Four former Desautels students were recently featured in new episodes of Alma Matters, a podcast presented by McGill University Athletics and Recreation.
Mathieu Darche (BCom’00) won a Stanley Cup with the Tampa Bay Lightning in 2020, while Richard Pound (BCom’62) is a former Olympic swimmer who currently serves as an International Olympic Committee Member.
Hubert Lacroix (MBA’81) has coached multiple McGill sports teams, and currently works as a lawyer in Montreal.
Since its launch in 2016, EMERGE Commerce has risen to become a leader in direct-to-consumer e-commerce brands. Professor Karl Moore recently spoke with EMERGE Commerce founder and CEO Ghassan Halazon (BCom’06) to unpack the evolving relationship between consumers and the internet during the pandemic.
After receiving substantial financial support to complete his BCom degree at Desautels, Pierre LeBrun (BCom’72) has been paying it forward for over five decades. From the time he joined RBC as summer student in 1965 to his retirement from a Senior VP position in 2000, he has steadfastly worked to give students the same opportunity he received. In 2019, LeBrun became the inaugural donor for the Desautels Dean’s Legacy Fund, which will allow him to support students even after his death.
Doug Allan (BCom’08) is on a mission to teach people financial tips and tricks they probably didn’t learn in high school. The Desautels alumnus recently released “A Fighting Chance: The High School Finance Education Everyone Deserves,” a 10-chapter guidebook that encourages readers to study financial literacy early in life. By discussing topics ranging from creating a personal budget to managing a credit card, Allan aspires to help young people transition into a debt-free adulthood.
Mike Rosenberg (BCom’89) recently joined Chief Outsiders’ team of digital marketing executives. A recognized customer acquisition leader with expertise in business development, Rosenberg brings a wealth of digital transformation experience to the table. Chief Outsiders operates as an “Executives-as-a-Service” firm as it facilitates operations for a group of 80 Chief Marketing Operators across the U.S.
Cyrus Moradian (BCom’12) co-founded educational platform Wize in 2017 with the goal of empowering students across North America to reach their full potential. Nearly four years later, Moradian has led his company to raise US $3 million in funding from investors. Wize will use the investment to develop new course-specific tutorials and tutoring resources for all grade levels, as well as MCAT and LSAT test preparation.
In the first episode of “Alma Matters,” a new podcast from McGill’s Athletics and Recreation department, Mathieu Darche (BCom’00) shares the story of his journey from McGill to a Stanley Cup.
Darche dominated collegiate hockey before becoming the 10th Redbird to represent his alma mater in the NHL. After taking home a Stanley Cup ring, Darche looks back at the ways his McGill education set him up for success.
Congratulations to Desautels Global Expert Steven M. Sonnenstein (BCom’96, DPA’98) for receiving IJGlobal’s prestigious Outstanding Individual Award in honour of the role he has played in redefining digital infrastructure over the course of his career.
Nathalie Bernier (BCom’86) was recently appointed to join the Board of Directors of RF Capital Group Inc. She brings nearly 30 years of experience as an Audit and Advisory Partner at Andersen and KPMG to her new role. Most recently, she served as Senior Vice President, Strategic and Business Planning and Chief Financial Officer for The Public Sector Pension Investment Board.
After spending the last fifteen years on Wall Street, Aaron Stern (BCom’06) is fulfilling a longtime dream to launch his own investment fund in downtown Montreal.
With ten current employees, five of whom are fellow McGill alumni, Converium Capital has already raised over US $125 million with a plan to begin investing at the beginning of April.
Sylvain A. Girard (BCom’92) will begin the next chapter of a distinguished financial career when he is appointed Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Resolute Forest Products Inc. in March. Over the past two decades, Girard has established a proven track record of spearheading successful finance-related initiatives at General Electric and SNC-Lavalin.
As a French-speaking Catholic from small-town St. Alban, Quebec, Jean E. Douville, (BCom’58) overcame religious and linguistic barriers to thrive in Accounting at McGill. Experiencing great success in his subsequent diverse financial career, he made regular donations to his alma mater. In 2019, he funded the creation of Jean E. Douville Bursaries, which provide $60,000 in awards to students without the financial resources to pursue their education and career goals.
David Torralbo (BCom’93) was recently appointed to the position of Chief Legal Officer and Corporate Secretary for Nouveau Monde Graphite, a Quebec-based sustainable energy company that provides graphite-based material solutions to the lithium-ion and fuel cell markets. Torralbo moves into his new role with substantial legal experience under his belt, having specialized in corporate and securities issues as the Chief Legal Officer of Atrium Innovations Inc. and a member of the corporate group at Davies, Ward, Phillips & Vineberg.
More 50 years have passed since Terry (BCom’69) and Bonnie Jackson (BA’69, BEd’70) graduated from McGill, but they maintain close ties to the McGill community through their generous giving. In recent years, they played a significant role in supporting the Faculty expansion into the Donald E. Armstrong Building.
Now, they’re responding to McGill’s 200 for 200 Legacy Challenge by committing a legacy gift that will make an impact long after their passing.
Tanya Taylor (BCom’07) has taken the New York fashion world by storm, designing fashions for A-list celebrities and becoming the first designer to launch a collection at New York’s Museum of Modern Art. She credits McGill for equipping her to build a successful enterprise and Montreal’s thriving arts scene for sparking creative ideas. Now, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Taylor’s company has launched a #MakeAMask campaign to produce nearly 30,000 face masks for healthcare workers.
