Stand for SomethingÂ
Inez Jabalpurwala (BA’89, MA’91, MBA’01) credits her years at McGill with inspiring her to take a stand for the causes she supports. As a member of the McGill Debating Union, she learned to express herself clearly and persuasively, a skill that served her well as the Global Director of VineX and former CEO of Brain Canada.
Desautels alumna becomes President & CEO of Knight Therapeutics Inc. Â
Congratulations to Samira Sakhia (BCom’90, DPA’94, MBA’01), who will take on a new challenge as President and Chief Executive Officer of Knight Therapeutics Inc., a Montreal-based company focused on acquiring or in-licensing and commercializing innovative pharmaceutical products for Canada and Latin America.
Leading the field in food production sustainability
Jaquelynn Mateluna (MBA’21) is featured in Poets and Quants’ 2021 ‘Best and Brightest’ list for her commitment to advancing sustainability in local food production. As Chief of Staff for Lufa Farms, an urban farm-to-table e-commerce platform based in Montreal, the British Columbia native has played an instrumental role in supplying fresh, responsibly-sourced food to more than 20,000 families during the pandemic.
MBA alumnus wins prestigious Prix Hommage
Congratulations to Claude Mongeau (MBA’88), who received this year’s Prix Hommage Les As de la finance at an annual ceremony hosted by the Quebec Chapter of Financial Executives International (FEI) Canada. Mongeau joins nearly 100 other notable leaders in Quebec finance who have received an award since the event began in 2011. He has served as a Chief Financial Officer for 100 years and President and CEO for six years with CN.
Playing the odds
From Olympic figure skater to CEO of a multi-million-dollar company, Craig Buntin (MBA’13) has never shied away from risk. As he and his team at Sportlogiq harness the power of AI to offer analytical insights to professional sports teams, Buntin points to the role of McGill and the surrounding community in providing a launching pad for success.
Global banking executive gives back to her alma mater
Alberta Cefis (BA’75, MBA’79) was one of only a dozen women in her MBA class at McGill, but she never felt discriminated against because of her gender. The male-dominated banking industry, on the other hand, was a different story. Fortunately, Cefis was able to land a managerial role at the Royal Bank of Canada through a recommendation from a professor.
Transforming air travel for people with disabilities
An idea that arose from a nightmarish flight experience for Sandra Gualtieri, founder of Gualtieri Inventions, has blossomed into an innovative new product for people living with disabilities. Informed by her own experience in living with cerebral palsy, Gualtieri designed a prototype for the Universal Seating Apparatus, a portable device that allows people with disabilities to sit comfortably upright on airplanes.
MBA alumna shapes agenda at CN
Climbing the ladder from an MBA recruitment program to a top 200 leadership role as director of economics and strategic planning, Janet Drysdale (MBA’96) forged her own path to success at CN. Over the course of 25 years, she successfully navigated heavily male-driven sales, marketing, and revenue planning teams to make an impression among her coworkers, ultimately being named a winner in the WXN CIBC Executive Leaders category.
MBA students place third at Wharton’s 2021 People Analytics Case Competition
Congratulations to Desautels MBA students Beatriz Otero Russo Villaca, Christopher Bahen-Taitand and Melissa Palumbo for placing third at the Wharton’s People Analytics Case Competition. The team virtually showcased their findings to a panel of judges including representatives from Teach for America, academics and industry experts.
MBA students emphasize importance of women in business
Current MBA students Vivianne Yao and Emily Gogarty reflect on the importance of women in business, and their motivation for starting an advanced degree while at the top of their respective fields.
Program redesign gives MBA students greater flexibility
MBA & PMBA Academic Director John-Paul Ferguson highlights the benefits of the newly redesigned MBA program.
From providing more flexible program length options to promoting a holistic view of sustainable business throughout the curriculum, the program meets the needs of a broader range of students.
MBA alumna credits McGill connections for success
Aliénor Armand-Linot (MBA’17) was building her career in investment banking on Wall Street when she made the decision to join McGill’s MBA program in 2015.
MBA alumna emphasizes human-centered thinking in career
Julie Savaria (MBA’15) credits Desautels with expanding her commitment to pursuing justice, equity, diversion and inclusion (JEDI) throughout her career.
In 2020, she founded Bindia Savaria Consulting to help organizations examine and improve JEDI initiatives worldwide.
Desautels alumni featured in McGill podcast
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.
Takeaways from CEO virtual visit to McGill
Professor Karl Moore shares the key insights he gleaned from a recent virtual event connecting McGill MBA students with 50 CEOs.
