Holly Soave

Holly Soave

Job Description

I own a consulting firm based in Toronto. We help businesses in all industries understand what’s happening in the world, how that affects their business, and what they can do about it to make sure they can continue to grow and make a profit.

Here are some of the major tasks that this role requires:
– research and knowledge of world events and economics
– understanding how a business runs, general business knowledge
– logical and critical thinking to understand how a trend (ex. automation and AI) might affect the client’s business or industry
– problem solving and research to help recommend some pathways that the client might pursue to stay ahead of their competitors
– social skills and general psychology to help understand people’s perspectives and persuade them to take the best course of action, then help them actually make that solution happen
– general entrepreneurial skills as a business owner

Some of the big developments or issues that clients are asking about right now:
– automation and AI (think: ChatGPT, robotics)
– supply chain issues due to global and regional conflicts (ex. Russia-Ukraine)
– labour shortages
– climate change and increasing interest in sustainability
– rising costs due to inflation and supply chain issues

Solutions can look like:
– helping choose and install a new software or tool that can help a client better analyze data or make their work more efficient
– helping a client find and make improvements in their existing processes to reduce wasted time
– helping a client analyze their options for suppliers and find the best deal
– helping a client make strategic business decisions to cut costs
– helping a client make a strategic decision to invest more money in a particular product line
– and a million other things!

Relevant School Subjects

Business

Areas Of Expertise

Business & Finance

Career Story

High school – took all the business, math, and science courses
Undergraduate degree – I started in Medical Sciences at Western University as I wanted to be a doctor. In third year I switched into the Ivey business program and graduated with an Honours Business Administration degree. In my career, I have very rarely used any of my science coursework and would not consider this necessary for this career path.
After graduating – worked at a large consulting firm for under 1 year, moved to a small independent firm in Toronto and worked my way up to management for about 4 years
2021: started my company, Soave Advisory.