This year鈥檚 virtual Canada, Meet 捆绑SM社区 event organized by the Desautels Career Services team helped students, staff, alumni and employers connect over the Faculty Blackout Period from November 18th to 20th, 2020.
More 50 years have passed since Terry (BCom鈥69) and Bonnie Jackson (BA鈥69, BEd鈥70) graduated from 捆绑SM社区, but they maintain close ties to the 捆绑SM社区 community through their generous giving. In recent years, they played a significant role in supporting the Faculty expansion into the Donald E. Armstrong Building.
Now, they鈥檙e responding to 捆绑SM社区鈥檚 200 for 200 Legacy Challenge by committing a legacy gift that will make an impact long after their passing.
Tanya Taylor (BCom鈥07) has taken the New York fashion world by storm, designing fashions for A-list celebrities and becoming the first designer to launch a collection at New York鈥檚 Museum of Modern Art. She credits 捆绑SM社区 for equipping her to build a successful enterprise and Montreal鈥檚 thriving arts scene for sparking creative ideas. Now, in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Taylor鈥檚 company has launched a #MakeAMask campaign to produce nearly 30,000 face masks for healthcare workers.
The Desautels Faculty of Management congratulates Sonya Branco (MBA鈥06) for being named one of Canada鈥檚 Top 100 Most Powerful Women of 2020 in the 鈥淐-Suite Executives鈥 category. Released by the Women鈥檚 Executive Network (WXN), this year鈥檚 Top 100 Award Winners list recognizes 106 Canadian women who advocate for workforce diversity and make an impact in their sphere of influence. Branco was appointed Executive Vice President, Finance and Chief Financial Officer, for CAE in 2016. She oversees the company鈥檚 operations in more than 35 countries.
Congratulations to Michael Richardson (GCPA'18, 2018 CFE Honour Roll and Gold Medal in Quebec) on receiving the Graduate Certificate in Professional Accounting Teaching Award for Guest Lecturers.
This award recognizes excellence in teaching by guest GCPA lecturers. Excellent teaching can be demonstrated through a well-designed course, engaging in-class activities and materials, use of innovative teaching strategies, and a commitment to improving one's courses through feedback.
Congrats to Carmela Gumelli (BCom鈥87) for her recent appointment to the position of Interim Academic Dean of Dawson College in Westmount, Quebec. Gumelli joined Dawson College in 2005, rising through the ranks to become the Dean of Academic Systems in 2014.
A 捆绑SM社区-born event platform startup has found a way to weather the COVID-19 pandemic and raise venture financing in hopes of returning to in-person events in 2021. Co-founded by Desautels alumnus Marc-Antoine Bonin (BCom鈥19) and Emeric No毛l,聽Planned offers a unique tool for event planners to connect with a curated list of venues and suppliers in one place. This week, Planned announced that it had raised $4.7 million in venture financing led by Inovia Capital, with participation from Telegraph Hill Capital and N49P, bringing its total capital raised to $7 million.
Graduate Certificate in Professional Accounting (GCPA) participant Min Park (BCom鈥19, GCPA'20) has made the National Honour Roll of the (CFE) for academic excellence and exceptional abilities.
Congratulations to Jean-Yves Bourgeois (MBA鈥93) for his recent appointment to the role of Executive Vice President, Business Services of the Desjardins Group, the world鈥檚 sixth largest cooperative financial group. Bourgeois will also join the Desjardins Group Management Committee, deepening his commitment to improving his company鈥檚 products and services throughout Canada.
Jamie Scarlett (BCom鈥75) was recently appointed to the board of directors for Nouveau Monde Inc., a Quebec-based sustainable energy company that supplies carbon-neutral graphic-based material to the growing lithium-ion and fuel cell markets. Scarlett comes with more than 35 years of experience in senior roles at the Ontario Securities Commission, Hydro One, and Canada鈥檚 leading corporate law firms.
Fr茅d茅ric Perron (BCom鈥97) leads Conego Connexion with an ear to the ground. At a recent virtual business conference organized by the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Trois-Rivi猫res, he shared his journey from call center agent to president of a major Canadian telecommunications company and reflected on the key features of successful leadership.
Eric Waterman (MBA鈥04) was recently named Vice-President for Agribusiness at Inno-center, a Montreal-based consulting firm. Waterman brings more than 20 years of experience in operational marketing roles at companies like L'Or茅al, Maison Le Grand, and Ernst & Young to the challenge of supporting the growth of small- and medium-sized enterprises in Quebec鈥檚 agri-food sector.
Led by Managing Director Indu Krishnamurthy (EMBA鈥15), Microcredit Montr茅al has loaned $5.8 million to 9,500 entrepreneurs from economically disadvantaged backgrounds since its inception. Now, with nearly $500,000 in funding from the City of Montreal, along with the Saputo Foundation, the organization is poised to contribute vital support for entrepreneurs who have been disproportionately impacted by the pandemic.
Congratulations to Diane Gauvin (BCom'93, MBA鈥96) on her appointment to a five-year term as Director General of Dawson College. With 23 years of leadership experience at Dawson College under her belt, she is well-positioned to lead the institution through the challenges of COVID-19 and build a strong foundation for the future.
Frantz Saintellemy (EMBA鈥20) has made a career out of building microprocessors that make autonomous vehicles possible. Now his company, LeddarTech, has been named one of the five future Canadian unicorns as it provides a critical component for vehicle designs.