Kanuk jackets are made for Quebec winters—but Quebec winters aren’t as cold they used to be. Bertrand Cesvet (BA’86, MBA’88) wants to make Kanuk jackets more versatile. Cesvet led a group of investors who recently bought the Montreal winter wear company from Champlain Financial, a private equity group. Cesvet shares with La Presse the company’s plans to sell jackets that are more suited to temperature fluctuation, making its products more appropriate for markets where it plans to expand, such as the United States.

Gillian Stein (BCom’00)’s great-grandfather founded the Toronto-headquartered electronics business Henry’s in 1909, but she never envisioned becoming the company’s CEO. Growing up, she had seen how stressful running the company could be for her father Andrew, who had a heart attack at the age of 47. “I always had a ton of respect and passion and admiration for the business but it wasn’t something I wanted for myself,” says Stein. “I changed and the business changed.

Despite being a lucrative revenue source for the government, the Société des Alcools du Québec (SAQ) monopoly is under scrutiny for limiting consumer choices, especially for premium spirits like high-end bourbons. Exclusive distribution rights mean that if SAQ doesn’t stock a particular brand, it won’t be available in Quebec's retail outlets.

Saloua Benkhouya (BSc’04, MBA’11) has been elected as President of the Board of Directors of the Women in Finance Association in Quebec (AFFQ), an organization dedicated to women in the financial services sector. Benkhouya has been an active member of AFFQ since 2016, previously serving as secretary and a member of the audit and risk management committee.

On May 1, McGill University's 6th annual Black Grad Gala, hosted by the Black Students’ Network, honoured the Class of 2024's Black graduates. Approximately 50 graduates from various faculties were celebrated on stage, each receiving Kente stoles in recognition of their achievements. Notable speakers included Associate Professor Momar Ndao and Black Grad Valedictorian Yasmine Elmi, a McCall MacBain Scholar in the Faculty of Science and incoming McGill medical student.

Bachelor of Commerce student Nikki Tye is the recipient of the McGill Collaborative for AI & Society (McCAIS)’s Undergraduate Research Award (McURA) for Summer 2024. The $8,700 award, aimed at promoting interdisciplinary AI research in society, recognizes Nikki's project on "Protecting the Amazon Forest from Illegal Activity through Image Recognition and Operations Research: A Partnership with JungleKeepers and Peruvian Indigenous Communities."

Extroverted people often take naturally to leadership roles – but they don’t always do enough listening. Introverted leaders may listen more, but sometimes lack the ability to inspire. A combination of the two personality types could yield the best results, according to Associate Professor Karl Moore. “The downside of extroverted leaders is that they often like to talk more than listen,” says Moore in an article in Scientific American.