The Future of Management
Montreal, May 22-23, 2015
Celebrate 50 years of global impact with your former MBA classmates and other MBA alumni from around the world. Join us for a fun-filled and informative weekend of networking, leading-edge speakers, engaging workshop topics, and ultra-cool entertainment! The conference will be centered on cutting-edge ideas and idea generation--what the next 50 years could or should look like for management, organizations and the global economy.
Downtown Hotels
A limited block of rooms have been reserved by the Desautels Faculty of Management at the Sofitel Hotel. When booking, please mention the "Desautels MBA 50th Celebration” for a preferred rate of $220.
A list of other Montreal hotels in the area can be found here.
Day 1 – Friday, May 22, 2015
Location: 3rd Floor, McGill Bookstore, 3420 McTavish Street
5:00 PM – 7:00 PM - NEXT 50 Registration, Welcome Session & Networking Cocktail
Liam Sobey, MBA Candidate 2015
Prof. Morty Yalovsky, Interim Dean, Desautels Faculty of Management
Prof. Isabelle Bajeux-Besnainou, next dean of the Desautels Faculty of Management
Thompson House is reserved Friday night for all our MBA alumni. Feel free to organize your own class reunion at Thompson House and/or your own dinners afterward! If you would like us to provide you with venue suggestions don’t hesitate to contact us.
Day 2 – Saturday, May 23, 2015
Location: Desautels Faculty of Management, 1001 Sherbrooke St. West
8:00 AM - 9:15 AM - Networking Breakfast - Lobby
9:15 AM - 10:30 AM - Plenary Discussion - Room 151
Our Future: Convergence or Collision Course?
Are we as a society and planet headed toward a bright or dark future? What might successful organizations of the future look like? What consumer trends and economic variables will be at play? What types of skills are needed for individuals to lead these organizations and our communities?
Welcome: Prof. Demetrios Vakratsas, Associate Dean, Master's Programs, Desautels Faculty of Management
Presentation & Discussion: Bertrand Cesvet, MBA’88 (Executive Chairman and Senior Partner, Sid Lee), Inez Jabalpurwala, MBA’01 (President & CEO Brain Canada Foundation), Hubert T. Lacroix, MBA'81 (President and CEO of CBC/Radio-Canada), Moderator: Julie Savaria, MBA Candidate, Class of 2015
Audience Q&A
![Bertrand Cesvet Bertrand Cesvet](https://www.mcgill.ca/mbanext50/files/mbanext50/bertrand-cesvet.jpg)
Find out more about Bertrand and Sid Lee
![Inez Jabalpurwala Inez Jabalpurwala](https://www.mcgill.ca/mbanext50/files/mbanext50/inez-jabalpurwala.png)
Read more about the Brain Canada Foundation
![Hubert T. Lacroix](https://www.mcgill.ca/mbanext50/files/mbanext50/styles/wysiwyg_medium/public/hubert-t-lacroix.jpg?itok=e8QpZDoG)
![Julie Savaria Julie Savaria](https://www.mcgill.ca/mbanext50/files/mbanext50/julie-savaria.jpg)
10:30 AM -11:00 AM - Networking Coffee Break
11:00 AM -12:15 PM - Interactive Sessions (Congruent)
Led by top Desautels professors and featuring leading industry experts, these interactive sessions will focus on what you need to know in order to succeed, and lead teams and organizations of the future.
Session 1 – Loyalty Through the Eyes of Generations Y & Z
Generations Y and Z are fundamentally different from previous ones in both their customer and employee journey expectations. How do we build customer and employee loyalty for these generations? What do todays leaders need to know about managing tomorrow’s leaders?
Introduction & Moderator: Melissa Sonberg (Executive in Residence, Desautels Faculty of Management, former Senior Vice President, Global Brand, Communications and External Affairs, Aimia Inc.)
Panel Discussion: Francois Moscovici, MBA'87 (Partner & Director, White Water Group), Lili de Grandpre, MBA’81 (Managing Director, CenCEO Consulting), Alexander Toeldte, MBA’86 (Chairman, Jitasa), Enrico Cremonese, MBA’15.
Audience Discussion
Session 2 – Big Data: Big Daddy or Big Brother
We are increasingly interconnected: the world is everyone’s oyster. How are organizations and individuals going to cope with the balance between big data and big-brother privacy issues? How will social media and crowd funding affect how we interact as human beings, as customers or as investors with organizations?
Introduction & Moderator: Prof. Jui Ramaprasad
Panel Discussion: Samer Saab, MBA’96 (eXplorance), Eduardo Mandri, MBA’00 (President, Tuango) and Luc Pinard, MBA’75 (Vice-President, Corporate Performance and Knowledge Management, CGI Group)
Audience Discussion
Session 3 – CXO: The Multidisciplinary Executive
As technology and data increasingly influence company decision-making, marketers are expected to understand and integrate all aspects of a business to create value. CMOs are being asked to play an expanded role as Chief Integration Officer. What skill sets and qualities do marketers need to lead the organizations of the future? Are MBAs providing the right training ground for the new CXO?
Introduction & Moderator: Prof. Louis Gialloreto
Panel Discussion: Marie Joseé Desrochers, EMBA’14, (Director, Artistic Department, Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal), Dave Hackett, MBA’02, (Executive Producer, Hakuhodo Media Partners in Tokyo), Renee Yardley, MBA’97 (Vice President Sales and Marketing, Tembec)
Audience Discussion
Session 4 - Banking on Boring: Balancing Risk & Reward in Turbulent Times
Within many organizations, being risk-averse is equated with a “status quo” approach. There can be a reticence to making capital investments when success is increasingly hard to predict. However, in today’s business environment, “doing nothing” actually increases risk. What is the balance between risk and reward? How do the interests of shareholders affect this balance?
Introduction & Moderator: Prof. Patrick Augustin
Panel Discussion: Bill Webb, MBA’93 (CIO, Gluskin Sheff), Tullio Cedraschi, MBA’68 (President & CEO CN Investment Division) and Rita-Rose Gagne, EMBA'12 (Executive Vice President, Growth Markets, Ivanhoé Cambridge Inc).
Audience Discussion
12:15 PM - 1:45 PM - Lunch & Laughs Hosted by Renowned Montreal Comedian Sugar Sammy!
![Sugar Sammy Sugar Sammy](https://www.mcgill.ca/mbanext50/files/mbanext50/sugar-sammy.jpg)
1:45 PM – 3:00 PM - Interactive Sessions (Congruent)
Led by top Desautels professors and featuring leading industry experts, these sessions will focus on what you need to know in order to succeed, and lead teams and organizations of the future.
Session 1 – Loyalty Through the Eyes of Generations Y & Z
Generations Y and Z are fundamentally different from previous ones in both their customer and employee journey expectations. How do we build customer and employee loyalty for these generations? What do todays leaders need to know about managing tomorrow’s leaders?
Introduction & Moderator: Melissa Sonberg (Executive in Residence, Desautels Faculty of Management, former Senior Vice President, Global Brand, Communications and External Affairs, Aimia Inc.)
Panel Discussion: Francois Moscovici, MBA'87 (Partner & Director, White Water Group), Lili de Grandpre, MBA’81 (Managing Director, CenCEO Consulting), Alexander Toeldte, MBA’86 (Chairman, Jitasa), Enrico Cremonese, MBA’15.
Audience Discussion
Session 2 – Big Data: Big Daddy or Big Brother
We are increasingly interconnected: the world is everyone’s oyster. How are organizations and individuals going to cope with the balance between big data and big-brother privacy issues? How will social media and crowd funding affect how we interact as human beings, as customers or as investors with organizations?
Introduction & Moderator: Prof. Jui Ramaprasad
Panel Discussion: Samer Saab, MBA’96 (eXplorance), Eduardo Mandri, MBA’00 (President, Tuango) and Luc Pinard, MBA’75 (Vice-President, Corporate Performance and Knowledge Management, CGI Group)
Audience Discussion
Session 3 – CXO: The Multidisciplinary Executive
As technology and data increasingly influence company decision-making, marketers are expected to understand and integrate all aspects of a business to create value. CMOs are being asked to play an expanded role as Chief Integration Officer. What skill sets and qualities do marketers need to lead the organizations of the future? Are MBAs providing the right training ground for the new CXO?
Introduction & Moderator: Prof. Louis Gialloreto
Panel Discussion: Marie Joseé Desrochers, EMBA’14, (Director, Artistic Department, Orchestre Symphonique de Montréal), Dave Hackett, MBA’02, (Executive Producer, Hakuhodo Media Partners in Tokyo), Renee Yardley, MBA’97 (Vice President Sales and Marketing, Tembec)
Audience Discussion
Session 4 - Banking on Boring: Balancing Risk & Reward in Turbulent Times
Within many organizations, being risk-averse is equated with a “status quo” approach. There can be a reticence to making capital investments when success is increasingly hard to predict. However, in today’s business environment, “doing nothing” actually increases risk. What is the balance between risk and reward? How do the interests of shareholders affect this balance?
Introduction & Moderator: Prof. Patrick Augustin
Panel Discussion: Bill Webb, MBA’93 (CIO, Gluskin Sheff), Tullio Cedraschi, MBA’68 (President & CEO CN Investment Division) and Rita-Rose Gagne, EMBA'12 (Executive Vice President, Growth Markets, Ivanhoé Cambridge Inc).
Audience Discussion
3:00 PM – 3:30 PM - Networking Coffee Break
3:30 PM – 4:45 PM - Afternoon Plenary Discussion
The Power Shift: From Companies to Communities
From sustainability to social business, individuals and organizations are changing how they look at the world and shape their future. How do we shift the balance of power so that our societies, the economy and ecosystems continue to thrive? How can we build a society around trust between public, private and plural sectors? What type of management graduates do we need to help us get there?
Opening: Prof. Demetrios Vakratsas
John Clinton, CEO Canada, Edelman Public Relations
Prof. Henry Mintzberg, Cleghorn Chair of Management Studies, Desautels Faculty of Management
Moderator: Shobhita Soor (LLB-MBA’15, CMO, Aspire Group, 2013 Hult Prize Recipient)
John is Chair & CEO, Canada / North American Head of Creative & Content of Edelman PR. He was Senior Vice President and General Manager of Consumer Publications at TC Media, Inc. since 2008. Mr. Clinton served as President and Chief Executive Officer of Grey Worldwide Canada of Grey Advertising Ltd. since 1999. Edelman is the world’s largest public relations firm, with more than 5,000 employees in 65 cities, as well as affiliates in more than 35 cities. Edelman was named one of Advertising Age’s “A-List Agencies” in both 2010 and 2011, and an “Agency to Watch” in 2014, among many other awards and honours. The 2014 Edelman Trust Barometer is the firm’s 14th annual exploration of trust. Edelman surveyed 33,000 people (27,000 General Public and 6,000 Informed Public respondents) in 27 markets around the world on their trust in institutions, credible sources/channels and specific issues and perceptions impacting trust in business and government. Trust is an asset that enterprises must understand and properly manage in order to be successful in today’s complex operating environment. Unlike reputation, which is based on an aggregate of past experiences with a company or brand, trust is a forward facing metric of stakeholder expectation.
Find out more about the 2015 Edelman Trust Barometer
![Henry Mintzberg Henry Mintzberg](https://www.mcgill.ca/mbanext50/files/mbanext50/henry-mintzberg_0.jpg)
Watch Henry’s talk on rebalancing society
As the CMO of Aspire, Shobhita uses her marketing experiences to find creative marketing strategies for Aspire Food Group (2013 $1 Million MBA Hult Prize recipients) and develop insect-based food products. During her time at Dundee Wealth, she developed and executed a marketing campaign for investment in developing markets. As the co-coordinator of an annual blood drive, with Hema-Qc, she helped increase the blood units donated by 40% over 3 years for ethnic groups with a targeted marketing strategy. Shobhita also worked in mental health with autistic children and developed solutions that aligned with all the stakeholder’s interests (the child, the parents, the caretaker). Shobhita is currently pursuing a joint BCL-LLB-MBA at McGill University. She is able to bring a legal framework to the team as she is completing her Bachelor of Civil Law (BCL) and Bachelor of Laws (LLB, equivalent to a JD) and a Masters of Business Administration with a concentration in finance. She holds a Bachelors of Science in Psychology, also from McGill University.
Find out more about Aspire Group and the Hult Prize
Closing: Prof. Demetrios Vakratsas
Audience Q&A
4:45 PM – 6:00 PM - Free Time
6:00 PM – 10:00 PM - Gala Cocktail & Dinner
Location: Sofitel Montreal
Special Announcement, Presentation and Entertainment
Host: Liam Sobey, MBA Class of 2015 student
Liam has a professional background in grocery retail. He has lived and worked in Canada, the UK and France, to expand his professional and life experiences. During his time as an MBA student Liam has participated in multiple case competitions, while sitting as the Co-Chair on McGill Desautels Integrated Management Competition (the organizing committee that brought the first ever MBA level case competition to McGill this past March) and was the 2014-2015 host of the monthly CEO Speaker Series Following graduation, Liam has accepted a role as a Category Director within the grocery retail sector.
Professor Suzanne Fortier, McGill Principal & Vice Chancellor
Special Announcement: Bill Webb, MBA’93, MBA Next 50 Campaign Committee Member and Executive Vice President & Chief Investment Officer, Gluskin Sheff
Day 3 – Sunday, May 24, 2015 (optional, not included in conference price)
There are no scheduled commitments on Sunday – it is your day to explore the city, reconnect with old friends or visit a local attraction.
The end of May is one of the most beautiful times of the year in Montreal! Here are some activity suggestions:
- Musée des Beaux-Arts de Montreal
- Montreal Botanical Gardens
- Old Montreal & Old Port walking Tour
- Montreal City Bus Tour of Key Montreal Attractions
- Picnic Lunch on Mont Royal
- La Ronde Six Flags Amusement Park
- Chez Cora Brunch
- Mile-End Food Tour
- Schulich School of Music Concert
- Grevin Museum visit
- McGill Conservatory: Suzuki Violin Concert
- Montreal Biodome
Please visit the Montreal Infotouriste Centre for more information or contact lauren.houghton [at] mcgill.ca (subject: MBA%20Next%2050%20-%20Fun%20Day%2C%20Sunday.) for assistance.