After a three-year hiatus due to the ongoing pandemic, the Career Management team successfully organized an MBA Toronto trek on March 2 & 3, 2023. This professional development trip drew together a group of 57 Master of Business Administration (MBA) students, all eager to establish meaningful connections with Toronto-based employers and McGill Desautels alumni. Through a wide range of activities offered, current students, alumni, and corporate partners were able to come together over the Reading Week Break to celebrate and strengthen the power that is the #DesautelsFamily.
The Employer Networking event showcased over 20 firms representing a variety of sectors like management consulting, technology, banking, consumer packaged goods, real estate, and pension funds. This event boasted an impressive turnout of 55 employer representatives, providing our students with the opportunity to engage with employers in a more candid and deliberate way.
For our valued MBA alumni, an MBA Refresher Session was organized for those looking to enhance their leadership skills. This session was facilitated by Louis Gialloreto (Professor at the Desautels Faculty of Management) and John-Paul Ferguson (Director of the MBA Program), as they provided a view to the concepts and topics being taught in today’s McGill MBA program. The Refresher was well-received, drawing a turnout of over 20 MBA alumni who spent an afternoon learning all about Organizational Behaviour and Design. The session emphasized key management concepts that have evolved in response to the ongoing pandemic and the accompanying recession, providing attendees with new insights and learning opportunities.
Closing out the first day, we hosted our highly-anticipated Alumni Reconnect Reception-- which marked the first in-person McGill Desautels Toronto gathering since 2019. A beloved signature event of previous treks, the reception generated significant interest, with over 140 alumni in attendance in addition to our team of staff and current MBA students. The atmosphere was lively and attendees enjoyed stimulating conversations, as they were either reuniting with former classmates, or connecting for the first time based on sectors and topics of interest. It was truly heartwarming to reconnect with our #DesautelsFamily in Toronto!
Reinvented this year, the Career Management team introduced a new format for the Speed Mock Interviewing event. The new format involved pairing each employer with two students per rotation, for students to practice in a group-based interview setting as opposed to the one-on-one style in former years. This allowed students to not only participate in the interviews, but also to observe and provide constructive feedback on each other’s interviewing skills. Following the three structured interview rotations (for a total of 170 interviews held), students had the chance to engage in open networking with the 30 employers representing 20 organizations. This event provided an excellent opportunity for employer partners to witness our talent in action, while the students benefited from the chance to hone their skills—a real win-win situation for all involved.
The energy and feedback from employers, students and alumni over the two-day event have been overwhelmingly positive. We are thrilled to see such a keen interest from our current students, alumni, and corporate partners in participating and attending activities aimed at building on the Desautels brand. The Career Management team is committed to harnessing this momentum and working closely with all key stakeholders to ensure a sustained McGill Desautels presence in Toronto.
If you are an employer partner looking to showcase your employer brand at our next Toronto trek, please get in touch with our Corporate Relations Team at recruitdesautels.mgmt [at] mcgill.ca. Students, keep an eye out for more Career Management events advertised through your program’s e-Newsletter.
