News

Taking care of business

Published: 22 September 2014

The economy has changed dramatically in the 30 years since Doug Bergeron first entered the work force and, of course, Bergeron, 53, has changed with it. Best known for leading the group that purchased the credit- and debit-card terminal makerVeriFone from Hewlett-Packard for $50 million in 2001, as CEO, he transformed it into a multinational, multi-billion-dollar company. But Bergeron, an entrepreneur and a philanthropist, started out with an arts degree with special honours in computer science from York University.

... Likewise, a multidisciplinary class in McGill’s arts department—The Treble Cliff: The Business of Music—takes aim at the long-standing stereotype that wealth and artistic integrity are contradictions, and the class is devoted to teaching the idea that, no matter how talented an artist may be, you still need to market yourself and understand the industry. “In the traditional music industry, so many people see, ‘Oh, they signed with a big record label, they’re sellouts,’ and they love starving artists. But even those so-called starving artists have to have some savvy; they have to know how to make money off a tour,” says the class’s teacher, Jui Ramaprasad. “Even if you’re not Beyoncé or Jay Z, many musicians can make a life out of their music. It’s just a matter of knowing the environment and how to do it well.”

... ​The ability to reinvent oneself, and the opportunity to choose another career path if and when it’s needed, is a major facet of why business lessons are being splashed into the teachings of other disciplines. That’s part of the reason the M.D./M.B.A. program at McGill University appealed to 28-year-old Artem Luhovy. 

Back to top