News

Desjardins Group Sponsors Trading Room at Desautels Faculty of Management

Published: 11 February 2011

Partnership to provide cutting-edge learning facilities for business students

Students at McGill University’s Desautels Faculty of Management will soon have a state-of-the-art trading room installed in the Faculty’s building, thanks to funding and expertise provided by Desjardins Group, Canada’s leading cooperative financial group.

Desautels has begun construction of a novel Business Intelligence Centre on the second floor of its Sherbrooke Street building, replacing the conventional business library that previously occupied the space. A centerpiece of this innovative centre will be the Alphonse-Desjardins Trading Room.

Desjardins will provide a total of $1 million in funding for the Trading Room over five years, and is sharing its expertise in design, securities trading and technology.

“This new partnership with one of the best commerce programs in the world underscores Desjardins’ commitment to provide expertise in developing the next generation of financial professionals and to make significant investments in Quebec’s educational sector,” said Monique F. Leroux, Chair of the Board, President and CEO of Desjardins Group.

“We are enormously grateful to the Desjardins Group for their generous support. This important collaboration with Desjardins will provide our outstanding management students with the opportunity to deepen their understanding of financial markets in a highly sophisticated, cutting-edge learning facility,” said Professor Heather Munroe-Blum, McGill’s Principal and Vice-Chancellor.

Desautels’ Bachelor of Commerce and MBA programs are the most academically selective in Canada -- approximately 300 of these top students study finance each year. The Alphonse-Desjardins Trading Room, expected to be completed at the latest by April 1, 2012, will provide all these students with an unparalleled opportunity to learn complex analytical tools needed to succeed in financial services today.

Desautels Faculty of Management Dean Peter Todd explained, “This cements an existing relationship which has seen Desjardins Securities experts collaborating with us to offer innovative finance courses, such as our Applied Investment Banking course.” It also complements Desautels’ Honours in Investment Management program, which recently launched Desautels Capital Management Inc., the first registered investment management firm founded by a university in Canada.

This gift adds to the momentum of Campaign McGill: History in the Making, which is raising the funds needed to attract and retain top students and faculty, increase access to quality education, and ensure that McGill remains one of the world’s great research-intensive and student-centred universities. Campaign McGill’s target of $750 million is the largest starting goal in the history of Canadian university fundraising campaigns. For more information, please visit https://www.mcgill.ca/campaign/.

About Desjardins Group

Awarded the coveted title “Bank of the Year 2010 – Canada” by the UK magazine The Banker, Desjardins Group is the leading cooperative financial group in Canada and the sixth largest in the world, with assets of over $175 billion. Drawing on the strength of its caisse network in Québec and Ontario, and its subsidiaries across Canada, it offers a full range of financial products and services to its 5.8 million members and clients. Desjardins specializes in Wealth Management and Life and Health Insurance, in Property and Casualty Insurance, in Personal Services, in Business and Institutional Services. As one of the largest employers in the country and one of Canada’s 10 Most Admired Corporate CulturesTM of 2010, Desjardins is supported by the skills of its 42,200 employees and the commitment of nearly 6,000 elected officers. For more information, visit www.desjardins.com.

About Desautels

Since 1906, the Desautels Faculty of Management at McGill University has continued to be one of the top international business schools in the world. The faculty emphasizes the integration of teaching, research and practice, and applies a multi-disciplinary, holistic approach to identifying innovative opportunities and solving problems. Desautels’ exacting standards, innovative approach and historic reputation for excellence continue to attract the finest students, the most prominent professors and the most demanding recruiters from around the globe. Education choices at Desautels include all management disciplines, with programs at the undergraduate, masters, doctorate, and executive levels.

 

Back to top