The MMA Patron is an appointed industry leader who will mentor and provide guidance to the students in the program as they begin their career journey in Analytics. Linking theory and practice, the MMA Patron will share their wisdom and learnings through guest lectures and leading case discussions.
Maria Della Posta – 2021/2022 Patron
Maria Della Posta is currently the President of Pratt & Whitney Canada. Maria leads global engineering, customer service, sales, marketing and business development organizations, and a team of more than 10,000 employees worldwide. She is focused on launching products and services that drive sustainable growth and deliver exceptional customer service across all its segments including: the general and business aviation, regional turboprop, helicopter and auxiliary power unit markets.
Maria joined Pratt & Whitney Canada in 1985 and progressed through roles of increasing leadership in Supply Chain, Finance and Customer Service. Named vice president, Customer Support in 2001, senior vice president, Sales and Marketing in 2010, and senior vice president Pratt & Whitney Canada in 2012, Maria has been instrumental in driving a significant business model transformation and a customer-centric culture. She led the growth of a global aftermarket network which supports an extensive portfolio of more than 63,000 engines in service, and more than 13,000 customers worldwide.
Maria, who holds a bachelor’s degree in commerce and an MBA from McGill University, is recognized as a champion of inclusion and leadership development both within Pratt & Whitney Canada and the aviation industry. Active on many educational boards, Maria also serves on a number of industry boards and associations, including AIAC, Aero Montreal, and McGill Advisory Boards. She is the chair of the GAMA Communications Committee and current co-chair of Centraide (United Way) of Greater Montreal.
Paul Sturgess – 2020/2021 Patron
Paul Sturgess is Vice President, Strategy & Business Architecture at the Royal Bank of Canada. He leads strategy development and internal consulting for Personal & Commercial Banking, working closely with senior leaders across 10 different businesses. Prior to RBC, Paul was at Manulife Asset Management where he was responsible for strategy, marketing, communications and digital in Canada, the US and Asia. Before this he was a management consultant at Booz & Company in New York, leading engagements for financial institutions. Prior to that he worked for KPMG Corporate Finance in London and Paris, advising clients in Europe and Asia in the context of acquisitions, joint ventures and restructurings.
Paul has an MBA from Columbia Business School, an MSc from the London School of Economics, and a BA (Honours) in Economics from McGill.
