In this episode of CFI Member Spotlight on FinPod, we speak with CFI member Shawn Jahromi, an experienced project manager and entrepreneur with a unique journey from electrical engineering to digital transformation.

Shawn holds a Master’s in Business Administration and earned the FMVA Certification from CFI, both of which have been pivotal in shaping his career. He began his career with a degree in electrical engineering but soon transitioned into finance and project management, working with major companies like Ford Motors and Electronic Arts. Currently, he is pursuing a Doctorate in Business Administration (DBA) while running his own consulting firm, Alpha Ray Consulting, which focuses on digital transformation.

During the episode, Shawn shares insights into his passion for lifelong learning and how his diverse background has influenced his career path. He discusses his experiences managing large-scale IT projects, the importance of budgeting and forecasting in project management, and how his FMVA Certification helped him better understand the role of valuation in finance. Shawn also offers valuable advice for those looking to further their professional development and emphasizes the role of motivation and passion in achieving success.

Transcript

Anna Talerico (00:12)
Welcome back to another CFI Member Spotlight. One of my favorite things to do is sit down with CFI members and designation holders like Shawn Jahromi, who I’m excited to finally have you on the podcast today. Thanks for joining us, Shawn.

Shawn Jahromi (00:28)
Thanks for having me.

Anna Talerico (00:30)
So you received your FMVA in 2019, right? Yeah. And what struck me when we first got connected is just your educational background and the things that you’ve done to pursue higher education and professional designations like FMVA. And so what I want to start with first is really just talk about your educational journey and you have such an interesting background because…

Shawn Jahromi (00:35)
Correct, yes.

Anna Talerico (00:58)
oftentimes when we start these podcasts, I’m saying, know, tell me about your finance origin story. But you got your undergrad in electrical engineering, right?

Shawn Jahromi (01:07)
Yeah, that’s correct. I graduated from BCIT a few years ago. Usually, when I introduce myself, I say I’m a recovering engineer, because what I do right now is not directly engineering. I’m in the world of project management and digital transformation.

Anna Talerico (01:26)
Yeah. So tell me, so you get your degree in electrical engineering and then you get your Master’s. So what made you decide to go for your masters after you got your electrical engineering undergrad?

Shawn Jahromi (01:39)
That’s such an interesting question. I’ve always been interested in finance and entrepreneurship. That’s why I decided to pursue an MBA and also that’s one of the primary reasons why I was interested in completing the FMVA certification. I’ve always wanted to understand balance sheets and the finance side of the business.

Anna Talerico (02:07)
Interesting. So, did you go through the electrical engineering program? Was it a passion and you went through it and said, you know, I want to do something else or was it just tell me a little bit about that transition to say I’ve got this degree and now I’m going to go get degrees and other things. Because we’re going to talk about your doctorate here in a minute as well. But tell me a little bit about that.

Shawn Jahromi (02:31)
For sure, 100%. I’ve always been interested in electrical engineering since I was in grade one. My dad was a university professor. I have vivid memories of him coming back home with circuit boards. And as a child, I played with circuit boards. Not the safest thing to play with as a child, but that’s how I was inspired to get into electrical engineering. So, growing up, that’s all I knew,

electrical engineering. I knew that I wanted to go to school to learn how to engineer a circuit board or build a device. Pretty soon after I graduated, discovered when I got into the real world, I discovered so many more things. There was business, was entrepreneurship, there was project management.

And I was the proverbial fat kid in the candy store. I was so excited about learning about all these things and business management and project management and finance resonated with me. And that’s how I became more interested in these topics.

Anna Talerico (03:39)
And it always strikes me what a lifelong learner you are, like truly the definition of that. I think you value it clearly. And yeah, it’s just so impressive, your kind of dedication to continuous learning.

Shawn Jahromi (03:54)
Yeah, thank you. Think being a lifelong learner is very important, especially if you’re in the world of technology and finance, because that world is constantly evolving and innovation doesn’t stop. And it’s important to have an open mind and continuously learn to keep up with technology and finance.

Anna Talerico (04:19)
Indeed, indeed. Tell us a little bit about your decision to do FMVA after you had your Master’s or thereabouts. So what made you decide to go and do a professional certificate?

Shawn Jahromi (04:34)
I’ve always been interested in valuation and in the stock market and I really wanted to learn a more more educated and responsible way of investing in the stock market and I did some research online and I came across CFI and I quickly learned that CFI has all these wonderful programs in valuation.

I signed up for the platform and you guys make a few of the videos available and when I saw the quality of the videos I was pleasantly surprised. The videos are very clear, very very high quality, easy to understand and I was interested in signing up. Bottom line is it was my interest in learning how to invest and

understanding what balance sheets are and how valuation works.

Anna Talerico (05:38)
Well, I’m glad that the three courses were enough to tempt you and intrigue you and to be becoming a member and starting to pursue your FMVA. And that was really driven by some of your personal goals as well. It sounds like around finance. Can you, and I know this is a really big general question, but how would you compare some of the finance things that you learned pursuing your MBA with some of the things that you learned that when you, when you dove into CFI and the FMVA?

Shawn Jahromi (06:06)
That’s such a great question. So when you’re taking an MBA program, an MBA is more like an all-you-can-eat buffet, and they have a variety of all different kinds of dishes. The focus is not so much the quality, it’s the quantity. And the primary difference between CFI’s program and a generic MBA is that CFI has gone to great lengths

to create high quality content on that niche of valuation. So I felt I had access to much more better quality information when it came to valuation than the MBA. The MBA was great for learning many, many different topics and getting a general overview. However, I…

thought that the CFI program was so much of a better fit for what I was looking for because of that niche focus in valuation.

Anna Talerico (07:12)
Yeah, the specificity, that makes a lot of sense. Thank you for that. You have other professional designations or certifications you’ve gotten or certificate programs you’ve gone through before,

Shawn Jahromi (07:25)
Yes, so I’m a certified project manager and that reminds me of one more thing. Taking this program was tremendously helpful in my project management career, specifically because there were a few more courses on budgeting and forecasting. And in the world of project management, it’s very important to be able to create budgets and forecast cost for your project.

Anna Talerico (07:53)
Such a good point. Can’t wait to dive into your career a little bit for sure. So you have your project management certificate as well. And then when did you decide to go pursue your PhD? Because you’re pursuing a PhD now, is that right?

Shawn Jahromi (08:08)
Correct. More specifically, it’s a doctorate degree in business administration, a DBA. And that’s because I run a consulting company, Alpha Ray Consulting, and I really wanted to crystallize my knowledge that I’ve gained over the past 15 years of being in the world of digital transformation, project management, and technology into my dissertation.

Anna Talerico (08:15)
Okay.

I love it. And when do you expect you’re going to be finished pursuing that and have your doctorate?

Shawn Jahromi (08:40)
Hopefully by the end of 2025.

Anna Talerico (08:45)
Fantastic. And I cannot wait to talk to you then about what you’re going to do next, because that feels like you’re always doing something, right? I love it. Incredible. So impressive. Just your dedication to your learning and your, again, continuous education and staying current. So let’s talk about your career, because what a varied and interesting career you’ve had as well. And again, just thinking about talking to somebody who’s pursued their FMVA.

Shawn Jahromi (08:55)
Thank you.

Anna Talerico (09:12)
With a degree in electrical engineering, tell us about your first role after, or your first real professional role, maybe it was after you got your undergrad degree. Tell us what that was like.

Shawn Jahromi (09:25)
Yeah, so that was in the field of not exactly electrical engineering. It was in design of audiovisual systems. And I worked with a variety of different professionals like project managers. And that was actually my first encounter with the world of project management. Audiovisual systems design

was a discipline that I didn’t even know it exists. But I just randomly stumbled upon that world and learned a lot of great things in systems design, but also learned a lot of great things in project management, mostly because that specific employer required me to wear many, many different hats. And it was in…

in fact, a blessing because it exposed me to many, many other disciplines within that industry.

Anna Talerico (10:30)
And project management, feel like any role, any industry has that need and that sort of seat of project management. You get such exposure to the whole business, and I think you really, I’m curious if you think this too, like think project management, you really get a lot of business acumen built up very quickly because you have to understand all of the pieces and it’s so cross-functional. Was that your experience as well?

Shawn Jahromi (10:56)
100%. The project management is interesting in the sense that a successful project manager needs many, many different core competencies. One of the most important ones is being able to have finance skills, be able to do forecasting and budgeting, but also a successful project manager is also a good people manager and has great interpersonal skills, has great technical skills

and many, many, many different skills. The great thing about it is that you’re not confined to only one niche. You can benefit from many, many different core competencies.

Anna Talerico (11:41)
Yeah, well said for sure. So then, after you left the audio-visual design company, did you move into a project management role at your next position, or what was that next position after that?

Shawn Jahromi (11:55)
That’s correct. So, pretty much always, there was a project management element to what I did, but shortly after that, I decided to just dive deep into the world of project management. And I worked with many, many great companies. I worked with Ford Motors. I worked with Electronics Arts. And I managed a couple of large-scale

IT projects for Electronics Arts and that’s where I use the budgeting skills and the forecasting skills the most. I’m really thankful for the opportunity to be able to learn these skills and I think that helped me become much more successful in that position.

Anna Talerico (12:42)
How fun too, I’m sure that was just again, the chance to work on those large-scale projects must have been really exciting. So what led you to decide to focus on digital transformation, both in your doctorate but professionally? Tell us a little bit about how that came to be. I, when I first met you, I was just fascinated to hear a little bit about how you think about it and just tell us a little bit more about that.

Shawn Jahromi (13:07)
100%. So digital transformation is the science of leveraging technology in order to deliver value to the stakeholders. And throughout my career, I saw a market gap where many other companies who are not exactly certified in the world of digital transformation, they purport to be

in the field of digital transformation. And I really thought there is some deficiencies in the market and there’s a big market gap. And that’s why I decided to sign up for the doctorate program and crystallize all my knowledge from working with some of the biggest names in the world, like Ford Motors and Electronics Arts into my dissertation. I’ve also worked in the world of healthcare

was involved in a real Colombian hospital redevelopment project phase two, where I learned a lot of amazing things in the world of healthcare. So this DBA program is giving me the opportunity to crystallize all that knowledge and information into my dissertation. And hopefully there’ll be a tool to further the knowledge in that area.

Anna Talerico (14:34)
And I like your definition, I’m actually gonna have you repeat it, of what digital transformation is. I like your definition a lot because I think a lot of people hear that word, digital transformation, don’t really know what it means, think it’s something in specific, but I love how you frame it through business value for the stakeholders. So say that one more time.

Shawn Jahromi (14:52)
Mm-hmm.

Yes, so it’s the art of leveraging technology in order to deliver value to the stakeholders and one of the main preconceived notions is that digital transformation is just upgrading, getting a better TV, installing better switches, but that’s not really

what digital transformation is. Digital transformation is a management consulting discipline and it’s the focus of digital transformation is delivering value to the stakeholders. It’s not necessarily getting better technology. Technology is a tool for delivering value to the stakeholders.

Anna Talerico (15:47)
Yeah. And so has there been a project so far that you’ve worked on that was a particular favorite or can you share a little bit more about some of the projects you’ve worked on around digital transformation?

Shawn Jahromi (15:59)
Yeah, so one of the most interesting projects I worked on was the project for Electronics Arts. I worked very closely with the end users and multiple different stakeholders and collected requirements and created the project scope and basically took this project from gathering requirements from the concept stage all the way to getting it approved.

Creating a budget for it and also procuring all the necessary outside help, outside contractors in order to execute that project. And we carried that project all the way to the end, was commissioning, testing commissioning and also knowledge transfer and project handover to the stakeholders. It was a very exciting project. It was…

was a wonderful pleasure working with the EA folks. EA has a wonderful corporate culture. I feel like it was a wonderful place to work for.

Anna Talerico (17:11)
I’m sure it’s so fulfilling to be able to take a large project like that and see it through from concept to completion. Very fulfilling, I would imagine.

Shawn Jahromi (17:19)
Yeah, 100%. And it’s overall a wonderful place to work for and I think corporate culture is very important. And that’s also a digital transformation concept, which is change in the company’s culture in order to prepare that company for transformation. It starts with culture. And I think that EA Games has a wonderful

Anna Talerico (17:21)
Yeah.

Shawn Jahromi (17:49)
wonderful culture.

Anna Talerico (17:50)
Love to hear that. It’s a good point because change management, which is its own discipline, right? I would think there can be no digital transformation without great change management as well. That’s a good point. Yeah. So you now are pursuing your doctorate and you are also an entrepreneur. You mentioned, you, you’re just, your interest in entrepreneurial endeavors really is a through line through your career and your educational journey.

Shawn Jahromi (17:57)
Mm-hmm. Yes.

Anna Talerico (18:20)
So tell us a little bit about what you’re doing now, your consulting company and the kinds of projects that you’re working on there.

Shawn Jahromi (18:28)
Yeah, so I run a company called Alpha Ray Consulting and our primary focus is digital transformation. We, so one of the wonderful projects we worked on was consulting with SickKids Hospital and we created a proposal for how they can leverage technology in order to create a better experience for the patients.

Anna Talerico (18:58)
So fulfilling, I’m sure. Wow.

Shawn Jahromi (19:01)
Yeah, 100%.

Anna Talerico (19:03)
Well, Shawn, thank you for coming on the podcast. So we can talk a bit about your, you know, your approach to learning and your career. And if you were to give somebody, you know, there’s so much I could ask you about this, but let me think if you were to give somebody advice who needed some encouragement or motivation around finishing or starting an educational endeavor, whether it’s higher education or

undergrad or a professional certification, you’ve got two of those. Somebody who maybe is just feeling a little stuck, what kind of advice would you give them? And also, how do you stay motivated to do this?

Shawn Jahromi (19:43)
Well, I think one of the most important elements is passion, which is loving what you do and focusing on the end goal. And yes, studying is not easy. It’s you got to be disciplined. You have to finish the quizzes on time. You have to finish the assignments on time. But really, it’s you have to think about the end goal and

and the success you’ll have after you obtain your professional certification. If your passion is finance, I think the FMVA program was an amazing program. The high-quality videos, I think they’re a great learning tool and overall make the experience of the learner much, much a better experience.

But really, passion, think, is one of the most important elements. That’s what makes you power through the program and finish it.

Anna Talerico (20:55)
I love that answer. That’s fantastic. And you’re just such a good inspiration of, know, keeping the end in mind of what your goals are and that, you know, using that to continue to motivate yourself and picking things you’re passionate about. So, what a great place to end the podcast today. Thank you so much for doing this and, and, you know, sharing your experience and your journey so far. And we’ll definitely have to pick this up in 2025

Shawn Jahromi (20:59)
Thank you.

Anna Talerico (21:21)
when you’ve got your doctorate and onto the next thing, I’m sure.

Shawn Jahromi (21:26)
Be happy to. Thank you for having me.