Alumni Spotlight: Max Chan BA'01 (Economics)

Max Chan is the Vice President Treasury for Enbridge Inc. Chan is the group Treasurer for Enbridge and its subsidiaries. His team is responsible for all corporate finance, capital markets, cash management and other Treasury related matters. He has over 18 years of finance experience and has executed billions of dollars in financing transactions globally. Prior to joining Enbridge in 2012, Max enjoyed an 11 year career at BMO in various roles including Corporate Finance and with BMO Capital Partners. In addition to being a University of Calgary Economics undergraduate, Max also holds an MBA from Dalhousie University and completed the High Potentials Leadership Program at the Harvard Business School.

What is your favourite University of Calgary memory?

Having grown up in Calgary, it was great to see a lot of friends who went to different high schools all in one place and reconnect.

What was your favourite campus hang out spot?

I always liked the atrium in the Admin building, quiet and nice to see some green vegetation in the middle of winter!

If you could give one piece of advice to an undergraduate completing the same degree that you did, what would it be?

Get to know some people in the workforce with Econ degrees. As I’ve come to see, there is such a wide range of career paths that are possible but it is hard to research without getting out and networking.

How has your career evolved?

A combination of luck, hard work, and great mentors and bosses. I was lucky to find myself in jobs with phenomenal bosses and sponsors who really helped shepherd my career and development. But I still had to work hard to make the most of it. I spent the first decade plus with a career in banking and corporate finance, and for the last 6 years have been “in industry” with Enbridge’s Treasury team.

What is the best thing about your job?

The amount of fascinating people from different cultures and locations I deal with daily either in person or by phone.

How did your arts degree help you get to where you are now/your current career?

The fundamentals of economics I learned have a very high applicability in almost everything I do now. Understanding macro-economic factors and monetary policies of various governments have huge effects on financial markets around the world. At the time in school, it was difficult for me to connect these concepts to the “real world” but I now really appreciate that foundation.