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.
Congrats to Carmela Gumelli (BCom’87) for her recent appointment to the position of Interim Academic Dean of Dawson College in Westmount, Quebec. Gumelli joined Dawson College in 2005, rising through the ranks to become the Dean of Academic Systems in 2014.
A McGill-born event platform startup has found a way to weather the COVID-19 pandemic and raise venture financing in hopes of returning to in-person events in 2021. Co-founded by Desautels alumnus Marc-Antoine Bonin (BCom’19) and Emeric Noël, Planned offers a unique tool for event planners to connect with a curated list of venues and suppliers in one place. This week, Planned announced that it had raised $4.7 million in venture financing led by Inovia Capital, with participation from Telegraph Hill Capital and N49P, bringing its total capital raised to $7 million.
Graduate Certificate in Professional Accounting (GCPA) participant Min Park (BCom’19, GCPA'20) has made the National Honour Roll of the Common Final Exam (CFE) for academic excellence and exceptional abilities.
Jamie Scarlett (BCom’75) was recently appointed to the board of directors for Nouveau Monde Inc., a Quebec-based sustainable energy company that supplies carbon-neutral graphic-based material to the growing lithium-ion and fuel cell markets. Scarlett comes with more than 35 years of experience in senior roles at the Ontario Securities Commission, Hydro One, and Canada’s leading corporate law firms.
Frédéric Perron (BCom’97) leads Conego Connexion with an ear to the ground. At a recent virtual business conference organized by the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Trois-Rivières, he shared his journey from call center agent to president of a major Canadian telecommunications company and reflected on the key features of successful leadership.
Congratulations to Diane Gauvin (BCom'93, MBA’96) on her appointment to a five-year term as Director General of Dawson College. With 23 years of leadership experience at Dawson College under her belt, she is well-positioned to lead the institution through the challenges of COVID-19 and build a strong foundation for the future.
Desautels alumni Jonnie Lawson (BCom’20) and Tristan Zeman (BCom’17) are hard at work to make sustainable, year-round produce accessible to Canadians through indoor vertical farms. Over the summer, their innovative hydroponic growing system won first place at the annual McGill Dobson Cup start-up competition. As they expand into a larger growing facility in Montreal, they’re not slowing down anytime soon.
Marie-Hélène Nolet (BCom’94) brings more than 25 years of expertise in business governance, venture capital investment, and mergers and acquisitions to her new role as Chief Operating Office of Desjardins Capital. As Quebec’s small- and medium-sized enterprises struggle to stay afloat during the COVID-19 pandemic, Nolet will play a leading role in promoting and supporting their long-term growth.
Charles Beaudry (BCom’16) joins a distinguished class of changemakers on the Corporate Knights’ list of Top 30 under 30 sustainability leaders. In the absence of a provincial plan for Quebec to implement the UN Sustainable Development Goals, Beaudry is mobilizing more than 50 organizations through the newly created Accélérer 2030 pour le Québec consortium.
