Desautels alumnus named Vidéotron’s Senior VP and CFO
Philippe Cloutier (MBA'02) is the new Senior VP and CFO at Vidéotron, reporting directly to CEO Manon Brouillette. He will oversee the financial operations, procurement, and Vidéotron’s community channel, MAtv. Previously, he had been with Mission Capital Group, VP of North American Operations for Reader’s Digest, and the President of Quad/Graphics Canada. As Mr. Cloutier takes the reins of Vidéotron’s business plan, Ms.
McGill X-1 Accelerator: third week at a glance
For week 3 of the McGill X-1 Accelerator, the theme was Business Models and Startup Financials. Podlegal’s Philippe-Olivier Daniel got the ball rolling by telling participants to go for a distinctive company name that’s easy to defend, and by suggesting the book Venture Deals — Be Smarter Than Your Lawyer and Venture Capitalist.
Desautels alumni included on Canada’s 2017 Top 40 Under 40 list
According to a piece at BNN.ca, over 900 nominations have been reviewed and pared down to the final Canada’s 2017 Top 40 Under 40 list. The list is a roundup of some of Canada’s most outstanding young business and medical leaders, and technologists. Goodfood CEO Jonathan Ferrari (BCom'10) is also listed, as is DAVIDsTEA co-founder David Segal (BCom'04).
Innovation at law firms? Depends on who you ask
A recent Lexpert Magazine article looks at a study by Aly Háji, a joint MBA- Law student supervised by Professor Karl Moore. The paper, The Illusion of Innovation at Canadian Law Firms, exposes the difference of opinion between law firm partners and associates about what innovation actually means.
For a Desautels alumna, the road to the Bermuda Bar was a bumpy ride
Alexis Haynes (BCom'08) had a degree from Desautels and a plan. Then life got in the way: in quick succession, her sister and father both fell sick, and her mother suffered a seizure that required brain surgery. Ms. Haynes fought through the stress to finish her first year of law school in England, and though her mother gradually recovered, her father passed away from his illness. Ms.
A conversation with McGill Dobson Cup judge Kelly Megyery
Desautels alumna Kelly Megyery (MBA’92) was one of the Health Sciences judges at the McGill Dobson Cup 2017. She is a partner at Pivot Strategic Transformation, where she works on healthcare policy and life sciences. Previously, she was at Sanofi, where she led efforts around wellness and prevention.
Desautels alumnus named director at Sama Graphite Inc.
Desautels alumnus Yves Grou (BCom’77, DPA’78) has been appointed to Sama Graphite Inc’s Board of Directors, effective June 14, 2017. Mr. Grou has pertinent experience, which makes him a good fit for the position: he is on the boards of several companies that operate in the energy and natural resources sectors.
Ottawa’s pot pricing plan likely to be affected by low rates in Quebec
Ottawa is going to have to find a way to keep legalized cannabis on the affordable side, thanks to the already low prices in Quebec. A new Public Safety Canada report states that, for comparable quality marijuana, Quebec pot consumers pay about $5.33 per gram, while non-Quebecers average $7.04.
Lowered competition leads to even lower customer satisfaction in Canadian air travel
If you feel like customer satisfaction is an afterthought with airlines today, you aren’t alone. An op-ed in Cantech Letter quotes Desautels professor Karl Moore as naming competition, or a lack thereof, as the culprit: many North American routes are served by fewer airlines these days.
Desautels alumnus Peter Cundill was a Canadian Warren Buffett
According to an op-ed in The Chronicle Journal, Desautels alumnus Peter Cundill (BCom’60) was an investor’s investor. He was inspired by Benjamin Graham’s investment philosophy, and used it to become extremely successful.
For millennials, emotion has a role to play at work
Desautels professor Karl Moore writes for Forbes that millennials in the workforce take a different view of the emotion/facts balance than boomer workers do. He says that, whereas emotional outbursts at work used to signal the need to take a breather and calm down, the new generation gives emotion its due at the workplace.
As Lush expands, pressure on producers mounts
According to the Globe and Mail, times are good for UK-based bath-bomb producer Lush. Right now, all of its North American stores are supplied from two Canadian production centres, but as business picks up in the southern US, the company is looking at opening a US factory to supply that market; since Lush is all about sustainable, preservative-free products, it needs a production facility to be near a given area’s retailers.
A Chinese student and the Desautels Professors who inspired her
In a recent op-ed on sohu.com, Chuqing Zhang describes the four months she spent in Montreal at the Desautels Faculty of Management as an important phase in her development as an academic.
How early-career millennial extroverts can court success
In a recent piece for Forbes, Desautels professor Karl Moore says that millennials who are transitioning from the campus to the job market should bear in mind the challenges that lie ahead, and know how best to meet them.
McGill X-1 Accelerator: second week at a glance
Week 2 of the McGill X-1 Accelerator is done! From an opening session with serial entrepreneur Luc Giguere, the week progressed through a second look at Bill Aulet’s Disciplined Entrepreneurship; then design thinking with Juniper founder Mike Ross (MBA'11) who discussed a five-step approach, plus the value of in-depth customer interviews.
