BCom alum trades in a career in marketing to become a firefighter
Lesly Yao (BCom’18) isn’t your stereotypical small-town Quebec firefighter. Born in Tahiti, the Bachelor of Commerce grad was growing disillusioned with her work at a marketing firm when a Canadian Forces recruitment advertisement caught her eye—and her imagination. But because Yao was not a citizen at the time and a job with the Forces was not in the cards. “I’d always had it in the back of my mind to become a firefighter,” she says.
At Schneider Electric Canada, diversity drives innovation
Diversity is an essential ingredient in innovation, according to Emily Heitman, President of Schneider Electric Canada, the subsidiary of the global energy management firm. Diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) programs can provide mentoring opportunities and improve the effectiveness of recruitment efforts, Heitman tells Professor Karl Moore in an interview for Forbes.
BCom alum credits networking with helping Sports Illustrated app off the ground
In Canada, ice time is at a premium and the nearest rink might not be able to accommodate your beer league team. But in large cities, there’s often ice available somewhere, and Jonathan Azouri (BCom’16) spotted an opportunity. The co-founder and CEO of CatchCorner by Sports Illustrated, an app that allows users to book sports facilities, launched it in Toronto in 2019 and is now making it available in markets like New York, Los Angeles, and Boston.
Luxury Royalmount Mall opens amid excitement and concerns
Montreal’s long-awaited luxury shopping mall Royalmount officially opened on September 5. The project, which spans 800,000 square feet, and features stores like Gucci, Versace, and Louis Vuitton, aims to attract diverse shoppers from all walks of life with an “inclusive luxury” concept. While excitement is high, concerns exist over traffic and accessibility.
Chinese strategic consultancy looks to work of Prof. Henry Mintzberg to understand domestic context
Shanghai-headquartered KMIND provides strategic consulting advice to billion-dollar companies. Its success is built on a blend of both Eastern and Western philosophies, according to President Noah Xie. “Utilizing Eastern wisdom doesn’t mean we can get rid of the Western theories,” says Xie in a Forbes interview with Professor Karl Moore.
Two McGill Desautels graduates named to 2024 MBAs to Watch by Poets & Quants
Poets & Quants has named its MBAs to Watch list for 2024, and two Desautels graduates have made the cut! The magazine and website asks business schools to nominate some of their top students for consideration for the list, and from those nominations, 126 students have been selected as MBAs to Watch. They represent many of the world’s top universities, and MBAs to Watch have often gone on to careers at top consulting firms.
Journalists and social media users exert influence over product recall decisions
In 2023, product recalls in Canada hit an all-time high – there were well over 2,000 of them. Manufacturing companies are typically the ones to issue these recalls, and their decisions are affected by journalists and social media users.
A lack of strategic assets can be a deterrent to domestic investment for large pension funds
In 2023, the Government of Australia suggested that some of the country’s pension assets might be used to fund social housing or renewable energy. The idea received mixed reception, and to understand why, Lachlan Maddock of Investor Strategy News looked to Canada, where a group of business leaders called for pension funds to increase their holdings of Canadian equities.
Employer-led networking can help women assess workplace gender dynamics
Employers often cite a lack of female candidates as a barrier to achieving gender parity in the workplace. Yet, that can overlook an important factor – the alienation of women during the hiring process. “A lack of belonging can set in at the first stage of recruitment, and follow women throughout their careers,” says PhD student Janani Ramesh in an interview with HR Reporter.Quebec government funding cuts could affect the areas of research the university pursues
McGill University’s standing as a leading global research institution is under threat, writes Professor Anthony C. Masi in a Montreal Gazette op-ed. The Government of Quebec is undermining the university by reducing transfers for construction and renovation. These cuts will affect STEM disciplines, says the Professor of Industrial Relations and Organizational Behaviour and Special Advisor to the Dean.
Companies seeking savings in employee wages might spend more in the long run
Inflation has stretched the budgets of individuals and companies alike, and some firms have sought to find savings in the wages they pay their employees. A recent report from the Robert Walters recruiting agency found that Canadian firms are increasingly hiring underqualified employees. But that can backfire, says Professor Jean-Nicolas Reyt in interview with Canadian HR Reporter.
McGill alumni most likely to reach the C-suite
There is no single path to the C-suite, but getting a McGill education can help. Among Canadian university graduates, McGill alumni are the most likely to become CEOs, according to research by Immerse Education, a UK provider of academic enrichment programs. According to data drawn from LinkedIn, more than 9,600 McGill alumni are currently chief executives or have held a CEO role in the past.
A four-day work week can improve employee well-being while sustaining productivity
The length of a standard work week has been steadily declining for well over a century. In the 19th century, some factory workers in Canada were expected to work 72 hours each week. It wasn’t until the 1960s that the standard work week reached the current 40-hour norm. Today, the overwhelming majority of workers in Canada are in favour of further reductions.
C. Douglas Mellor Prize for academic excellence awarded to two GCPA students
Alyssa Abruzzese (BCom‘23, GCPA’24) and Vivian Ly (BCom‘22, GCPA’24), students of the Graduate Certificate in Professional Accounting (GCPA) program, have been selected among their graduating class as this year’s recipients of the C. Douglas Mellor Prize for academic excellence.
