Members of the Desautels community celebrated the recipients of the 41st Desautels Management Achievement Awards. The ceremony was held virtually, bringing our global community together as we've never before seen and celebrating the achievements of industry leaders who have demonstrated innovation and resilience in the year of the Covid pandemic.
Management Achievement Award
The Achievement Award is presented to individuals who serve as role models for students in their education, career, and philanthropic contributions.
geneviève bich (BA'87)
Vice President, Human Resources, Metro
geneviève bich, CHRP, is Vice President, Human Resources at Metro Inc., a leader in the Canadian food and pharmacy retail industry. Prior to joining Metro, geneviève held similar positions at Aimia Inc., Groupe Dynamite and Bell. She is also a member of the Board of Hydro-Québec.
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geneviève actively supports a number of Montreal-based community organizations.
geneviève earned a B.A. (Psychology) from McGill University in 1987 and holds an LL.B. from Université de Montréal, where she graduated in 1990. She was called to the Quebec Bar in 1991. She is also a member of the Ordre des conseillers en ressources humaines agréés.
Conrad Sauvé (IMHL'14)
Secretary General and CEO, Canadian Red Cross
Conrad Sauvé is the President and CEO of the Canadian Red Cross. Under his leadership, the Canadian Red Cross has strengthened its capacity in emergency management and health programming and made significant contributions in the wake of multiple large-scale domestic and international emergencies.
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Mr. Sauvé has a proven track record of bringing together diverse partners in support of complex humanitarian challenges. He led the successful negotiation of a strategic partnership with the Government of Canada, and fostered innovative partnerships with health organizations, universities and other humanitarian actors.
Over the past five years, the emergency management capacity of the Canadian Red Cross has been showcased following consecutive large-scale domestic responses. This enhanced capacity now includes technology platforms for digital registration and financial assistance, as well as a new Disaster Case Management program to help people navigate the long and often complex road to recovery. In addition, Mr. Sauvé has overseen a strengthened Memorandum of Understanding with Public Safety Canada to ensure the Red Cross and all levels of government are prepared for future emergencies.
In partnership with the Government of Canada, Mr. Sauvé oversaw the development and launch of the only Red Cross field hospital in North America. Over the past nine years, the field hospital has been deployed to Mozambique, Ecuador, the Philippines, Haiti, Nepal and parts of Africa in the wake of various emergencies and disasters. In addition, through a first of its kind Memoriam of Understanding with the British Columbia government, the hospital has the capacity to respond to a catastrophic event along the West Coast.
Following the 2010 Haiti earthquake, Mr. Sauvé built partnerships with Canadian health experts from St. Justine Hospital to work alongside the Red Cross and the local community in rebuilding a hospital in Jacmel, Haiti. These efforts are part of a $35 million health program that is improving access to quality health services as well as building stronger communities through community-based health and first aid.
For the past twenty years, Mr. Sauvé has been involved in several health and social service committees, associations and executive boards. He holds a BSc from the Université du Québec à Montreal and is a graduate of McGill University’s International Masters in Health Leadership.
Lifetime Achievement Award
Each year, one individual is awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award in recognition for their exceptional philanthropic and economic impact on the Canadian economy. In addition to their achievements, their personal narrative of displaying perseverance and resilience serves as a source of inspiration for the students in attendance.
Larry Tanenbaum
Chairman & CEO, Kilmer Van Nostrand Co. Ltd.
Larry Tanenbaum, O.C., Hon LLD is an accomplished operating executive and private equity investor with a distinguished record of public service to a variety of organizations. In 2007, he was recognized for his philanthropy, business and volunteerism by being appointed an Officer of the Order of Canada, the Country’s highest civilian honour.
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In September, 2020 he was awarded the Sports Business Journal Lifetime Achievement Award. Mr. Tanenbaum is Chairman and CEO of Kilmer Van Nostrand (“Kilmer”), and under his leadership, since 1968, the firm has grown in areas as diverse as heavy construction, road building, aggregates, cable television, electronics manufacturing, and private equity. Today, Kilmer has three primary areas of interest; sports & media, private capital investment and real estate & infrastructure. He is Chairman of Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment, Governor of the NHL, NBA and MLS, and chairs the NBA Board of Governors. His private capital investments include Coca-Cola Canada Bottling and Kilmer Forestry (operating as Chaleur Sawmills and Fornabu Lumber). Kilmer has been a partner in, and developer of, such high-profile projects as the ONroute Highway Service Centres and the Pan Am Athletes’ Village. Mr. Tanenbaum is a true difference maker and is philanthropically committed to medical research, brain science and healthy communities. Among his many volunteer roles, he is Co-Founder and Board Member, Tanenbaum Open Science Institute at Montreal Neurological Institute, Chairman of the Research Board for the Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research Institute, and Member of the Board and Executive Committee of the Hockey Hall of Fame and Vice-Chair, Brain Canada.
Young Inspiration Award
This new award is meant to reward young leaders that have had emerged and prove to be successful despite their young age. It is also meant to bridge the gap between the usual recipients’ experience and our students, so they can see an evolution in terms of what their career might look like.
Arianna Rehak (BA'15)
Co-Founder and CEO, Matchbox Virtual Media
Ever since the start of her journey at McGill studying International Development, Arianna’s curiosity has been her compass. Her fascination with human nature has led her on an endless pursuit of how good intention can translate to meaningful impact. This was the driving force behind her work running AssociationSuccess.org, a digital publication and online community for leaders of associations.
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It is there that she began to understand the power of collective knowledge, and committed her career to finding ways to channel it for social good. This led her to build a virtual conference for her community, one that was designed to bring hundreds of individuals together who were collectively working to overcome similar challenges. Realizing that the approach could be used to tackle major needs in different industries and professions, she successfully corralled a fearless team to found Matchbox Virtual Media, a virtual conference production company. Now stepping into its third year, Matchbox partners with dozens of associations, non-profits, and universities around the world to bring their communities together to co-create solutions and meaningfully host the conversations most pressing to them. Her greatest pride comes from looking around at her fellow teammates on the Matchbox team, as it is composed of a growing number of individuals who are passionate about directing their creative energy toward making the world a better place.