Linda Kaleis
Director, Analytics RBCx
Can you describe your career journey and how it has evolved over the years?
I began my career in the startup world, working in digital health where I influenced product strategy and applied data science to solve problems for insurers and healthcare organizations. I later moved into government and then banking, and today I’m at RBCx—RBC’s innovation arm—where it feels like a full-circle moment supporting venture-backed companies at the intersection of technology, data, and impact.
What was a defining moment in your journey after graduation?
Realizing that I didn’t need to pursue clinical medicine to make a meaningful impact in healthcare was a turning point. Discovering digital health as a growing field that supports both patients and clinicians through technology led me to pursue a Master’s in Health Informatics focused on people, process, and technology at the University of Toronto.
What advice would you give your student self?
Network early and often with people already doing the jobs you think you want—shadow them if you can. And don’t be afraid to change paths; even if you’ve always envisioned becoming one thing, new opportunities can lead you somewhere even better.
Is there something you learned later in life that you wish you’d known earlier?
Programs with an internship or practicum component are incredibly valuable for building real-world experience, confidence, and an early professional network. At 91Ë¿¹ÏÊÓƵ, my honours thesis in the MNI neuroimaging lab gave me hands-on coding experience and sparked my interest in the digital side of healthcare, while my UofT practicum in data science at a patient-facing digital health startup exposed me to natural language processing, product design, and the entrepreneurial ecosystem.
What do you wish current students understood about building a career in your field?
Data science and analytics professionals come from a wide range of backgrounds, from life sciences to finance to engineering. Your domain expertise is a major asset, while technical skills are highly transferable across industries. My background has consistently been in healthcare - from supporting York Region Public Health with pandemic forecasting to now, at RBCx, leading major analytics initiatives and supporting a diverse portfolio of ventures ranging from medical billing to homeownership platforms.