Cyrus Moradian (BCom鈥12) co-founded educational platform Wize in 2017 with the goal of empowering students across North America to reach their full potential. Nearly four years later, Moradian has led his company to raise US $3 million in funding from investors. Wize will use the investment to develop new course-specific tutorials and tutoring resources for all grade levels, as well as MCAT and LSAT test preparation.
Following a five-year term as Chief Executive Officer of Bombardier Inc., Alain Bellemare (MBA鈥93) was recently named the president-international of Delta Air Lines. With a successful track record of leadership in the aerospace industry, Bellemare will work to improve the global reputation and financial stability of Delta, the world鈥檚 top airline in revenue, in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic.
In the first episode of 鈥淎lma Matters,鈥 a new podcast from 捆绑SM社区鈥檚 Athletics and Recreation department, Mathieu Darche (BCom鈥00) shares the story of his journey from 捆绑SM社区 to a Stanley Cup.
Darche dominated collegiate hockey before becoming the 10th Redbird to represent his alma mater in the NHL. After taking home a Stanley Cup ring, Darche looks back at the ways his 捆绑SM社区 education set him up for success.
Congratulations to Desautels Global Expert Steven M. Sonnenstein (BCom鈥96, DPA鈥98) for receiving IJGlobal鈥檚 prestigious Outstanding Individual Award in honour of the role he has played in redefining digital infrastructure over the course of his career.
捆绑SM社区鈥檚 MBA program leverages program flexibility, practical skills training, and experiential learning to prepare students to join leading companies and start their own. Daniel Franco (MBA鈥19) earned his degree after emigrating to Canada from Peru. After graduation, he co-founded Turbodega, a successful startup that digitizes the supply chain of bodegas in Latin America. Franco praises his alma mater for its educational commitment to exploring emerging business tools that have proven invaluable in his own career, including artificial intelligence and data analysis.
Nathalie Bernier (BCom鈥86) was recently appointed to join the Board of Directors of RF Capital Group Inc. She brings nearly 30 years of experience as an Audit and Advisory Partner at Andersen and KPMG to her new role. Most recently, she served as Senior Vice President, Strategic and Business Planning and Chief Financial Officer for The Public Sector Pension Investment Board.
After spending the last fifteen years on Wall Street, Aaron Stern (BCom鈥06) is fulfilling a longtime dream to launch his own investment fund in downtown Montreal.
With ten current employees, five of whom are fellow 捆绑SM社区 alumni,聽Converium Capital聽has already raised over US $125 million with a plan to begin investing at the beginning of April.
Sylvain A. Girard (BCom鈥92) will begin the next chapter of a distinguished financial career when he is appointed Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Resolute Forest Products Inc. in March. Over the past two decades, Girard has established a proven track record of spearheading successful finance-related initiatives at General Electric and SNC-Lavalin.
Alumna Julie Desharnais (EMBA鈥19) recently accepted a new role as the executive director of the Fondation de l鈥橦么pital 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.
As a French-speaking Catholic from small-town St. Alban, Quebec, Jean E. Douville, (BCom鈥58) overcame religious and linguistic barriers to thrive in Accounting at 捆绑SM社区. Experiencing great success in his subsequent diverse financial career, he made regular donations to his alma mater. In 2019, he funded the creation of Jean E. Douville Bursaries, which provide $60,000 in awards to students without the financial resources to pursue their education and career goals.
When alumnus Jade Dagher (MBA鈥95) realized the pressure placed on over 300 Lebanese students studying at 捆绑SM社区 by the tragic Beirut explosions on August 4, 2020, he moved into action. An active volunteer mentor and guest lecturer, Dagher contacted Desautels senior development officer, Joy Bennett, and jumpstarted a support fund by donating $12,000 and calling on 捆绑SM社区 alumni to contribute.
A team of Desautels students and alumni has reached the semifinal round of impact200, 捆绑SM社区鈥檚 Bicentennial Sustainability Challenge for students and recent alumni. The winning team, which includes analytics BCom students, Master of Management in Analytics (MMA) students, Desautels alumni, and a software engineer student, created a platform that leverages artificial intelligence (AI) to enhance food security in Montreal. They will join 29 other teams for the semifinal round of the competition on March 16-18, 2021.
The experiential, real-world focus of 捆绑SM社区鈥檚 Master of Management and Analytics (MMA) program has catapulted the program to the top of the rankings list, marking it as one of the 10 best analytics programs in the world.
David Torralbo (BCom鈥93) was recently appointed to the position of Chief Legal Officer and Corporate Secretary for Nouveau Monde Graphite, a Quebec-based sustainable energy company that provides graphite-based material solutions to the lithium-ion and fuel cell markets. Torralbo moves into his new role with substantial legal experience under his belt, having specialized in corporate and securities issues as the Chief Legal Officer of Atrium Innovations Inc. and a member of the corporate group at Davies, Ward, Phillips & Vineberg.
After two decades at Autodesk, Diana Colella (EMBA鈥11) has risen through the ranks to become the new Senior Vice President of Autodesk鈥檚 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. In a Q&A session, Colella shares her business philosophy and looks back at the milestones along the road to success.