Charles Daharry

With over 20 years in transportation and logistics, Charles Daharry is currently the National Manager for Transportation Carrier Management at a leading Canadian home improvement retailer. Aiming for career advancement and making a meaningful impact, Charles enrolled in an MBA at AIB. He was attracted by its engaging faculty, supportive community and flexible learning options. His MBA journey led to improved leadership skills and being promoted to a newly created national role. As an active AIB community member, Charles shares his experiences and insights, promoting continuous learning and innovation within his industry. 

In the interview below, we talk to Charles about his decision to study at AIB, how the journey has changed him as a person and his experience post-MBA. 

What was your motivation for studying for an MBA? 

Well, there are a couple of reasons. I’ve been thinking about it for years, but basically, it came down to career advancement. I realised if I wanted to move forward in my career within my industry, I needed to add the credibility that an MBA would provide. 

On top of that, I also wanted to get involved with bigger projects and make more of a contribution, make more of an impact not just within my company, but across the industry. It’s something I’m passionate about—supply chain and logistics—and being able to add now the credibility and have that knowledge has really been amazing. 

Has investing in your studies led you to success? 

Absolutely! Before I started my MBA, I spoke to my boss, and he said one thing for sure, “You’ll never look at business the same way.” He did his MBA 10 years ago, and during my MBA journey, starting off with leadership, it changed the way that I operated with my team. So, I took some learnings from that and increased my employee engagement, which was already strong, and took it to the next level, not just for subordinates but even peers and influencing upwards.  

When I finished my Marketing course, I presented the persona for our company as well as several recommendations to our VP of Marketing. And the exciting part about that was I was asked a question: “Where did this information come from?” because it was spot on to what our marketing team had already created and what they had found. Several of the recommendations were initiatives that we were already working on that I had no prior knowledge of.  

The VP of Marketing then asked me if I was interested in a role in their team. While I was very excited about it and it really shed a new light on marketing for me, I turned it down. However, my boss offered me to create a new national role in carrier management instead. Two weeks later, I was offered the role. This was a promotion for myself and an opportunity to create something that didn’t exist within the company and to lead it. It was a huge career advancement for me because it just added more legitimacy to why I was pursuing the MBA.  

Have you changed as a person during this process? 

Absolutely. The way I look at business, numbers, or even situations, both professionally and personally, has definitely improved. It’s increased my business awareness. It’s helped with personal finances, long-term planning, project planning, even just how we perform tasks. It’s given more confidence overall, not just in business but personally, to know that I’ve got the tools, the knowledge, and the ability to do more. The MBA for me is far more than a set of letters after my name; it represents the wealth of learning gained through diligent research, engaging discussions with professors and practical assignments. This education has enabled me to look at a variety of situations through a new lens, and significantly boosting my overall confidence. 

What is one aspect of studying at AIB that has stood out to you? 

I would say there’s not just one but most notably, I would say, the professors. Their engagement was second to none. They’re always available to help you, always available to explain things in a different way if you didn’t understand and provide very constructive feedback that helps you get through it. Fellow students were very supportive as well. Six of us formed a study group, helping each other on a weekly basis with coaching or encouragement. It was just unbelievable and we’re still all in contact until today. I think an MBA might not be for everyone, but AIB proved to me that anyone can have an MBA if they choose to. 

Why did you choose AIB over a Canadian provider? 

Honestly, I researched 6 schools when I was deciding which MBA I wanted to pursue. There are a lot of great schools, all of them top-notch. However, I took a different approach. I reached out to several alumni and current students at each school. The feedback and response from AIB alumni and even current students were overwhelmingly and consistently positive about the professors, the way the course is set up and the materials. It was very easy to make that choice based on other students’ feedback and I chose to study my MBA at AIB. 

You’ve been an active member in the AIB community. Can you tell me more about how you’ve been involved and how it’s been post-MBA. 

Being actively involved in the AIB community has been truly rewarding post-MBA. I’ve participated in several orientation sessions for prospective students, sharing my experiences. Additionally, I contributed to one of the leadership videos for the course materials in the leadership class, which was incredibly heartwarming. 

Now, with the knowledge and experience I have, combined with an amazing panel of experts, being able to further influence students and potentially the industry on the future direction of supply chain management is truly an amazing feeling. Knowing that I’m making an impact and influencing other students by exploring various styles of authentic leadership and joining the panel review for the supply chain course has been very meaningful to me. 

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