EMBA graduates excel at international public speaking competition
Two McGill graduates have reached the divisional championship of the Toastmasters International, a speech evaluation competition created in 1924 to promote public speaking and leadership skills internationally. Jean-Francois Bertrand (EMBA’14) captured first place in the discourse of assessment in French, while Michael Rodrigues (EMBA’20) won the English speech assessment.
McGill-HEC Montreal EMBA candidate makes 2020 Women of Distinction list at Women’s Y Foundation
Kate Arthur (EMBA’21) will soon be recognized as a 2020 Woman of Distinction at Women’s Y Foundation for her leadership at Kids Code Jeunesse, a non-profit organization that strives to give every Canadian child access to digital skills education, with a focus on girls and underserved communities.
McGill-HEC Montreal EMBA candidate breaks glass ceiling at Pratt & Whitney Canada
Congratulations to Dominique Mathieu (EMBA’21), the first woman in the history of Pratt & Whitney Canada to be named Vice President, Counsel and Corporate Secretary.
Mathieu’s promotion follows 19 years of experience in the company’s legal department, most recently as the deputy general counsel.
EMBA alumnus explores impact of humour in the workplace
Catherine Patry (EMBA’20) sits down with Quebec Reveille to discuss her final paper at Desautels, which examines the relationship between humour and women leaders in business.
In “Humor, a coat of epoxy on the glass ceiling,” Patry studies seventeen women leaders across industries and concludes that managerial humour remains gendered.
McGill-HEC Montreal EMBA blends online and in-person learning
In response to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the McGill-HEC Montreal EMBA program has introduced a bimodal learning style that allows students to choose between online courses and in-person instruction.
Fondation de l’Hôpital Maisonneuve-Rosemont welcomes EMBA alumna as Executive Director
Alumna Julie Desharnais (EMBA’19) recently accepted a new role as the executive director of the Fondation de l’Hôpital Maisonneuve-Rosemont. Desharnias spent eleven years as Deputy Director General of the Dr. Julien Foundation before rising to the position of Vice President of Canadian Strategic Initiatives at the Canadian Cancer Society. Desharnais brings a strong body of professional work and strategic expertise in the fields of health and philanthropy to her new role.
EMBA alumna promoted to Senior Vice President role at Autodesk
After two decades at Autodesk, Diana Colella (EMBA’11) has risen through the ranks to become the new Senior Vice President of Autodesk’s Media & Entertainment vertical solutions group, which oversees the collection of tools that video game developers and film and television producers use for visual effects, simulations, and rendering.
EMBA candidate makes list of Canada’s 100 most powerful women
The Desautels Faculty of Management congratulates Kate Arthur, a current EMBA candidate, on being named one of Canada’s top 100 Most Powerful 100 Women in 2020. The annual Top 100 Award Winners list released by the Women’s Executive Network (WXN) recognizes Arthur in its BMO Entrepreneurs category for her inspiring leadership as CEO and founder of Kids Code Jeunesse, a nonprofit organization that empowers communities through digital skills education.
Microcredit Montréal ramps up funding for new business ventures
Led by Managing Director Indu Krishnamurthy (EMBA’15), Microcredit Montréal has loaned $5.8 million to 9,500 entrepreneurs from economically disadvantaged backgrounds since its inception. Now, with nearly $500,000 in funding from the City of Montreal, along with the Saputo Foundation, the organization is poised to contribute vital support for entrepreneurs who have been disproportionately impacted by the pandemic.
EMBA alumnus drives innovation in autonomous vehicle sector
Frantz Saintellemy (EMBA’20) has made a career out of building microprocessors that make autonomous vehicles possible. Now his company, LeddarTech, has been named one of the five future Canadian unicorns as it provides a critical component for vehicle designs.
Learn more
The power of an indigenous voice in Canadian TV
Professor Karl Moore and Wáhiakatste Diome-Deer sit down with Monica Ille (EMBA’20) to learn about her transformational 25-year career in the media industry. Ille, a member of the Abenaki First Nation of Odanak in Quebec, actively promotes greater recognition of indigenous communities in Canadian society through her role as chief executive officer of the Aboriginal Peoples Television Network (APTN).
EMBA alumnus leads manufacturing company to success during pandemic
With José Chagnon (EMBA’11) at the helm, Quebec-based manufacturer Plasticase has reimagined its operations to meet the rising demand for medical equipment during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Learn more
Welcoming exceptional First Nations leaders
Since 2014, the Scholarship for Managers of Indigenous Origin has supported Indigenous students enrolled in the McGill-HEC Montreal EMBA program. La Presse speaks to two recipients, Manon Jeannotte and Robert Auclair, about how the scholarship helped them rise as leaders in their communities while bringing rich perspectives to the classroom.
Abolishing racism through systemic integration
An article by La Presse proposes the integration of Indigenous communities into economic life as a first step in abolishing systemic racism. EMBA alumnus and CEO of Société de Développement Économique de Uashat mak Mani-utenam Ken Rock (EMBA’13) comments on their economic development strategies to generate more synergies between Uashat mak Mani-utenam and Sept-Îles.
EMBA alumna joins ranks of Hammerson as CEO
EMBA alumna Rita-Rose Gagné (EMBA’12) will be joining real estate investment trust company Hammerson as CEO and executive director at the end of this year.
Gagné has most recently served as president of growth markets for real estate company Ivanhoé Cambridge, where she was responsible for $7.6 billion of real estate assets across Asia Pacific and Latin America.
