Desautels student wins Duke of Edinburgh’s International Award
Desautels undergraduate student Sydney Kalyn achieved the gold level of the Duke of Edinburgh award, which recognizes personal development and community involvement among today’s youth.
Recipients of the international award must demonstrate excellence in a variety of areas, including: skill, physical fitness, service, placement, volunteering, adventurous journey, and educational pursuit.
Desautels alumna appointed CFO at Loop Industries
D. Jennifer Rhee (BCom’88, DPA’89) has been named Chief Financial Officer at Loop Industries, a manufacturer of environmentally responsible Purified Terephthalic Acid (PTA) and Mono Ethylene Glycol (MEG). Ms. Rhee has over 25 years of finance, accounting, international tax and management experience, having worked, most recently, as a partner with Richter LLP since January 2007.
Alibaba and future directions of retail
Alibaba hosted its Gateway’17 conference, which brought together an array of forward-looking retailers, along with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau who commented on the healthy trade relationship between Canada and China.
Desautels alumnus and Global Expert makes Queen’s New Year’s Honours list
Imran Amed (BCom'97) has been named to the Queen’s New Year’s Honours list for his contributions as CEO of The Business of Fashion, an online news site for the fashion industry. The list recognises people in the UK who have made significant contributions to society.
Founded in 2007, The Business of Fashion has since become one of the leading sources of news for the fashion world.
Desautels Global Expert Monica Ruffo takes aim at the supplements market
While looking into supplements as part of her treatment for breast cancer, Monica Ruffo (BCom’86) realized something was amiss. “I couldn’t actually understand what was written on the labels,” Ruffo says. Further research uncovered a lack of legal framework surrounding the use of the word “natural” in Canada and the U.S., and that most supplements labelled so are hardly natural at all.
Desautels alumnus named to the board of Teekay Offshore Group
David Levenson (BCom'96) has been nominated to the Board of Teekay Offshore Group as news of a completed comprehensive transaction with Brookfield Business Partners L.P. is also shared.
Desautels alumna and former Ericsson exec joins Verizon as CSO
Light Reading reports that after leaving her position as Head of Ericsson North America, Rima Qureshi (BCom’87, MBA’96) has been hired as Verizon’s new Chief Strategy Officer. She will be working for CEO Lowell McAdam.
Qureshi has a deep understanding of the issues involved with running a successful tech company in today’s network-heavy reality: she started at Ericsson as a system analyst in 1993, before moving up through the ranks.
Desautels alumna mixes dance and brand strategy
In an interview for Flare Magazine, Toronto-based Shereen Ladha (BCom’10) talks about finding success both as a brand strategist and as a busy Bollywood dancer in movies, Netflix shows, on Canada’s Got Talent and since 2014, on her own YouTube channel.
Desautels alumna on being a woman in comedy, her big break and the value of failure
Nour Hadidi (BCom’10) is a comedian and TV writer who grew up in a family of doctors, earned a BCom, and spent a half-decade as a financial analyst before leaving Montreal for the comedy stages of Toronto.
In an interview with Flare Magazine, Ms Hadidi says that she got her big break in the form of an appearance on a CBC Radio special. That event led to other CBC appearances and gigs at comedy clubs.
Philippines-based fashion retailer sees doors opening, thanks to inclusion on BoF 500 list
Mark “Jappy” Gonzalez is thrilled to be included on BoF 500, the list of people moving and shaking the fashion industry. Mr Gonzalez says that being included on the list can only open doors, and maybe even  “create a retail environment that evolves into Manila as a retail centre.” After nearly thirty years of experience in Philippine shopping, he knows just what the country needs.
Desautels alumna on recycling cigarette butts
TerraCycle Marketing Manager Jessica Panetta (BCom’16) recently appeared on Toronto’s Breakfast Television to talk about recycling “non-recyclable” waste, specifically used cigarette butts.
Desautels alumnus named to board at Quebec mining company
Terry Kocisko (BCom’87) has been appointed to the audit committee and Board of Directors of Quebec-based mining company Yorbeau Resources. He comes to the job with three decades-plus of experience under his belt, as well as a degree in Accounting and Finance from Desautels. Yorbeau is a gold mining company that operates in Quebec and is currently concentrating on its Rouyn Property, which is 4 km south of Rouyn-Noranda in the Abitibi region.
Under-20 cross-country champ, star student from Bermuda starts at Desautels
Brianna Mendes (BCom’20) is no ordinary student. The Bermuda High School graduate comes to Desautels with the kind of academic background that most of us can only dream of: She received the Doris Trott Butterfield Scholarship, which awards those with the highest attainable GPA, as well as the Dudley and Deborah Butterfield Scholarship, which brings high-performing Bermudan students to study at McGill.
List of stars with surprising degrees includes Desautels alumnus
Quebec celebrity news site envedette.ca recently posted a list of stars who hold degrees that have nothing to do with show business. Some of the stars are pure over-achievers (James Franco has BA in English from UCLA, a doctorate from Yale, and has done arts and writing studies at NYU and Columbia), while others are head-scratchers (Brad Pitt quit journalism school two weeks before graduation to become an actor).
Desautels alumna takes charge of sustainability at Careem
A piece in Breaking News Pakistan announces the appointment of Nadia Rouchdy (BCom’09) as Head of Sustainability & Social impact at Careem, the Dubai-based rideshare company. Her appointment shows the company’s interest in sustainability as a business practise. Ms. Rouchdy has experience in environmental and social development, including climate change, energy efficiency and sustainability practises.
