Sacha Tihanyi was halfway through an undergraduate economics degree at Laurentian University, he recognized a budding passion for mathematics. “I had many broad interests in school, but something flipped for me during that program, and I knew I needed to do a whole different degree focused on math,” he remembered. “I chose Waterloo because it had a reputation as the best mathematics school in Canada.”
He wasn’t disappointed. Fifteen years into a financial career that has culminated in a role as the Head of Emerging Markets Strategy at TD Securities, Tihanyi still remembers his time at the Faculty of Mathematics fondly. “I’ve never been around a greater concentration of more talented, interesting people in all of my life,” he affirmed. “I made close friends who came from all over the world, and we all grew exponentially in our personal and academic lives throughout the program.”
Before re-locating to Toronto to take on his current role at TD Securities, Tihanyi spent five years in Hong Kong establishing and leading Scotiabank’s emerging markets strategy in Asia. After being approached by TD to live in New York and lead its emerging markets strategy for Latin America, he jumped at the opportunity. “At the time, I didn’t want to leave Asia, but it was closer to home and it gave me an opportunity to try something different,” he said.
Over the past five years at TD, Tihanyi has focused on providing clients with a more nuanced understanding of the financial climate. His role requires a keen focus on data analysis, a skill set he first developed at the Faculty of Mathematics. “The world is awash with data, and it’s crucial to understand statistics to determine its impact on human behaviour,” he explained. “Waterloo’s statistical approach equipped me with a deep practical and theoretical knowledge of how data works and can be applied to real-world situations. The intellectual rigor of the program has been incredibly valuable to me professionally.”
When reflecting on his career trajectory, Tihanyi recalls that he has never followed a pre-determined plan, only a compass to point him in the right direction. His advice to the next generation of finance professionals is to be flexible and prioritize experience above all. “Never consider monetary outcomes over experience and knowledge-based outcomes,” he expressed. “Your passion should be your compass.”