William Shatner: from BCom to Boston Legal
Canadian Jewish News profiles William Shatner (BCom’52, DLitt’11) as part of its series on prominent Jewish Canadians. The Shakespearian actor’s career was catapulted into the stratosphere when he was hired to skipper the USS Enterprise on Star Trek. The profile traces his history from a McGill BCom student through his early stage work at the Stratford Festival and Broadway before the role that changed his life forever. Mr.
Desautels alumnus on labour law, social justice and driving motivation
A recent piece at AdvocateDaily.com looks at the career of Toronto-area labour lawyer Stefan Rosenbaum (BCom’10). While Mr. Rosenbaum’s Desautels education equipped him well for boardroom work, his professional development left him with a major interest in social-justice. He learned the value of unions and worker’s rights early, and continues to love working on labour-related cases.
Aldo Bensadoun and the company he turned into a big-league player
Aldo Bensadoun (BCom’64) founded Aldo Shoes as a Le Château exclusive in 1972, then opened the first standalone ALDO store in 1987. Today, the ALDO Group is a major player in the shoe field, with locations in 95 countries. Throughout, Mr. Bensadoun has maintained an interest in corporate culture as an engine for doing good.
To realise your potential, be fully engaged.
A piece in Forbes co-authored by Desautels professor Karl Moore and Sandoz executive Vincenzo Ciampi (BCom’94) says that it takes a sense of purpose to realise one’s career potential.
Montreal shoe giant ALDO agrees to buy the shoes and accessories part of the Camuto Group’s business
A news release at canadianinsider.com reveals that Montreal-based footwear giant ALDO is set to buy the shoes and accessories side of the Camuto Group. The deal plays nicely into ALDO’s expansion efforts and frees up Camuto to concentrate on its apparel unit.
After DavidsTea, Desautels alumnus goes for something new
According to a recent piece in the Ottawa Business Journal, David Segal (BCom’04) knocked one out of the park with DavidsTea, and he bets he can do it again with salad. His new venture, Mad Radish, brings premium salad to the fast-food scene, where Canadians currently spend $24 billion per year. There’s a growing hunger for healthier choices, which is why big-calorie chains like McDonald’s have started adding salads to their menus, but Mr.
Desautels alumnus and amateur sailor hits the high seas to make history
Clipper Round the World is an epic endurance event, a race that crosses 40,000 nautical miles and hits six continents. It’s unique in that there is no requirement to have ever stepped on a boat to crew one of the twelve 70-foot yachts. Simon DuBois (BCom’10) is on a mission to be the first Quebecer to complete a round-the-world yacht race. The last attempt by a Quebecer was when solo racer Gerry Roufs disappeared in 1997 while racing in the Vendée Globe.
A Desautels alumnus steps towards international stardom
Geoffroy Sauvé (BCom'10) built on his 2014 stint on Quebec’s La Voix music competition show to make music his full-time job and land a record contract. But he’s not exactly a newcomer: Geoffroy worked on the music scene’s business side for a decade, and still hires composers for advertising and film work.
How interviewing CEOs informed Adam Bryant’s views on leadership
According to a Financial Post article by Desautels professor Karl Moore and BCom undergrad Sara Avramovic, New York Times journalist Adam Bryant has spent the past eight years interviewing some of the world’s biggest-name CEOs for his column, Corner Office.
McGill business grad was head of Birks for four decades
George Drummond Birks (BCom‘40) was practically destined to go into the jewellery business. Born into a family of silversmiths, he eschewed an apprenticeship in favour of a McGill Commerce degree and a stint in the Black Watch Regiment during World War II, where he served well enough to get a citation for bravery. After the war ended, he joined the family business and was running it a decade later.
Desautels alumna named Secretary General of Quebec Press Council
The Quebec Press Council has elected Caroline Locher (BCom’01) to the position of Secretary General, effective September 5th. Prior to her election, Ms. Locher was Executive Director of the Fédération professionelle des journalistes du Québec. A journalist by trade, she worked as a CBC Radio One producer, and as a bilingual reporter on the international stage at BBC World Service, France24 and Radio-Canada. Ms.
Karl Moore and Kat Garcia talk business and acting on Australian radio
Desautels professor Karl Moore and actor-cum-management consultant Kat Garcia (BCom'16) recently appeared on ABC Radio in Australia to talk about skills that CEOs can borrow from actors to improve their own performance.
Desautels alumnus gets a great start in London’s investment banking scene
eFinancialCareers.com has published a list of eight young London-based investment analysts to watch, all of whom started at their respective companies in June. The high-octane London banking scene is highly competitive, but these newly-minted pros have what it takes to make a real impact.
Desautels BCom student on her two months in South Africa
Desautels BCom student Thao Nguyen is finishing up a two-month internship with South African non-profit Aluwani, where she and fellow Desautels student Marie-Christine Bourgie helped set up a crowdfunding campaign for an early childhood development centre.
Desautels alumnus promoted at CIBC
According to BNN.ca, changes are afoot at CIBC: a shakeup of the management team has two department heads leaving the company, as well as a couple of promotions. One of those promotions sees Desautels alumnus Jon Hountalas (BCom’84, MBA’91), bumped up to Group Head, Commercial Banking and Wealth Management, Canada from his previous role of running the company’s commercial banking arm.
