Congratulations to Simon Tardif (BCom’22), Talar Dimitian (BCom’22), Kyra Swift (UOttawa BCom’21), Kar Yan Chin (BCom’22), Tian Cheng Huang (BCom’22), and Khalël Fung (BCom’22) who were awarded the Lionel Pelham Kent Scholarship by the Graduate Certificate in Professional Accounting (CGPA) program.

Humanity has the skill to solve our most pressing problems, but cooperation is our greatest challenge, says Nabil Anouti, who is McGill Desautels’ valedictorian for the Spring 2023 Convocation. But Anouti is optimistic, and this view has been shaped by a Desautels education.

On May 4, members of the McGill community gathered at Maison Manuvie for the 2023 McGill Alumni Association Awards and Honours, which recognize alumni, friends, students, faculty, and staff who stand out for their impressive contributions and achievements in service to McGill, the MAA and in their respective communities. This year, six awards were given to members of the McGill Desautels community. A huge congratulations to all of this year’s honourees!
One of this year’s three Black Grad valedictorians, Julia Ayim (BCom’23) has just completed a Bachelor of Commerce specializing in Strategic Management and Organizational Behaviour at the Desautels Faculty of Management. She and fellow graduates were celebrated at the annual Black Grad gala on April 30, a sold-out event organized by the Black Students’ Network of McGill (BSN).
To understand the impact of the climate crisis on younger generations, empathy is a place to start. It is a necessary part of confronting, but on its own, it is not enough. Desautels lecturer Anita Nowak (BA'97, BCom'97, PhD'11) recently published her book Purposeful Empathy, which is described as an inspiring and powerful read by Quebec MNA Désirée McGraw in a review for Policy Magazine. “This is a book that helps middle-aged people like me understand, collaborate and ultimately innovate with the next generation of Millennials and Gen Z,” McGraw says.
Each year, the McGill Desautels African Business Initiative (DABI) brings together attendees, panelists and guest speakers for an opportunity to learn, network and engage in stimulating discussions about the future of business in Africa. This year’s panelists included Sekou Coulibaly (BCom’03), who was executive director at L’Oréal before launching a sustainable, made-in-Africa luxury clothing brand called SEKBI Bogolan in 2020.

For Jim West (BA’79) and Justin West (BCom’04), the music industry is a family affair. From a young age, Justin accompanied his father to industry conferences, and during his teenage years, he spent the summers working for his father’s record label: Justin Time Records. The younger West graduated from Desautels with a degree in accounting, but ultimately followed in his father’s footsteps. In 2006, he launched a label called Secret City Records.

On Friday, February 3, the Desautels Faculty of Management hosted the 43rd edition of the Desautels Management Achievement Awards, a student-run initiative which brings the global Desautels community together to celebrate the achievements of industry leaders who have demonstrated a career of great achievement and commitment of responsible business.

Quebec’s Finance Minister, Eric Girard (BCom’89) recently added the portfolio of Minister Responsible for Relations with English-Speaking Quebecers to his responsibilities. This makes him a key voice on Bill 96, the French-language bill passed by the Coalition Avenir Quebec government in 2022. “French is in decline in Canada, Quebec, Montreal, so the numbers are undeniable,” says Girard, who has met with groups and individuals from the English community to understand their concerns. “By now I understand a few things where we can do better.

Finding available ice time or sports fields to book can be a challenge, but CatchCorner aims to change that. The app, which has been compared to OpenTable for sports facilities by Forbes, allows users to find and reserve fields and facilities that meet their needs. Co-Founders Maya Azouri (BCom’17) and Jonathan Azouri (BCom’16) have recently partnered with Sports Illustrated to become CatchCorner by Sports Illustrated.

Rima Qureshi’s (BCom’87, MBA’96) career has taken her to Stockholm, Dallas and New York, but she retains strong connections to Montreal and McGill. Now the Executive Vice President and Strategy Officer at Verizon in New York, Qureshi began her career with Ericsson, and helped the company integrate thousands of new employees when it acquired parts of Nortel. Qureshi returns regularly to Montreal to spend time with family and mentors MBA students at Desautels.

Harvard’s Tiya Miles won the 2022 Cundill History Prize for her book All that she carried: The journey of Ashley’s sack, a Black family keepsake. The prize was launched by Peter Cundill (BCom’60) in 2008, and is administered by McGill. It awards $75,000 each year to a book that embodies historical scholarship, originality, literary quality and broad appeal. The Cundill History Prize awards an additional $10,000 to two other award finalists.

Graduate Certificate in Professional Accounting (GCPA) participant Megan Robertson (BCom'21, GCPA'22) has been named to the Honour Roll of the

Vaginal prosthetics known as pessaries are a critical tool for the maintenance of pelvic health in women. They are used as a first-line treatment for pelvic organ prolapse, a common condition that occurs when the muscles of the pelvis weaken, causing organs to drop into the vagina. But these devices are badly in need of an upgrade. Their failure rate is high, and the designs have changed little in the last 70 years.

Montreal is getting a new team in the Premier Hockey Federation (PHF), a professional women’s hockey league – and it will have Desautels representation. Ann-Sophie Bettez (BCom’11) is a forward for the team, and was the 2011-12 CIS Player of the Year. The Montreal Force will be playing its home games across Quebec this year, and Montreal, Gatineau, Quebec City, Rimouski, Rivière-du-Loup, Saint-Jerome, and Sept-Iles are all possible host cities.