Desautels to launch new Master of Management of Finance program in Luxembourg
McGill Desautels is partnering with the Chamber of Commerce of Luxembourg on a new Master of Management in Finance. The program will launch in 2026, and will have a blended format that combines online learning and in-person sessions on weekends or evenings. The new degree will be delivered over 20 or 24 months in Luxembourg, a major European financial centre.
Concrete policy steps could address issues with Canada’s pension system
A well-designed pension system brings enormous social and economic values to its members and to society as a whole. Unfortunately, Canada’s doesn’t stand out. A 2024 report from Mercer ranks it just 18 out of 48 countries. In thefutureeconomy.ca, Prof. Sebastien Betermier proposes three measures that could help improve it by:
Complicated crypto products recall derivatives at the centre of the global financial crisis
Cryptocurrencies are volatile, risky and lack transparency. For banks and investors alike, that’s risky. “Some like to think ‘this time it’s different’,” Prof Patrick Augustin told PaperJam.lu. But for Augustin, crypto today recalls Lehman Brothers, the financial services firm whose collapse set the global financial crisis in motion in 2008. The similarities are striking.
Global public relations firm delivers McGill course content to staff in 12-week boot camp
Being happy doesn’t just make life more enjoyable, it can help you get things done. In 2024, McGill Desautels Adjunct Lecturer Anita Nowak co-designed a course on the power of positive psychology called Happiness means business, and it is gaining traction beyond the university’s walls. The global public relations and marketing consultancy Edelman brought in Prof. Anita Nowak to teach staff course materials.
Tariff loophole fuelling Canadian warehouse sector
Tariffs drive up prices for businesses, but some companies are finding a creative loophole to avoid some US tariffs. When a company imports a tariffed good, it pays a tariff. But it doesn’t pay a tariff if the goods are only passing through on the way to a final destination. This creates an incentive for US companies to store inventory in Canada. They can park products here until they sell them, and only pay tariffs on goods that are actually bound for the US market.
Stephanie Shaw on leading global HR at Eldorado Gold
McGill MBA alumna Stephanie Shaw (MBA’10) is vice-president of human resources at Eldorado Gold, where she leads a global team supporting 5,000 employees. Based in Vancouver, Shaw is driving a new people strategy focused on inclusive leadership, employee experience and digital transformation.
Companies should provide leadership training and opportunities to Gen Z
A recent survey conducted by Deloitte found that just six per cent of Gen Z and millenial respondents cited attaining a high-level corporate position as a primary career goal. More than half said they weren’t interested in becoming middle managers. Professor Karl Moore finds these numbers surprising. “'What is leadership, and do I want to become a leader?’ is a bit more in question for this generation,” he says.
McGill Desautels finance students expand horizons with small-cap fund
Thanks to a generous donation from Montreal finance leader J.
Clarity is key when passing control of a family business to the next generation
Even the most successful family businesses often don’t withstand the march of time. Just because one generation had what the right skills and temperament to run a business doesn’t mean their grandchildren will. But the Vancouver-based chocolate maker Purdys Chocolate bucks the trend, with a third-generation leader poised to take the helm.
Emerging tech can help make business’ more resilient
Emerging technologies like artificial intelligence have the power to boost business’ efficiency, but they can also make an organizations more resilient.
Predictive analytics are one way that companies can help ensure they’re prepared for whatever comes next. Predictive analytics can turn raw data into, writes Karl Moore in Forbes.com.
MBA graduate learned the art of networking at McGill
For Renaud Thomassin, being a francophone at McGill unlocked a new way of being Quebecois--one in which you can navigate easily between cultures.
“Beyond the knowledge and skills that I gained, I also discovered the art of networking--and it’s already opened doors for me,” says Thomassin, a MBA graduate. He encourages others who have only studied at francophone schools to consider McGill. “The university offered me an incredible experience and unique opportunities.”
Intermingling of business and corporate affairs makes governing country as “CEO” impossible
After the federal government’s speech from the throne in May 2025, Bloc Québecois leader Yves-Francois Blanchet accused Prime Minister Mark Carney of seeking to centralize power and act as Canada’s CEO. But running a country like a CEO may not be possible. After all, a country is simply not the same as a company.
Hamid Etemad earns global recognition
Hamid Etemad has been named a 2024 Top Scholar by Scholar GPS. Over a long and distinguished career, the Associate Professor of Marketing has been recognized for his excellence in teaching and research, Scholar GPS recognized Etemad as being in the top 0.5% of scholars in his field. Etemad’s research has probed the role of technology in business and its impact in emerging market economies.
Leedana is bringing agriculture to the desert--and it got its start at Desautels
Egypt’s Nile River Valley has some of the most fertile land in the world. But most of the country is a barren desert where few plants can grow. Hassan Elrakhawy (BCom’24) wants to change that. The Egyptian-born entrepreneur founded Leedana, a startup that uses a technique called sandponics, which can reduce the amount of water needed to cultivate crops by up to 90%. The company already has farms in Egypt that grow cherry tomatoes, peppers, kale, lettuce and more.
