Anie Rouleau (BCom ‘92) is the Founder and CEO of The Unscented Company, a sustainable woman-owned BCorp-certified business. This year, we are recognizing Rouleau’s leadership and successful journey in sustainable entrepreneurship with a Trudeau Medal.
First awarded in 1989 to recognize leading alumni, the Trudeau Medal is the highest honour given to an alumnus or alumna at the Telfer School of Management. The award was established in honour of Reverend Father Roland Trudeau, the former director of the University of Ottawa's Commerce department from 1950 to 1965. It recognizes leadership, initiative and contributions made by an alumna or alumnus to the business world, the community and their alma mater — the definition of our longstanding relationship with Anie Rouleau.
Rouleau has set an exceptional example of what both a strong leader in sustainable entrepreneurship and an extraordinary Canadian leader at the helm of a woman-owned business can achieve — an inspiration to fellow BCom students and graduates.
Influenced by Family Values
From a very young age, entrepreneurship was an important pillar of Rouleau’s life. “One day you will have your own business,” said Anie Rouleau’s father when she was just eight years old, sitting at the dinner table.
Raised in a family of entrepreneurs, Rouleau was taught early on to have confidence: “Back then, women did not have the same access to resources and my father was aware of this. He built my character to confront that.”
In 1992, she graduated with a Bachelor of Commerce from the Telfer School of Management and joined her family business, Hydrocom International. She went on to hold prestigious roles at Maclean Power Systems and Société de Gestion du Commensal until 2011.
At 42 years old, Anie Rouleau founded Baleco / The Unscented Company, following in the entrepreneurial footsteps of her parents. The moment in which she decided to make the leap is a reflection on her decades in the business world: “Entrepreneurship is something that’s always been on my mind growing up and in my years at Telfer. It’s at Telfer, that I had entrepreneurship courses for the first time and case competitions like Jeux de Commerce.”
Her family values first built the blueprint of her business journey to come, Rouleau shares: “My mother and father were entrepreneurs, and I saw that you could be successful in your own business and provide. For me, as a woman, when I had young children, I could see my life being better to balance as an entrepreneur.”
Taking a Risk in Sustainable Entrepreneurship
Rouleau says that entrepreneurship is a build-up — at some point, something makes you jump. To choose that path, an entrepreneur needs to be comfortable with and accept failure. She instructs us to accept ‘no’ for an answer and to not take it personally. And, perhaps most importantly, an entrepreneur needs to be able to take a risk, a financial risk.
It is safe to say the risk paid off. In 2021, The Unscented Company was named one of Canada’s Top Growing Companies by The Globe and Mail, reporting a 526% 3-year increase in revenue growth and $5-10M in revenue. In 2019, on CBC’s Dragon’s Den, Canadian Tire announced they would bring The Unscented Company’s sustainable products into their 500 stores across the nation. “Ten years ago, I bet on the right horse,” comments Rouleau.
The Importance of Upbringing, Education and Values
Rouleau’s contributions to the business world and professional success did not come out of thin air. For her, the formal education she received during her Bachelor of Commerce at Telfer helped in establishing her successful business. Rouleau confidently says, “It’s not even a doubt in my mind. I personally love Telfer, the accessibility to the teachers and the directors. I still see the Dean to this day and there is a sense of belonging. For me, it was a smaller university on the French side. Today as an entrepreneur, I’m very grateful to have gone through a program like that, which had classes in marketing and HR too. I was lucky I did something I studied, and it definitely helped me prepare for my career.” Rouleau’s familial entrepreneurship values and education at Telfer are two factors that contribute to The Unscented Company’s exponential success — the third is that Rouleau leads with uncompromising values that set the tone for everything. “Today, an entrepreneur needs a set of values that are about people and the planet. If a company in 5 years is not socially or environmentally responsible, transparent and inclusive, they will be old-fashioned,” says Rouleau. “Good entrepreneurs and good businesses will prevail.”
It’s this unrelenting commitment to sustainability that sets Anie Rouleau and her company apart. Believing wholeheartedly that entrepreneurs and employees have to play a role in sustainable entrepreneurship, Rouleau certified her company as a BCorp, a highly sought-after designation highlighting the social and environmental impact of a business, thus cementing these values into the business’ foundation.
Challenges are Opportunities
In an uncertain economic market, businesses have an opportunity to demonstrate their unwavering commitment to their values through sustainable entrepreneurship. With inflation and rising prices, it can be easy to choose the path of least resistance. Not for Rouleau: “When the market is shifting, it doesn’t mean you stop; you rebalance. This is who we are, we are involved in our community. Values are tested in tough times and it’s not even an option to compromise them. You just do the right thing. We support each other on the market and make it to the other side together.”
Well-Deserved Recognition
Rouleau’s familial entrepreneurship values and education at Telfer are two factors that contribute to The Unscented Company’s exponential success — the third is that Rouleau leads with uncompromising values that set the tone for everything. “Today, an entrepreneur needs a set of values that are about people and the planet. If a company in 5 years is not socially or environmentally responsible, transparent and inclusive, they will be old-fashioned,” says Rouleau. “Good entrepreneurs and good businesses will prevail.”
“I’ve made it and it’s like Oscar’s Night, I can’t believe it,” she smiles.
In Canada, around one in five Canadians aged over 15 years old has one or more disabilities. As we grow older, the chance of disability increases with age. As mobility is one of the most prevalent disabilities, it is important that the built environment in Canada is as accessible as it can be for those who need it. More particularly, building accessibility needs to be a priority to ensure inclusivity.
From May 29 to June 4th, the country was celebrating National AccessAbility Week. The week, which starts on the last Sunday of May, celebrates Canadians who self-identify as disabled and their contributions to the advancement of this country.
National AccessAbility Week also recognizes the key people, organizations, and communities who have put work in to make Canada a more accessible country. The Accessible Canada Act is among the contributions we now celebrate during this week. The act, established in 2019, aims to remove all barriers to accessibility in the country by 2049.
To celebrate this week, we are happy to announce that five buildings at the University of Ottawa, including Telfer’s own Desmarais Hall, have been awarded the Rick Hansen Foundation Accessibility Certification (RHFAC) for their contribution to building accessibility. Other awarded facilities at the university were the Social Sciences building, Minto Sports Complex, STEM Complex, and Henderson Residence.
Just like the Rick Hansen Foundation, the University of Ottawa and the Telfer School of Management want to improve accessibility in our buildings and ensure that user needs and standards are met.
Every few years, a new program director is appointed to each of Telfer’s graduate and executive-level programs. Following the favourable recommendation of the selection committee, Dean Stéphane Brutus announced Professor Walid Ben Amar as the newest PhD Program Director at the Telfer School of Management who will serve a mandate of three years from July 1st, 2022, to June 30th, 2025.
Meet the New Program Director
Walid Ben Amar is an Associate Professor of accounting at Telfer with a Master of Accounting from Université du Québec à Montréal and a PhD in Business Administration from HEC Montréal. Professor Ben Amar teaches both financial and managerial accounting courses at the undergraduate and MBA levels. He also serves on Telfer’s Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Committee, driving forward Telfer’s goals for creating more inclusive and diverse programs.
History of the PhD Program at Telfer
For over 40 years, there were ambitions for Telfer to launch a PhD program under Dean François Julien’s leadership. Professor Barbara Orser stepped in alongside Danielle Bennette under the support and guidance of Dean Julien to go through the stages of creating this program. After years of dedication and considerable effort, approvals were reached in 2013 and the program was launched in 2016.
The program’s first director, Professor Silvia Bonaccio, was integral to the program’s success, after spending two years helping to build the program prior to its launch. Professor Mirou Jaana took over as program director following Professor Bonaccio’s mandate. Professor Jaana was credited with launching the first revision of the PhD program, resulting in the addition of a new field of study: Strategy and Organization.
Today, the PhD program has six key fields of study: Accounting and Control, Entrepreneurship, Finance, Health Systems, Organizational Behaviour and Human Resources, and Strategy and Organization.
We celebrated the successful first Telfer PhD graduating cohort when Vusal Babashov was the first to complete his PhD in Management after successfully defending his thesis in 2021. Vusal shared that the experience of completing his PhD at Telfer made him a better person, a self-motivated leader, and an avid problem-solver.
Thank you Professor Chreim
The most recent and former PhD Director, Professor Samia Chreim, had a huge impact on the program. “Under her leadership, the progress of students in the program was remarkable, despite very difficult circumstances,” shared Dean Brutus in his announcement of this leadership change. Among other things, Professor Chreim implemented more flexibility for our PhD students, provided mental health support to students during the pandemic, organized countless information sessions, and established the PhD student lounge. Thank you to Professor Samia Chreim for her hard work and dedication to our doctoral program and its students.
Every few years, new program directors are appointed to each graduate and executive-level program at Telfer. The selection committee recommended a program director to take on the Master of Science (MSc) programs, formerly two separate directors. Dean Stéphane Brutus announced Professor Lavagnon Ika as the newest MSc Program Director for both the Health Systems and Management programs at Telfer. He will serve a mandate of three years from July 1st, 2022, to June 30th, 2025.
Meet the New MSc Programs’ Director
Lavagnon Ika is a Full Professor of Project Management at the Telfer School, a former Program Director for the MSc in Management, Faculty Leader for the University of Ottawa’s partnerships with African Universities, and the Founding Director of the Major Projects Observatory at Telfer. Professor Ika also holds a joint affiliation with the uOttawa School of International Development and Global Studies. Prior to joining the Telfer School, he earned an MSc and PhD in Project Management from the Université du Québec, where he also held his first positions as a course lecturer and a professor for 11 years.
History of the Telfer Master of Science Programs
In 2008, the Telfer School launched two MSc programs in Management and in Health Systems. Over the past couple of years, the MSc in Management has improved and developed considerably with newer concentrations like Innovation Management and the introduction of a program, the research project MSc in Management. The research-based program helps students develop applied research skills to a relevant business topic, preparing them for an exciting career in their field or industry of choice. The project-based program is only one year, so it is a fast way for students to position themselves as experts immediately after their undergraduate degree. Furthermore, students can also register for this program with a CO-OP option, providing them with real-world workplace experience in their field of study.
Students can also now apply directly to the Bachelor of Commerce + MSc in Management (Research Project) program prior to beginning their undergraduate studies. This allows them to transition from their BCom to MSc program with ease and no disruption, and to complete both an undergraduate and graduate program within 5 years at the Telfer School.
The Future of the MSc at Telfer
Professor Lavagnon Ika expressed his excitement for his new position at the School and working with various stakeholders including professors, staff, and students who are involved in these programs. He was highly involved previously as part of the initial ideation of the project-based MSc in Management program. Professor Ika shared some of the objectives he hopes to focus on over the next three years: “actively promoting the program inside and outside Telfer, establishing more connections with industry partners, working with the Research Office to facilitate Mitacs funding for professors and students, especially those in the project-based MSc, increase the quality of the student experience, and targeting and recruiting top students from abroad.” Professor Ika will surely provide a positive impact on these programs through his leadership.
Thank you to Professor Patrick and Professor Lapierre
Thank you to the former directors of the MSc program, Professor Jonathan Patrick and Professor Laurent Lapierre, for their positive impact on each program’s growth and success over the years. Under the guidance of Professor Patrick, the Health Systems program flourished, despite the difficult role of managing the program during the pandemic.
Additionally, Professor Lapierre was able to make great strides for the Management program as well. Professor Lapierre has the distinction of launching three new concentrations, Finance, Accounting and Organizational Behaviour & Human Resources, as well as a research-project edition of the program.
Dean Brutus shared his gratitude towards each program director in an email announcement to all staff and faculty at Telfer: “As a result of the hard work of our two colleagues, our MSc programs are now more popular than ever. I would like to thank both Professors Patrick and Lapierre for their outstanding contributions to the MSc Programs in Heath Systems and Management.” Big thank you to both former directors for their hard work and dedication to these leading graduate programs.
In career planning, it is important to know where you ultimately want to go, and the steps for how to get there – in essence, figuring out how to set yourself up for success. For next generation members who want to join the family business, however, this path is not always so clear. Every family business is different and has their own rules and processes – although sometimes these haven’t been well defined. This can lead to the question: “How can next-generation members prepare themselves in the long run before joining the family business as a manager?”
This topic was the basis for discussion at the third of eight events in the NxG Legacy Forum series. The event was moderated by Telfer’s Peter Jaskiewicz and Sabine Rau, with panellists Alexandra Heraeus of Heraeus Holding and Vincent Chian of Fairview International School, both members of enterprising families.
Starting at a Young Age
For Alexandra Heraeus, preparing to become an active member of the shareholder family started at a young age. She found herself lucky that her father involved the children in the business in different ways. “Additionally to the opportunity of doing internships, he talked about the business (at home) …and would occasionally take me for business trips to see operations in China and India,” Heraeus explained, adding that it gave her a great view especially on the values of the company.
Another key way Heraeus prepared for building her knowledge around the family business was simply through showing up. For Heraeus, this meant attending anything the shareholders had scheduled, including events and shareholder meetings. She recalled an interesting event from her past, when she was 12-years old and was disappointed to miss a friend’s party because of a shareholder meeting. But over the years, she has found it valuable to nurture a mindset of these meetings not being something to think about going to, but instead to just go. “Being there and showing the commitment,” she said, adding, “it’s the base for everything.”
An important way Vincent Chian and his siblings have prepared themselves to be leaders in the family business has been through first learning to follow. “One thing my father always said was to be a good leader, you need to be a good follower first,” he explained. One of the ways this wisdom has imparted on him and his siblings was through the family business rule that everyone joining the business starts at the bottom. For Chian, this meant starting out as a biology teacher, despite the significant psychiatry training he already had. “We all started out being teachers, no short cuts,” he said. “Everyone needs to spend a few years on the ground.”
Other family processes that helped Chian prepare for joining the family business include a policy that all members have to complete an MBA and participate in the Family Business Network (FBN). Listening was also an important element in preparation, with Chian sitting in on all leadership meetings to observe and listen. “You don’t understand how important these sessions are until 7 or 8 years later,” he added.
Learning one step at a time
As a large family business, with 200 members as shareholders, Heraeus’ family have many next generation members to potentially involve in the company. Heraeus explained that to nurture the interest and intensify family bonds, the family has developed different events and activities each with their own focus. For example, for members aged 14-25, there is a yearly event schedule for younger members which helps them better understand the inner workings of the company and what it means to be a shareholder. This involves having sessions on explaining the basics of the company in more detail, going through the technicalities of a shareholder meeting, and helping develop useful and relevant skills, such as public speaking.
In Chian’s family, the learning process for new entries to the business involved several different stages, which included being part of a small group who would work on every aspect of the company, building important management competencies. The group of seven would, “get deployed all over and thrown into the deep end on many areas,” he explained, gaining such skills as operations, finance, marketing and sales.
Another stage was being given a project to lead, however as Chian put it, “with a lot of rope.” His father would always be close to advise and give suggestions. “You could mess up,” he said. “This was where you learned about your leadership style. It prepared us to lead well.”
The art of being muddled…and other insights
Other valuable lessons and tips from both panellists were shared, such as, for Chian, having professionalism, mastering a craft, and also developing networking skills. He also added that the Mandarin saying nande hutu– or ‘the art of being muddled’ – has saved him many times. As he explained, although there is no direct English translation, it is an idea rooted in having tact and humility.
Heraeus found that breaking complex shareholder problems into smaller pieces was a great help and maintaining a belief that even the most difficult concepts can be understood through taking time to learn and ask the right questions. “You need to believe in yourself that you will tackle it,” she added.
Upcoming NxG Legacy Forums
The next NxG Legacy Forum will take place in September 2022. In the meantime, catch up with discussions from previous NxG Legacy Forums!
NxG Legacy Forum #1: “How can my siblings and I assess whether we could work constructively in the business one day?” Read more here.
Last month, Telfer’s Entrepreneur Club (TECDE) hosted the 31st annual Toast to Success dinner. This year’s theme focused on celebrating diversity in business, particularly marginalized entrepreneurs. The sold-out event featured a West African drummer, Black and Ukrainian artists, and a keynote address by Wes Hall, Chairman and Founder, Kingsdale Advisors, Founder of the BlackNorth Initiative, and the newest dragon on CBC’s Dragon’s Den.
As a keynote speaker, Wes Hall presented several key aspects of his career as well as tips for future entrepreneurs in the room. During the event, it was revealed that Hall had recently established the Wes Hall Scholarships: two full, four-year scholarships for black and indigenous Telfer Commerce students who intend to pursue a career in finance.
These unique scholarships aim to remove financial barriers to education by reducing the need for these students to seek employment throughout the school year. Recipients of the Wes Hall Scholarships will also receive mentorship to further promote student success in academics and to provide career direction and advice on extra-curricular life at Telfer, possibly by Mr. Hall himself.
In addition, at Telfer, we’re proud to announce the creation of nine equity and diversity scholarships aimed to truly make a difference in the lives of students from racialized or indigenous communities. Join Wes in promoting equity and diversity at Telfer and contributing to a Better Canada for us all.
Donate now to the Telfer Diversity and Equity Scholarships.
Relive the moments of the event with the article published by the Ottawa Business Journal at: https://bit.ly/3wbANYE.
The question“How can my siblings and I assess whether we could work constructively in the business one day?”was the theme of the first event in the NxG Legacy Forum series held in late March.
The event was moderated by Telfer’s Peter Jaskiewicz and Sabine Rau, with panellists Valentine Barbier-Mueller of Groupe SPG-Rytz and Drew Everett of Bush Brothers & Company. Both Barbier-Mueller and Everett are members of multi-generational family businesses and have experienced the benefits and challenges of being part of an enterprising family.
Aligning on Values and Embedding Governance Structures
For Barbier-Mueller, one of the most important elements in keeping the next generation of a family business together was having shared goals and being aligned on the values they want to project. For example, while she and her father have different personalities and working styles, they came to realize their differences complemented each other. “This can be a source of positivity.”
For Everett, a fourth generation member of a business involving 95 family members across the U.S., working constructively involved finding meaningful ways for the family to be involved, even if they weren’t working directly in the business.
Some family members wanted to contribute but didn’t necessarily want a job in the firm. Instead, opportunities were created for members to participate, including through governance structures like a board of directors, a family council, a private trust and estate activities, as well as events and family gatherings.
Everett stressed the need to put governance systems in place sooner than later. “Don’t wait until the fourth generation and there’s 95 of you,” he noted.
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Education is Key
For Everett, education was key in helping his family work together. He and other family members attended a series of courses to learn about the complexities of multi-generational businesses, creating systems and dealing with challenges. The courses provided him and his family with a shared educational foundation, vocabulary and understanding of the needs of a large ownership group.
Everett added that working with a knowledgeable family business consultant facilitated the process, helping identify areas of concern and building trust and togetherness.
Building Trust Within and Across Generations
Barbier-Mueller said that she and her sisters talk multiple times a day and try to keep communication flowing. “A family who has fun together will be more likely to stay together,” she said, recommending taking pleasure in the time members spend together.
Another essential element for Barbier-Mueller is giving family members the benefit of the doubt, and “trusting that everyone wants to achieve the same common objectives.”
Everett encouraged all members to make a concerted effort to build relationships. “Have opportunities for fellowship, and to get to know each other better.”
Supporting the Next Generation
For Barbier-Mueller, the most important role for the senior generation is to clarify rules and foster unity. The senior generation must treat all next generation siblings fairly. The principal role of older members is providing a historical context for the business and sharing stories about core family values, thus providing continuity and helping bind the family together.
Rau wrapped up the discussion, mentioning that working successfully with family members requires effort. “We have to become aware that it’s not just a given, but something we have to work for.”
Upcoming NxG Legacy Forums
The second NxG Legacy Forum took place in early April, with the topic question “We have wealth. When should we set up a family office to organize it?” Watch for an event summary soon.
The result of years of international research and practical experience, Enabling Next Generation Legacies delves into the unique challenges that confront family businesses.
Telfer Professors Peter Jaskiewicz. Director of the Family Enterprise Legacy Institute (FELI), and Sabine Rau, collaborator at FELI, have brought together the world’s leading academics, practitioners, and enterprising families to answer the most pressing questions faced by Next Generation members in a short and concise, yet meaningful way.
The book consists of best practices, real-life examples, and additional critical questions for reflection from nearly 100 contributors from 27 different countries. Expert commentaries come from members of the world’s leading family businesses including Auchan (France), Saputo (Canada), and Sabra (Israel), as well as from various academic experts from business schools around the globe like Kellogg, IMD, and INSEAD.
Below, read a commentary to a pressing question by a fourth generation member of a Malaysian family business.
When and How Should Family Members Be Promoted in the Family Business?
Commentary by Yoon Li Yong, Malaysia
Our family business, Royal Selangor International, is located in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. My great-grandfather started it in 1885. He was a tinsmith in the growing tin industry and began making products for households. We have never mined or smelted tin. Instead, we focus on adding value to tin. Our business has a strong brand and makes beautiful home products, many of which were designed in our workshop. The third generation was my father and three siblings. This generation internationalized the business to Europe, Australia, and the U.S. in the 1970s and built a network of offices, distributors, and wholesalers.
Today, we have a total of about 600 employees with most of us based in Kuala Lumpur. The family business is still privately held, and we have completed succession to the fourth generation. In our industry, product life cycles are long. Some of our evergreen products are twenty years old. However, the industry has shifted over the last thirty years; living has become less formal. The household items and gifts industry has, therefore, gone through some consolidation with brands either being bought out or shuttered. One has to be very passionate to work in this business but, then again, being constantly surrounded with beautiful things is a pretty good motivation.
In the fourth (my) generation, most of my relatives have been in some way or form involved in the business. Today, only two of us—my cousin and I—work full time in the business. I am the managing director; he is the executive director. I was an engineer by training before I did my MBA in 2004. In 2005 I joined the business as a retail manager for a few years before taking over product, manufacturing, and marketing as a general manager. From there, I worked my way up to where I am now. So, how are family members hired and promoted? Let me highlight our rules and our values.
Our Rules
Every family member has to work elsewhere for at least two years after leaving school.
If a family member is good at what they are doing and fits the company's needs, they might be invited to work here.
We engage our nonfamily directors and managers for hiring family members.
Once a family member is invited, they apply for a vacant position and undergo the standard recruitment process.
Every family hire reports to their head of department, who may not be a family member.
Every family hire starts as a regular team member.
If the head of the department is a nonfamily manager, they make promotion decisions, and twice a year, they review possible promotions and provide employees with feedback. On average, we promote good employees every two to two-and-a-half years. The family council, however, can fast-track family members who excel in their jobs.
Our Values
Our family council includes six members electe d every three years from eligible voting members of the family forum. We organize a large family retreat every eighteen months. At every second retreat, we elect a new family council. A critical outcome of past retreats was the creation of our family charter. Our philosophy is to work together to generate solutions that meet the needs of both the business and the family. We communicate, work together, and practice integrity and love. We see our most important priority as remaining united as a family through spending time together and providing understanding and support to each other. We should maintain a balance of work, family, and play. We encourage family members to contribute views and ideas, to ensure participation regardless of age or experience. We recognise our responsibilities to resolve conflict through a process, to listen and communicate, and to unite in the face of external threats. We value our success, history, and legacy; and through our family council and family foru m we work to pass on to the next generations what has been so ably passed on to us.
Our Family Vision
Our Family Vision is to propagate the Royal Selangor name globally to be synonymous with pewter and good design leading to a vital and dynamic brand. We recognise that employees are a valuable asset. We will recruit, develop, and retain outstanding talent, both family and nonfamily, based on merit. The business will continue to be majority-owned by the family, in order to maintain the legacy of Royal Selangor. The board of directors will have family and nonfamily members. Family members not directly involved will have their views and interests represented through an active family council, and an evolving charter of good family governance. The business will be a good corporate citizen through its interaction with the community.
Questions for Further Reflection
Are you familiar with the history of your family business promoting family members?
Do you agree with the practice of promoting family members in your family business?
Do you think this practice should be updated? If so, how?
Do you have a family constitution/charter detailing how family members are hired and promoted?
If you want to be promoted, as a Next Gen, within your family business, what do you do?
How do nonfamily managers and board members see the practice of promoting family members?
Enabling Next Generation Legacies: 35 Questions That Next Generation Members in Enterprising Families Ask is now available in eBook and hardcopy. All royalties from Enabling Next Generation Legacies go towards the University of Ottawa’s Telfer Fund, helping students in need. Learn more at www.35questions.com.
To read more about how Telfer is shaping the conversation about the future of family enterprise, visit the Family Enterprise Legacy Institute and subscribe to our newsletter to stay up to date and be entered for a chance to win your physical copy of Enabling Next Generation Legacies. (you must have a delivery address in Canada).
The world of work is experiencing considerable turbulence. Unavoidable macro forces, such as COVID-19's toll on financial markets, Canada’s aging workforce and management challenges during the pandemic are exerting pressure on organizations and changing work expectations. While change can be daunting, it ultimately offers an opportunity to grow, creating healthier organizational practices and happier employees.
Kanfer reflected on her over 30 years of studying work motivation and how organizations can adapt to change in the post-pandemic era, which led to the following takeaways:
Shifting from a job design model to a workplace design model can increase competitiveness
Creating value for organizations starts with recognition of employees as life-long learners who continue to develop skills, interests and goals, and the adaption of jobs so that they grow as employees. This workplace design model can sustain organizations’ competitiveness and ability to adapt to market changes. In contrast, a job design model may prevent organizations from learning from their workforce.
Embracing the notion of nonlinear careers helps retain talent
The modern day workforce is highly educated, and potential employees wish to continue to learn and grow. Thus, younger generations’ career trajectories resemble the branches of a tree rather than a straight line. Creating programs that appeal to this desire, such as sabbaticals, special projects and opportunities to mentor junior colleagues, can help retain top talent while nurturing and diversifying employee skillset.
Viewing ongoing training as a long-term investment contributes to a firm’s success
Organizations need to consider training as an essential long-term investmentto foster sustainable careers. Rather than offering “one-and-done” training, organizations must continually reflect and adjust training to fit employees’ ever-changing needs and motives. Since few careers are linear, training should open the door to new career paths within the organization.
The secret of thriving organizations
The future of workforce management requires organizations to accept the fundamental nature of employees as ever evolving and to adopt more nimble organizational practices that accommodate this dynamism.
For Kanfer, while change can be difficult, adapting to the challenges of the 21st century will require some creative thinking and problem solving. Organizations that can assess challenges and act accordingly will not only gain a competitive advantage, but also put the conditions in place to help their employees thrive.
About the Distinguished Speakers Series on Thriving Organizations and Societies
This annual lecture series provides an opportunity for students, professors, practitioners and members of the community to learn from world-renowned researchers sharing ideas on topics related to building meaningful organizations and thriving societies.
The workforce has been changing and so has the nature of work. As the Thriving Organizations and Societies research group at Telfer examines the impact of these changes on our workforce, organizations and society, it also seeks a better understanding of thriving, that is, greater well-being and performance. Research conducted on this multidisciplinary and timely topic by the group will look beyond productivity and financial performance to the conditions that encourage or hinder thriving environments.
About the Authors
Jane O’Reilly, Associate Professor and Telfer Fellow in Workplace Well-being
Professor O'Reilly’s research examines informal workplace interactions and relationships. Her main research areas are mistreatment and social sexual behaviours in organizations. Her work on third-party mistreatment focuses on how bystanders can help (and sometimes harm) targets of workplace bullying and harassment. She also studies workplace social exclusion as a form of mistreatment, and the ways it can be detrimental to employee well-being. Her research program seeks to understand when social sexual behaviour in the workplace becomes harassment.
Yanhong Li, PhD in Management candidate
Li’s research focuses on courage in the workplace, the work-family interface and employee well-being. Her master’s thesis, supervised by Professor Laurent Lapierre, focuses on factors that contribute to individuals’ work-family enrichment using meta-analyses. Li is currently working on several projects to identify problems related to, raise awareness of, and advocate for equity, diversity, inclusion and employee well-being.
Daniel J. Quintal-Curcic, PhD in Management candidate
Quintal-Cucic's research interests include mental health, intersectionality, leadership and prejudice in the workplace. He is pursuing his doctorate under the supervision of Professor Laurent Lapierre. Recently, Quintal-Cucic's placed as a top 25 finalist in the 2022 Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council (SSHRC) Storytellers Challenge.
The Telfer School of Management is the proud presenting sponsor of a series of four webcasts powered by the Globe and Mail Events. Each webcast will highlight one of the four pillars in our Vision for a Better Canada — greener, healthier, happier, wealthier and more prosperous — through an interview with a Telfer professor, followed by a discussion with a panel of experts.
Family enterprises represent more than 35% of Canada’s real GDP and account for nearly half of all private sector jobs, according to a 2019 report by Family Enterprise Canada and the Conference Board of Canada, yet their future is uncertain. As baby boomers exit the workforce, experts say the next generation is unprepared to take over and protect this vital part of the national economy. What skills and knowledge will future business leaders and entrepreneurs need to carry on the family enterprise legacy?
One expert looking into these questions is Telfer professor Peter Jaskiewicz, University Research Chair in enduring entrepreneurship and the founding director of the school’s Family Enterprise Legacy Institute (FELI). In the interview portion of the event, led by Rita Trichur, senior business writer and columnist at The Globe and Mail, Jaskiewicz discussed family enterprises and how, when it comes to business succession, failing to plan is synonymous with planning to fail.
Business: A Family Affair
Jaskiewicz’s research has personal meaning. Growing up with a family musical instrument business in Poland, he had an early taste of entrepreneurship. Unfortunately, following the sudden, unexpected passing of his uncle, the lack of a succession plan led to major family conflict. Within six months, what was once a business appreciated by a loyal clientele and well established in the community closed for good.
This experience motivated Jaskiewicz to help other family businesses avoid the same fate. He also realized that his expertise could not only help business families, but strengthen the global economy as well. During the Globe and Mail webcast, Jaskiewicz said that a third of the family businesses in Europe are in danger of disappearing due to failure to support and prepare the next generation. This represents a large segment of the European economy in terms of jobs, growth and contribution to local surroundings.
Jaskiewicz mentioned two common mistakes that lead to poor family business succession plans:
Members of the next generation are not viewed as partners in planning their integration and are just treated as kids within the family business. Thus, they fail to see their own value in the business and, more so, as contributors to their community.
Family communication is often implicit. However, the senior generation’s vision does not necessarily apply to the next generation, who are easily taken for granted. Open and honest communication should be welcomed early on and even introduced around the kitchen table from a young age.
Saputo, a member of the Telfer Strategic Leadership Cabinet, agreed with Jaskiewicz on the need for communication. For her, it can be difficult to speak about family conflicts. Many families would benefit from outside help — members might be good at running a business, but it doesn’t mean they’re also good at planning the succession. There is a network of professionals who can help, including at Crysalia, which Saputo co-founded to sustain multigenerational enterprising families.
Hudson agreed, adding that her family has worked with outside advisers for the last 20 years. Establishing structures such as family and shareholder councils is beneficial, as is actively educating the next generation about the business.
The panellists agreed that engaging the next generation from a young age is key to them joining the family business. Both Hudson and Stephens shared stories of their involvement in the business as children — Hudson collected eggs on the family farm at age eight and Stephens worked in the family’s restaurants as a busboy. They not only gained an understanding of the business, but also saw their parents’ and family’s sacrifice, passion and energy.
For all panellists, it was important to set protocols on how family members enter the business. And as Stephens noted, the next generation must work hard and prove their worth: “Just because your last name is Stephens doesn’t mean people are going to respect you. You have to earn it, and you earn it by being a good team player.”
Follow the Family Enterprise Legacy Institute (FELI)
Professor Jaskiewicz and his colleagues at FELI have combined their years of international research and practical experience to establish the institute at the Telfer school.
Jaskiewicz has recently published an already influential book, Enabling Next Generation Legacies: 35 Questions that Next Generation Members in Enterprising Families Ask. He and co-author and FELI collaborator Sabine B. Rau have brought together the world’s leading academics, practitioners and enterprising families to answer the most pressing questions faced by next generation members in a concise yet meaningful way. The book consists of best practices, real-life examples and questions for reflection from nearly 100 contributors from 27 different countries.
Answers are important, but asking good questions can be even more so. In our increasingly divisive world, the right questions can truly demonstrate our willingness to understand the needs of the other side.
For the younger generation in business families – Next Gens – the right questions haven’t previously been posed nor answered. Too often a lack of understanding prevails between the wishes of the senior generations and the concerns and needs of Next Gens. To compound this, much academic research has typically focused on the parents’ generation because they are the ones in power. These realities led Telfer Professors Peter Jaskiewicz and Sabine Rau to ask: what do Next Gens really need and want?
To answer this question, Jaskiewicz and Rau went straight to the source, asking Next Gens for their views, perspectives and concerns. The result: newly released book Enabling Next Generation Legacies: 35 Questions that Next Generation Members in Enterprising Families Ask, which is now available in hardcover. The book brings together the thirty-five most pressing questions faced by Next Gen members around the world, with responses from leading academics and enterprising families.
The book was recently the topic of an online article in Family Firm Institute’s publication, FFI Practitioner. The article explains how the book came together, starting with a research process of formal and informal interviews over several years with senior and Next Gen members of more than 100 business families. From these interviews, it quickly became obvious how much the challenges of senior generations differed from those of the Next Gen. Realizing there was a need to consider the Next Gens’ perspective more actively, Jaskiewicz and Rau systematically collected their questions, asked for feedback, then established a final list of thirty-five questions.
With the intention of encouraging discussion and dialogue instead of pushing static solutions, each question provides a thoughtful response from a leading academic or practitioner, followed by commentaries from Next Gens themselves. This unique format offers a fresh perspective on the topic of family business, equally relevant to academics, practitioners and businesses, bringing together the global community to answer the next generation’s call.
As members of Telfer’s new Family Enterprise Legacy Institute (FELI), Jaskiewicz and Rau will be using research findings like those from Enabling Next Generation Legacies to help bridge the gap between differing generations in family businesses. Specialised programs such as the Certificate in Responsible Ownershiptackle the intergenerational disconnect and help prepare the next generation, leading to healthy, sustainable relationships within the family and business.
We, at the Telfer Career Centre, wanted to highlight the invaluable contributions, remarkable success, and inspiring journeys of the many Telfer students from the Black community who play a key role in shaping the future of our society as they embark on their careers. That is why this week we are introducing you to three Telfer students who, each in their own way, can guide our reflection beyond Black History Month. They generously accepted to share their thoughts, hopes, and pride with us. And to end Black History Month on a high note (no pun intended), they each offered their musical, literary and film recommendations. Let us hear what they have to say.
Yinka Fakunle: Putting Growth and Perspective in Action
As a Black person, I have realized that it takes more than just hope and wishes to change the narrative, and I have actively taken it upon myself to educate folks around me whenever the opportunity presents itself. Instead of cancelling people, how about you educate them? Instead of assuming they should know, why not guide them instead in the right direction?
Very few people have quite literally circled the globe. However, Telfer BTM student Yinka Fakunle is one of them. Born and raised in the south-west part of Nigeria, she first completed an Applied Bachelor’s Degree in Accounting at the Federal Polytechnic, in Ado-Ekiti, Nigeria, before embarking on a rich career path that would eventually take her to Lagos, the Nigerian economic hub, and then to Melbourne, Australia. With a strong background in operations support and customer relationship management – not to mention a strong interest in technology-based business solutions – Yinka decided to pursue her passion and a second university degree, this time at the Telfer School of Management in Ottawa, Canada.
Now in her second year of the Business Technology Management option at Telfer, she plays an active role on campus as Director of Finance for the Business Technology Association, and she is about to start her first CO‑OP Term with PwC in May 2022.
Q: What does Black History Month mean to you, personally, as a student and a professional from Nigeria now living, studying, and working in Canada?
A: “Back in Nigeria, it never occurred to me that I was different, as I was not part of a minority. Now that I live in Canada, I find it refreshing to celebrate Black History Month and to learn about the many Afro-descendant Canadians who have contributed to shape this country. To me, BHM is about understanding the part these Afro-Canadians have played throughout history, recognizing the struggles they have faced, and celebrating the obstacles we, as Black people, have overcome together. It is also about reflecting on what I can, as a Black person, bring to the table.”
Q: As an experienced professional and student who has lived on three different continents, I am sure you have been confronted with a myriad of challenges due to racism, but you have also gained an unparalleled degree of perspective. What are you most proud of?
A: “Through my travels and by meeting new people and experiencing various work environments around the world, it is true that my perspective has evolved over the years. As a Black person, I constantly felt I had to prove what I can bring to the table, more so than my non-Black counterparts. I had my values and potential contributions questioned by people who could not see beyond my colour. However, as a Black person, I have realized that it takes more than just hope and wishes to change the narrative, and I have actively taken it upon myself to educate folks around me whenever the opportunity presents itself. Instead of cancelling people, how about you educate them? Instead of assuming they should know, why not guide them instead in the right direction? My experiences have made me more empathetic towards others, and I go out of my way to learn about other people’s culture and see them for who they are. I have learned to listen. Over the past three years, I have been living my authentic self. I flaunt my hair proudly (even though, to this day, I still have to deal occasionally with people touching my hair without my consent or referring to Africa as a country!).”
Q: Your restraint in the face of ignorance commands respect. As a Black student can you tell us about your experience at Telfer?
A: “Due to the pandemic, I have yet to experience the real campus life and immerse myself in the Telfer community. Although I have not faced any racism yet at Telfer, I believe that as a school, as an organization and as a community, we can do and need to do better to promote inclusion. We need to be intentional in our stand against racial prejudice and commit to taking tangible actions. Beyond BHM, we are Black all year round, and racial issues do not fade away. We are still struggling to be heard, either because we remain quiet or because our voices are drowned. We need to bring more Black Telfer alumni to the forefront and build bridges between them and us, students. This is a role that I, personally, would like to play. I can be that person who shares her perspective and journey with others.”
Q: What would you like readers to reflect on, as BHM comes to an end, and in the future?
A: “Each of us can do something individually to influence our decision makers and demand that they take actions. We must go from ignorance to growth, we must recognize our own biases, and ask ourselves how we would like to be treated if we were sitting at the other side of the table. To my non-Black peers, I say: ‘Be open to listen and learn about your Black peers, be genuinely interested and ask them insightful questions, be their voice in rooms where they can’t be present to advocate for themselves.” To my Black peers, I say: ‘Be your most authentic self. Don’t apologize for your Blackness and don’t simply conform to other people’s expectation of how you are meant to show up. And lastly, learn to articulate your values and what you bring to the table.”
Yinka’s Literary Recommendations
“The novels Half of a Yellow Sun (2006) and Americanah (2013), as well as the TED Talk The Danger of a Single Story, by Nigerian author Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie, considered by many as one of the most prominent voices in modern African literature. She describes her experiences in such an unapologetic manner, and not from a place of victimhood, and she embodies her Blackness with such grace. I find her incredibly inspiring.”
Chris Eliel Yao: Pushing Oneself to Push Back Against Prejudice
“In the university environment, we could certainly do more to promote integration. As a newly arrived international student from French‑speaking African countries at Telfer, I really had to push myself, challenge myself and ‘take it upon myself’ to join student activities. At first, it is difficult and scary, and you feel like you are lagging. And I am not the only international student who feels this way, far from it. Perhaps we should rethink the initiatives in place and create focus groups of international students, especially Black students, to determine how best to make this group more comfortable from the moment they arrive on campus.”
Chris Eliel Yao is a charismatic communicator, an enthusiastic collaborator, and a hard worker. He is one of those people who spread good vibes wherever he goes. Hungry for challenges, this 4th-year Marketing and International Management student does not shy away from a busy schedule. In addition to studying full time, this young professional from Côte d’Ivoire works as an International Coach for the Telfer School of Management’s International Student Coaches Program as well as an Ambassador for the Telfer Career Centre. He is also honing his digital marketing skills with a small business that bridges the gap between Abidjan, the Ivorian economic capital, and Gatineau, Quebec.
Q: What does it mean to you to be a member of the Black community, both as a Telfer student and as a professional in the Canadian job market?
A: “For me, being a member of the Black community represents a challenge. We are the representatives of a culture that is subject to many prejudices and stereotypes. That is why we must make our community proud, to make it shine. And to do this, we must excel. There is no room for mistakes. To leave our mark, we must deliver excellence, and nothing less.”
Q: This is undoubtedly a heavy burden to carry and an undue responsibility for Black people. Has this responsibility, as unfair as it may be, brought you anything positive?
A: “I’m the kind of person who sees every challenge as an opportunity. The more difficult a task seems, the more I see it as an opportunity to reach the highest standards. I channel that pressure into delivering results. Fortunately, Ottawa is not a racist environment that makes you feel bad. I feel the pressure to perform, that is a given, but the quality of my work is recognized.”
Q: What does Black History Month mean to you? Is it a time for remembrance, celebration, denunciation, or reflection?
A: “It’s a little bit of all those things, I would say. It’s also a little pause during which all eyes are on the Black community. It is both a celebration of all the struggles our ancestors went through to defend our rights and an opportunity to speak out against the injustices that still exist. It is an honour. For one 12th of the year, we are being given a voice, we are being listened to.
Q: As an international student at Telfer, is there more we could be doing to combat racism and promote integration?
A: “In the university environment, we could certainly do more to promote integration. As a newly arrived international student from French-speaking Africa at Telfer, I really had to push myself, challenge myself and ‘take it upon myself’ to join student activities. At first, it is difficult and scary, and you feel like you are lagging. And I am not the only international student who feels this way, far from it. Perhaps we should rethink the initiatives in place and create focus groups of international students, especially Black students, to identify the best way to make this group feel more comfortable from the moment they arrive on campus.”
Q: What is your proudest professional or academic achievement?
“In addition to joining the Career Centre’s Ambassador Programme, I have become an International Coach. I am, so to speak, ‘responsible’ for the students from French-speaking Africa, of whom there are more than a hundred! I recognize myself in them and I can guide them on their journey. This makes me very proud.”
The first grandson in his family to cross the Atlantic to study in America, Chris is driven by a deep desire to succeed. This Career Centre Ambassador also is, so to speak, the ambassador of an entire family that has high hopes for him. Another heavy responsibility, but one that he admits gives him strength. “Although I constantly feel the pressure to succeed, I am aware that failure is an opportunity to grow. For anyone who knows how to get up and persevere in the face of failure, nothing is impossible!”
Chris’s Literary and Motivational Recommendations
“The poem Africa my Africa by the Franco-Senegalese author David Diop is a must read, as is the autobiographical novel The Dark Child (1954) by Guinean author Camara Laye. I also like the writings and words of Pastor Michael Todd, author of New York Times bestseller CRAZY FAITH, who addresses universal themes and whose words give me great strength.”
Rakina-Belle Laryea: Leading With a Smile
In the world we live today, we ALL have to work hard in order to succeed, regardless of our race. The difference is that as Black students, we already have this drive built within ourselves. Although we could see this added pressure to excel as an unfair burden, I choose to see it as an advantage. Because at the end of the day, if you don’t work hard, if you don’t push yourself, if you don’t buckle up and brace yourself, life will pass you by.
What struck me the most when I met with Rakina-Belle for the first time (beyond her communicative smile) is her level of confidence, drive, and poise. And when you ask her about the small company she founded when she had to return to her hometown of Accra, Ghana, due to the pandemic, you soon realize that this 3rd-year International Management student is an entrepreneur through and through. Fluently bilingual in both French and English thanks to her Ivorian and Ghanaian origins, Rakina-Belle is a shining example of what cultural diversity, combined with a generous dose of resourcefulness, talent, and grit, can produce.
After creating a niche market in Ghana for attiéké, an Ivorian cassava couscous that is as versatile as it is delicious (not to mentiongluten free), and building her own packaging and distribution business, which she was able to maintain and grow in Ghana throughout the pandemic, Rakina‑Belle returned to Ottawa to take on yet another professional challenge: a CO‑OP placement as Supply Chain Coordinator at PepsiCo Foods Canada. A natural-born leader with a knack for problem solving, she immediately went above and beyond her job description and joined forces with other CO-OP students to tackle food waste up the production chain. Did I mention she was driven?
Q: What does Black History Month mean to you personally?
A: “First, BHM is a celebration of our roots and of how far we have come. Despite the many examples of institutional racism that are embedded in laws and regulatory systems and that affect housing and education, just to name those two areas, we need to take a step back to appreciate and celebrate just how far we have come due to the toils and sacrifices of our forefathers. What I got to experience as a first-year student at Telfer, that is, being surrounded by such a diverse group of classmates of all ethnicities, would not have been possible several decades ago. We need to remember that at some point in Canadian history, Black students simply did not have the same rights as non-Black ones. The opportunities I get to seize today at Telfer and the steps I get to take to build my success and my future are a legacy that my forefathers have fought for, and often paid for with their lives. That is why BHM to me is a celebration. We still have work to do, of course, but it is nevertheless a celebration.”
Q: Other Black students have spoken of the undue pressure to outperform their non-Black just to be considered on par with them. Could you share your perspective on the matter?
A: “Growing up, one of the most popular phrases I’ve heard was that as a Black person, you have to work twice as hard, if not thrice as hard. In the world we live today, we ALL have to work hard in order to succeed, regardless of our race. The difference is that as Black students, we already have this drive built within ourselves. Although we could see this added pressure to excel as an unfair burden, I choose to see it as an advantage. Because at the end of the day, if you don’t work hard, if you don’t push yourself, if you don’t buckle up and brace yourself, life will pass you by. The great thing is that for most of us Black students, failing to succeed in life is not even an option.”
Q: As BHM is coming to an end, is there something you would like us to reflect on, as fellow members of the Telfer community, now and in the future?
A: “I would urge everyone outside the Black community to lend a listening ear to a Black person. Listen and be attentive to the stories of your Black friends. Educate yourself and pay attention to what Black persons around you are experiencing.”
Rakina-Belle’s Recommendations
“Any work from the world-renowned producer, director, actor, screenwriter, playwright, author, songwriter, entrepreneur, and philanthropist. Tyler Perry, whose journey is simply awe-inspiring. He has built his career from the ground up, becoming one of the most prominent figures in today’s American cultural landscape. And of course, the remarkable autobiographical series Self Made: Inspired by the Life of Madam C.J. Walker (2020).An African American entrepreneur, philanthropist, and political and social activist, C.J. Walker is recorded as the first female self-made millionaire in America.”
In an ongoing effort, EDI initiatives are something that we take seriously at the Telfer School of Management. The School has an EDI committee that looks at ways to improve the experience at Telfer for students, staff and faculty; new courses are being introduced that focus on diversity and inclusion; an EDI Case Competition at the Graduate level; as well as researchers who are focused on tackling the complexities of EDI. This is a complex issue must be addressed over time and we welcome student voices who want to help us tackle EDI together.
On March 8, the world celebrates International Women’s Day. This year from February 28 – March 11 (and beyond), Invest Ottawa with its partners will run the 4th Annual International Women’s Week (IWW) with a shared goal - to inspire, equip and empower women professionally. It will take all of us working together to expedite change. That is why the University of Ottawa is partnering with Invest Ottawa to bring nine jam-packed days of virtual events to you. Visit the Invest Ottawa website to register for all other events in the community.
This is event is part of University of Ottawa Women in Innovation learning series
Want to know how to break through? These amazing women leaders will share how they are breaking through and impacting their communities. Join us for an insightful hour of three amazing women leaders sharing their individual professional journey and how they are staying the course. Learn their tools and techniques in breaking through as we share a few laughs together. Sophia Leong, EMBA 1995, will moderates the panel with introductory remarks from Martin Bernier, CIO University of Ottawa. These amazing leaders will share their individual journey, their strategies in breaking through and impacting their communities as well as sharing a few laughs:
Join the Indigenous Alumni Council for the live premiere of The Link Season 2 Episode 5 with Anishinabeg entrepreneur and clean water activist Sunshine Tenasco (BEd '04; BA '03) CEO of Pow Wow Pitch, founder of Her Braids and author of “Nibi’s Water Song”.
Attendees will get the chance to ask questions to Sunshine Tenasco during the Q & A session led by the Indigenous Alumni Council following the episode premiere!
Did you know? The uOttawa Library is home to the Canadian Archive of Women in STEM. In collaboration with Library and Archives Canada and the Canadian Institute of Women in Engineering and Sciences (CIWES), the uOttawa Library has established a centre of expertise documenting the history of women who have contributed to science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) in Canada.
Join us for a panel discussion with three trailblazers in the fields of STEM in Canada. Our panelists will discuss their journeys and the importance of sharing and archiving women's stories in order to better foster the next generation of women in STEM.
Black History Month is an opportunity for Canada to celebrate the great contributions and achievements of Black Canadians throughout history and how they have made our country more prosperous, culturally-diverse, and inclusive. The theme for this year’s Black History Month in Canada is February and Forever: Celebrating Black History today and every day, which recognizes the importance of celebrating Black Canadians beyond just the month of February.
At the Telfer School of Management, we value the importance of equity, diversity and inclusion in our student body, programs and initiatives. As such, we wanted to celebrate this history in Canada and highlight useful resources for the Black community during the month of February.
Black History Month in Canada
Black Canadians and their communities have shaped our country dating back to the 1600s, when navigator and interpreter, Mathieu Da Costa, first arrived in the place we now call Canada. Since then, the celebration of Black history in Canada dates back to the 1920s, starting as a week-long celebration, which then evolved into one month. In 1995, Black History Month became an official celebration at the House of Commons, introduced by Canada’s first African-Canadian woman in Parliament, the Honourable Jean Augustine. The Motion to Recognize Contributions of Black Canadians and February as Black History Month was unanimously approved by the Senate of Canada in 2008, brought up by Senator Donald Oliver, the first Black man appointed to the Senate of Canada.
Some of Canada’s first Black Canadian business professionals and entrepreneurs include Thornton Blackburn, who started Toronto’s first cab company in the 1830s; Mary Ann Shadd Cary, the first Black woman editor in Canada working for a Canadian Underground Railway newspaper called the Provincial Freeman; and Carrie Best, the founder of the first Black-owned newspaper in Nova Scotia, The Clarion.
Resources to Help You Achieve Your Goals
Along with the Canadian traditions, the Telfer School of Management values and fosters an environment for all talents to thrive, through both professional growth and personal development. In turn, these values will help create a community that truly reflects who we are. Through different initiatives and partnerships, the School continues to evolve and strive to make significant contributions in the life of its members.
Why Scholarships Are Important
To ensure our program is home to exceptionally talented and ambitious business leaders in the making, we offer access to a wide variety of financial support, including scholarships. Without assistance from an outside source, students may have trouble paying for a university degree. Scholarships thus help students have more time to focus on their studies, rather than needing a part-time job to earn money for their studies, which can take up more than 15 hours per week and become an obstacle to academic success.
Thankfully, generous donors have and continue to enable Telfer students to redefine business practice for the better as well as decrease the number and amount of loans students need in order to complete their degree. Among the different scholarships offered to our students, you can find many that are awarded to students who are part of a Black, Indigenous or Racialized community. Per example, the KPMG Scholarships for Accounting Students, created by KPMG LLP, is offered each year to two second year students of the BCom in Accounting program and who have demonstrated academic excellence. The Marlene King Patrick Admission Scholarship, generously created by Markene King Patrick, is another scholarship exclusive to Telfer students and is awared to a woman from a Black, Indigenous or Racialized community who is newly admitted into an undergraduate program.
To learn more about these scholarships and see if you are eligible, the Online Scholarships and Bursaries is an online tool that gives you access to the directory of scholarships and bursaries offered at the University of Ottawa.
The Onyx Initiative
Historically, business schools have always established themselves as a strong networking hub, uniting the scholars and corporate world of today to foster the leaders of tomorrow. While the number of Black members on the boards of the 100 largest companies on the Toronto Stock Exchange (TSX) has more than tripled over the past year, they currently account for only 2.35% of board members as of January 2021. Regarding the current labour market, Black Canadians in the core age group of 25- to 54-year-olds were more likely to hold a bachelor's degree or higher (42.8%) than Canadians in the same age group who were not a visible minority (33.6%). However, Black Canadians with a university degree had a lower employment rate (86.1%) than their non-visible minority counterparts (91.1%).
The systemic gap in the recruiting and selection of Black university and college students and recent graduates for roles in corporate Canada remains a big challenge. This is why the Onyx Initiative aspires to be a catalyst for the professional growth and development of Black Canadians as they launch their careers after university or college, helping them through access to placements, mentorships, coaching, and professional development.
This early intervention will facilitate a measurable increase in Black students and recent graduates securing internships and full-time employment in their chosen fields while serving the needs of corporations in sourcing qualified and diversified employees. How? First, by aggregating supply through the recruitment, preparation, and exposure of Black talent. This preparation includes career coaching and professional development through online learning, and, more importantly, mentorship. Afterwards, it is their main goal to help these highly prepared and talented individuals to get the exposure and awareness they need to accelerate their careers.
Their second mandate is thus to foster and nurture demand. Onyx can support corporate Canada and facilitate demand for talent. As they work with a wide range of organizations, their partners contribute with more than just financial aid. They can share ideas and in-kind support in helping grow and build the initiative.
Should you be interested in joining this group of Black students and recent graduates who are seeking support to enhance their personal and professional skills and gain access to meaningful career opportunities, you could apply to the 2022 scholar applications before the deadline on April 1st.
Black Entrepreneurship Program
For those who have an entrepreneurial fibre, it is within Telfer core values to enable students to develop the skills necessary to or launch a new venture creation, contribute to a high growth enterprise, or drive innovation at an existing organization. Whether you want to lead your own enterprise, work in a family business, or manage growth in an established company, our goal is to stimulate, inspire and prepare students to do so. Whether at Telfer or through the University of Ottawa, we offer a wide variety of entrepreneurship courses and programs (i.e. entrepreneurship option, Entrepreneurship Foundry, the Telfer Entrepreneurs' Club or Enactus), and the uOttawa Entrepreneurship Hub, that aim to propel careers in the entrepreneurship world.
There are also interesting opportunities through government-funded programs. For example, the Black Entrepreneurship Program (BEP) is a partnership between the Government of Canada, Black-led business organizations, and financial institutions to help Black Canadian business owners and entrepreneurs grow their businesses and achieve their goals. Along with a Black Entrepreneurship Loan Fund, driven by The Federation of African Canadian Economics (FACE), a National Ecosystem Fund and a Black Entrepreneurship Knowledge Hub, up to $265 million over four years has been invested in this program led by Innovation, Science and Economic Development Canada (ISED). These investments will help thousands of Black Canadian business owners and entrepreneurs by providing them with access to financing, mentorship opportunities, financial planning services, business training and more.
Mental Health Support Groups at uOttawa
The University of Ottawa has created specific support groups including a BIPOC (Black Indigenous and People of Colour), Black students support group, and international students support group to provide provides a safe space for those who identify with each of these groups to find strength, friendship, and expression of unfiltered feelings among peers. Each of these groups focus on building community, discussing any faced challenges, and connecting in a supportive space.
Students Supporting Students
Beyond academic resources, many of the most enriching experiences at Telfer take place outside the classroom, thanks to a close-knit student community. Among many student clubs and associations at Telfer and uOttawa, the Black Student Leaders Association (BSLA) will serve to assist and enhance the academic, social and philanthropic aspects of black students’ journeys at the University of Ottawa. They aim to represent the members of the community in a way that positively and truly reflects who they are and their potential to be leaders. BSLA extends open arms to all students and faculty who share their values to join the association.
“Count Me In” Initiative
After a long process of research, consultations and data analysis, the uOttawa Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Committee (EDIC) has launched a critical initiative to identify barriers to inclusion and to propose initiatives to bring traditionally excluded persons into research, teaching and administrative communities at the university. The initiative slogan, “Count me in / Comptez moi,” invites students, faculty and staff to self-identify in terms of gender, indigeneity, racialization, accommodation/disability, LGBTQIA2S+ preference, language preference and proficiency in Canada’s official languages in an anonymous and confidential questionnaire. By doing so, it will enable uOttawa to spot barriers and uncover systemic roadblocks to equity, diversification inclusion. When you count yourself in, you’re leading by example and making your presence known so that others may follow in your footsteps.
The questionnaire is accessible through uoZone. The Human Rights Office is responsible for confidentiality, ensuring only disaggregated data is used by the University community to inform and prioritize EDI initiatives and enable the creation of more of them.
Moreover, by simply counting yourself in, you enable inclusion. With each survey completion, the Office of the Provost and Vice President, Academic Affairs, will donate $1 to a scholarship fund for uOttawa students incorporating the principles of EDI into their academic and research projects.
Telfer and the University of Ottawa celebrate Black History Month
Black History Month is a time to learn more about the contributions Black Canadians have made to the settlement, growth and development of Canada and their importance to the history of the Telfer School. Follow us on our social media to learn more about virtual and on-campus events and celebrate the contribution of our community throughout the month of February and beyond.
If you know of a member of Telfer Nation that deserves recognition for their actions and accomplishments or you are leading an initiative for Black Canadians, we invite you to share this story with us.
The result of years of international research and practical experience, Enabling Next Generation Legacies delves into the unique challenges that confront family businesses.
Telfer professors Peter Jaskiewicz and Sabine Rau have brought together the world’s leading academics, practitioners, and enterprising families to answer the most pressing questions faced by Next Generation members in a short and concise, yet meaningful way.
The book consists of best practices, real-life examples, and additional critical questions for reflection from nearly 100 contributors from 27 different countries. Expert commentaries come from members of the world’s leading family businesses including Auchan (France), Saputo (Canada), and Sabra (Israel), as well as from various academic experts from business schools around the globe like Kellogg, IMD, and INSEAD.
Below, read the response to a pressing question asked by family enterprises, followed by commentary from a Next Generation member of an enterprising family.
How Can I Prepare Myself to Work Effectively With My Fellow Family Owners?
Response by Peter Jaskiewicz and Elizabeth Tetzlaff, Canada
A PricewaterhouseCoopers survey of 956 Next Gens in 2019 from sixty countries and territories found that Next Gens have big plans.[i] With 70 percent of these Next Gens actively engaged in the family business, by 2025; 41 percent expect to be executive directors (i.e., owner-managers); 29 percent anticipate being majority shareholders; 15 percent plan on being involved in business governance, and the other 15 percent expect to become non-executive directors. In other words, 85 percent share the ambition of becoming owners of their families’ businesses.
As Marvel’s Uncle Ben reminds Peter Parker, “with great power comes great responsibility.”[ii] Ambition, like power, has its own counterweight—obstacles. So, it could be said, “with great ambition come great obstacles.” Despite their ambition, 52 percent of Next Gens have yet to be given the responsibility of a special project, and despite being “deeply engaged” in the family business, 64 percent of them admit that they are not being used as a sounding board. Worse still, 10 percent of these Next Gens feel unheard: “I make suggestions, but they are hardly ever listened to.” These statistics echo the sentiment that Next Gens shared with us: We are ambitious and want to work effectively as owners, but how can we prepare for that ourselves?
Ambition, Abilities, Approach, and Acceptance
In our experience, effective Next Gens have their “A game,” which includes four As—ambition, abilities, approach, and acceptance.[iii]
Ambition.To have ambition is to have determination and a strong desire to achieve or see something to completion.[iv] For Next Gens, this desire could speak not only to their desire to succeed as the successor, but also their determination to improve upon the advancements made in the family firm. Indeed, on one hand, we have met Next Gens who lacked ambition, stating: “I will never be as good as the incumbent.” On the other hand, we have met ambitious Next Gens who were keen to learn how to accelerate their own development and were eager to leave their mark. For instance, they talked about projects to reduce carbon emissions of the family firm, unify the family before spinning off outdated business units, or implement plans in the family office to sell investments that do not comply with environmental and social standards. Without their ambition, these behaviors might not take place. Ambition is thus the first necessary quality that Next Gens need to possess. However, in order for it to be beneficial and not destructive, ambition, like energy, needs a value-oriented direction.
Abilities. Abilities help to harness ambition and give it direction. Abilities are commonly equated with accounting degrees or strategy MBAs. However, the abilities that make effective family owners are much broader and include having good people skills, being able to motivate others on the team, having healthy coping mechanisms to deal with stress, and being able to approach conflict constructively. In his biography, Charles Bronfman—the second-generation former co-leader of Seagram—describes many effective decisions that he and his brother Edgar made, but Charles also discloses that his biggest mistake was to suppress his thoughts when his brother and his brother’s son brought forward proposals that were driven by their personal interests rather than business sense.[v] Charles says that he saw the problems of the family’s investment ideas but admitted that he did not use his veto right because he felt pressured to comply and wan ted to avoid conflicts. From Charles’s story, we learn how important it is for family owners to have an encompassing range of soft skills. We can also see that ambitions that are not properly guided can ruin the family business.
Approach. Having the right abilities equips the owner with a foundation onto which they can add an effective approach to decision-making processes in family business. In our experience, as long as all parties involved feel that their voices are heard and accounted for, family owners are able to make controversial decisions (e.g., How do we deal with an underperforming family manager?)—even if they do not fully agree with each other to start with. Otherwise stated, Next Gens need to understand what constitutes a fair process, communicate, and then implement such processes.[vi] We have witnessed, firsthand, good decisions failing because the family did not use an approach that allowed those involved to feel that they were all on equal footing in the decision-making process.
Acceptance. Finally, having the ambition and the ability together with the right approach leads Next Gens to the door, but in order to open it, a key is necessary: acceptance. It is not uncommon to experience the disheartening feeling of meeting everyone, having them congratulate you on the new board appointment, and then ignore you for the rest of the meeting (or the next five-to-ten years). This does not mean that the Next Gen will not be accepted, it simply means that Next Gens will need to accept that it is necessary to prove themselves in order to be recognized. Learning about ownership can look like attending family council meetings, being a board observer (visitor) in board meetings, and assuming formal roles in student groups, local not-for-profits, or regional family business associations. Rather than passively waiting for acceptance, Next Gens need to proactively work tow ard it. In other words, if Next Gens are able to commit to proving themselves outside and inside of the family business, then they will be more likely accepted as Next Gen leaders.
In summary, Next Gen owners’ effectiveness is an outcome of their ambition, abilities, approach, and acceptance. If the senior generation does not share influence and does not treat Next Gens as owners, the latter will be less effective. Similarly, fellow Next Gen owners can be destructive. If they are poorly prepared and immature, they can torpedo processes and push away effective Next Gens. Therefore, families and Next Gens need to do their part to ensure that none of the future owners become the Achilles heel of the family and the bottleneck of their enterprise(s). Families whose Next Gens bring their “A game” are more likely to make a difference for their families, enterprises, and communities.
Elizabeth Tetzlaff is a PhD candidate at the Telfer School of Management. Her research centers around exploring the impact of mental health on both the functioning of the business family as well as on the health and vitality of the family business. In addition to her research, Elizabeth is working on SSHRC-funded research study to understand how differences among families influence the longevity and success of their family businesses.
The ebook for Enabling Next Generation Legacies: 35 Questions That Next Generation Members in Enterprising Families Ask is now available. Learn more at www.35questions.com. Print copies available February 2022.
To learn more, visit the Family Enterprise Legacy Institute and subscribe to our newsletter to stay up to date on how Telfer is shaping the conversation about the future of family enterprise.
References
[i]“Agents of change: Earning your licence to operate,” PwC’s Global NextGen Survey (Germany: PwC, 2019), 1-26.
[ii] Spider-Man, directed by Sam Raimi (2002; Culver City, CA: Columbia TriStar Home Entertainment), DVD.
[iii] Mira Bloemen-Bekx, “Enriching the Early Phases of the Succession Process: An Explanation of the Role of Social Mechanisms in Business Families” (PhD diss., Hasselt University, 2019). Authors’ note: Mira Bloemen-Bekx speaks of ambition, abilities, and acceptance.
[iv] Oxford English Dictionary, 3rd ed. (2001), s.v. “ambition.”
[v] Charles Bronfman and Howard Green, Distilled: A Memoir of Family, Seagram, Baseball, and Philanthropy (New York: HarperCollins, 2017).
[vi] Ludo Van der Heyden, Christine Blondel and Randel S. Carlock, “Fair Process: Striving for Justice in Family Business,” Family Business Review 18, no. 1 (March 2005):1-21.
Family businesses pass more than ownership to the next generation – they also pass on traditions. And better management of these traditions can help family enterprises address two of their fundamental tensions: the need to modernize the business and the need to honour the founder’s vision.
Early studies suggested that traditions were an impediment to change because they burdened the family business with history. For instance, traditions could make family businesses risk-averse and less innovative because the preservation of the status quo trumps anything else.
However, as explained in a recently published article in The Conversation – co-authored by Peter Jaskiewicz, Telfer’s University Research Chair in Enduring Entrepreneurship – family firms shouldn’t be so quick to cast traditions aside. To explain the importance of traditions, the article weaves in examples from Greek folklore, using the famous stories of Theseus’ Paradox and Sophocles’ account of Oedipus. Parallels to the hit HBO series Successionare also made to explain how traditions can help and harm the family firm.
The article – adapted from an earlier paper published in Family Business Review – proposes that traditions shouldn’t be thrown out of the firm, nor rigidly enforced, but instead reinterpreted by the next generation. One way this can be done is through collective remembering: when senior family members share stories about past achievements and discuss their meaning with the next generation, they co-create narratives that are relevant to both generations. Another way is by retaining the structural elements of traditions — the rituals —but continually updating them to be relevant in today’s world.
It is through this rebuilding and reinterpreting of traditions that senior and next generation family members learn to better work together for the benefit of the family firm. Telfer’s new Family Enterprise Legacy Institute (FELI) – of which Jaskiewicz is the inaugural Director – encourages and supports these relationships, working directly with family enterprises to help them evolve while maintaining their authentic identity and traditions. Knowledge gained and applied leads to more family enterprises enduring from generation to generation – leading to a stronger Canadian economy.
Peter’s research on family business has received numerous awards and were considered among the most globally influential scholarship in 2013, 2015, and 2017. Peter has presented his research insights to members of the European Parliament, the European Commission, and employees of the United Nations. In addition, he has also worked with the federal government in Canada. His current research focuses on antecedents of transgenerational entrepreneurship and corporate reputation in family and founder firms. Moreover, Peter researches organizational outcomes of entrepreneurial legacies, managerial pay dispersion, and family dynamics in these firms.
The journey to success of Telfer School graduate Brennan Loh inspires how he supports and empowers the next generation of entrepreneurs.
No two paths to success are entirely the same. Yet some guideposts are more dependable than others. Brennan Loh’s entrepreneurship journey is a reliable route for any budding businessperson to follow.
The Telfer School graduate and top Shopify leader started early, made connections and seized challenges. This path has not only taken him to the pinnacle of Canadian business, but has also guided how he helps the emerging generation of entrepreneurs at the Telfer School through generous donations, purposeful involvement and volunteer activities.
Start your journey early!
Entrepreneurship has always been near and dear to Brennan. As a child, he was motivated to start businesses and create something from nothing. His natural inclination for entrepreneurship was partly the reason.
The other was the inspiration he received from his businessman father, who immigrated to Canada from Singapore. After losing his job, Brennan watched as his father took the risk of becoming an entrepreneur to support their family. It was a proud moment for Brennan, and one that helped catalyze the importance of fostering an entrepreneurial spirit not just in those that want it but who need it to survive.
Motivated to unleash his entrepreneurial spirit, Brennan joined the Telfer School in 2007. He was so eager to hit the ground running that he became a member of the Telfer School’s Entrepreneurs’ Club before he even began his studies. This early and enthusiastic start by the budding entrepreneur was a clear sign of things to come.
The Entrepreneurs’ Club offered Brennan a vibrant and welcoming gathering place, and put him in close contact with fellow entrepreneurs. It especially gave him learning opportunities that enabled him to dare boldly yet fail safely, without suffering significant personal or financial consequences. Brennan so enjoyed his membership with the Entrepreneurs’ Club that he served on its executive team for four years, two of them as president.
“The Entrepreneurs’ Club was a natural fit for Brennan’s entrepreneurial talents,” said Professor Stephen Daze, Dom Herrick Chair in Entrepreneurship at the Telfer School. “From an early age, he knew how to create value for sponsors and motivate team members; and he had a scrappy startup mentality—something that he has carried through to today!”
Make connections to discover opportunities
Entrepreneurial success is never a solo mission. Again, Brennan’s experience supplies a telling example. As part of a third-year course, he and two friends from the University of Ottawa Faculty of Engineering created a tech startup. They called it Avitu. When the school year ended, the entrepreneurial trio decided not to halt their enterprise but to keep their budding business active.
That summer, Brennan and his Avitu partners worked tirelessly out of a hot apartment before being given the opportunity by a uOttawa alumnus to use part of Shopify’s office space to run their company. The alumnus, Harley Finkelstein, a graduate of the combined law and MBA program, was chief platform officer at Shopify at the time.
Brennan took advantage of being in a shared space with Shopify to exchange best practices and discuss business strategies with Harley every week. The dedication and effort shown by Brennan and his business partners impressed Harley and the other Shopify executives so much that they offered them jobs within the company.
Seize challenges and reap the benefits
By the time Brennan graduated with a Bachelor of Commerce in Marketing in 2011, he was already working over 40 hours per week at Shopify. The combination of school and full-time employment was demanding, but the valuable real-world experience he acquired only served to bolster his confidence and motivate him to take on increasingly greater challenges in the company.
In the decade since he joined Shopify, Brennan has helped the company grow from fledgling startup to e-commerce titan. His rise through the company’s ranks has been equally impressive—going from head of business development, to director of business development, to director of international markets. His varied and impressive portfolio of projects include Shopify media productions and Shopify Rebellion, the company’s e-sports organization.
Today, as the company’s director of brand and marketing partnerships, Brennan says his motivation stems partly from looking back with pride at successful projects he once thought would be impossible to achieve. Despite his impressive resume and achievements, he remains humble and prefers to operate under the radar. Case in point: in the years when he travelled frequently for the company, he would joke that few people at the Shopify head office knew who he was.
An inspiring journey that empowers a new generation
In keeping with his natural humility, Brennan is quick to acknowledge how much the generosity of others helped shape and propel his career. His professors, his classmates, and his colleagues at Shopify each gave him their trust and encouragement.
In turn, Brennan uses his journey to success as inspiration for how he supports and empowers the emerging generation of entrepreneurs at the Telfer School. To help budding business people start early, Brennan volunteers as an informal mentor, inspiring the next generation to seek out the opportunities that will shape their futures. To enable them to make connections, Brennan continues his work with the Entrepreneurs’ Club as an advisory board member. And to motivate and support emerging entrepreneurs, Brennan is a mentor at the Entrepreneurship Hub’s Startup Garage and an angel investor in the technology sector.
Most notably, Brennan funded the Loh Entrepreneurship Experience Scholarship to allow students to dare boldly. The bursary provides students from any faculty at the University of Ottawa with financial and mentorship support in their entrepreneurial journeys.
“We must give students opportunities to fail safely,” Brennan said. “I see encouraging a student to take four months to pursue entrepreneurship with a financial safety net and minimal opportunity cost to their formal education (in other words, letting them earn credits) as one of many possible solutions. I would love to see universities embrace innovative bets on fostering student entrepreneurship.”
As a result of this generous and intelligent contribution, the Telfer School named Brennan the 2021 Young Donor of the Year. The deserving honour is yet one more step along a career path worth following.
If you would like to support the student experience at the Telfer School of Management through a donation, click here to make a gift to the Telfer Nation Fund. For more information, please don’t hesitate to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. a member of our team.
The balance between launching an Ottawa startup and being a student can be both a time-consuming and rewarding feat. University of Ottawa alumnus, Karim Alibhai, and Telfer alumna, Alina Jahani, know all about the student entrepreneurship lifestyle.
The BSc and BCom Management Information Systems duo launched their recruitment startup, HireFast, while completing their undergraduate degrees and are now closing a six-figure exit deal with a large American company.
The Beginnings of HireFast
Karim, the engineer of the partnership, remembers exactly how the HireFast journey began: “I was on a bus in Ottawa and my friend was telling me how he was interviewing for software engineering positions and how [employers] make them solve different problems in interviews. They were testing software engineers on algorithms, even though that’s not really what they’d be doing at their jobs.”
He then got the idea to start HireFast, an assessment tool for software engineer employers that would more accurately test applicant skills. He brought on Alina to help with project management and business development, and the partnership began. Now, the business uses pre-existing insights and data to help improve hiring times, quality of applicants, and quality of jobs.
The Life of Student Entrepreneurs
After Karim and Alina established their business idea, their first step was contacting Telfer entrepreneurship professor, Stephen Daze. Professor Daze teaches third and fourth-year classes for entrepreneurs and is noted to be one of Hire Fast’s key resources.
“He was a pivotal piece to our company. He was phenomenal and was not afraid to rip us apart and tell us when we were [not doing the right thing],” Karim explained.
After pivoting, the business grew and Alina and Karim began noticing the struggles of balancing their full-time work on a business and studies for each of their degrees. The two biggest challenges they faced as young, busy entrepreneurial students were related to time management and financing.
“Time management was tough. It was really hard to balance time, so as a result, we got lower marks [in courses] than what we were used to. Also, you are very cash-constrained, so we were trying to save money on small things that other people in the market could afford”, shared Karim
However, the benefits of being students while starting a business was their access to student competitions and opportunities like Startup Garage that the university has to offer.
uOttawa Entrepreneurship Programs and Business Accelerators
HireFast joined the Startup Garage program at the University of Ottawa’s Entrepreneurship Hub as part of the 2019 cohort. The pair originally applied to join because the program allows students to take an eight-month break from their studies and focus on their businesses full-time.
“We ended up getting more than just that, the best probably being a community of like-minded people, which was very powerful,” Karim explained. “Sometimes when you are failing it can be very overwhelming, but having other people in those same situations to guide you really helps.”
Another benefit to the program, Karim noted, was the access to experts in fields that they needed help in: “We were able to connect with Nolan Beanlands, who used to run the Startup Garage. He was extremely helpful.”
Alongside accelerator programs like Startup Garage, Karim and Alina noted that the business also felt supported financially by the university and its programs and competitions.
Business Startup Advice
Looking back, Karim had a few pieces of advice for current students who want to bring their business idea to life: “Try to stand on the shoulders of experts, alumni, and anyone you can. That was one of the key factors to our success. To talk to amazing people like Stephen Daze and Nolan Beanlands. We are still in touch with them and a lot of the time I had tunnel vision and getting advice from them was super useful.”
As for the Telfer alumna, Alina, she says that the main goal student entrepreneurs should keep in mind is to not give up: “Whatever the challenge is in your business, the last thing you want to do is lock yourself in a room and try to figure it out yourself. Lean on your beta users, customers, industry experts to find the answers you need. Launch small but powerful experiments to get your hypothesis validated and iterate from there.”
The Six-Figure Acquisition
HireFast was recently acquired by a consulting recruitment business in New York, U.S.
Karim shared how they were able to find the perfect match to make an exit deal:“We wanted someone with the right fit. So, we found a company in NY and they were already running a consulting recruiting business and they wanted to go into the software side. HireFast was basically their trampoline to the software side of recruiting.”
The New York-based business plans on launching the software in 2022.
As for the business and engineer duo, they are now both pursuing careers at two different startups. Karim is working in the dental startup space in New York, while Alina is pursuing project management as a Product Analyst in the retirement world.
Although living the life of a student entrepreneur can be hard work, the University of Ottawa and Telfer School of Management works hard to support students who are chasing their dreams.
Canadian industry chief executive says our country needs a catalyst to spark space innovation and entrepreneurship.
Are you aware of the Space Race? It began on October 4, 1957, when the Soviet Union launched Sputnik 1, the first artificial satellite, into orbit around the Earth. Over the ensuing dozen years, the United States and the Soviet Union competed in a fierce and sometimes deadly duel of technological space one-upmanship. The race culminated in 1969, when the U.S. landed a manned mission on the Moon and brought the astronauts back home safely.
According to Daniel Goldberg—president and CEO of Telesat, Canada’s largest satellite company—a new space race is underway. But this one is of a different kind. We spoke with Goldberg recently and our conversation revealed that this new space race is a satellite-driven dash for commercial supremacy of low Earth orbit—and the high-paying jobs, vast sums of revenue, and surging economic growth that come along with it.
To be more specific, today’s space race is propelled by private and public sectors working in tandem. Private companies lead advancements in communications satellite manufacturing and production, while governments monitor, regulate and promote an increasingly complex panorama of technological development. The complicated and evolving interplay between private and public has created fascinating industry conditions.
Canada is in fierce competition for commercial supremacy in space
Dr. Wadid Lamine, associate professor of entrepreneurship at the Telfer School of Management, is at the forefront of scholarly research to understand how innovation and entrepreneurship play out in the space industry. His most recent article concludes that certain policies in Europe have created a space industry in that region with barriers to access, leading it to be dominated by two giant French aerospace companies—Airbus and Thales. As a result of this closed environment, new European entrepreneurs have constrained ability and little incentive to enter the aerospace market.
Goldberg and Telesat experience firsthand the industry conditions that Lamine studies. The company’s advanced constellation of 298 state-of-the-art low Earth orbit satellites, known as Telesat Lightspeed, puts Telesat in direct and fierce competition with U.S.-based industry giants SpaceX and Amazon. “We are in a market that is brutally competitive,” he says. “The companies we compete against often have access to very significant financial resources, and a lot of that is connected to support from their domestic governments.”
SpaceX is a prime example. According to Goldberg, the company has been so successful so quickly in large part because of its close relationship with the U.S. government, which provides SpaceX with major funding to develop products. The same conditions largely hold true for other Telesat competitors around the world. The biggest space industry firms in China and Russia for instance are either state agencies or receive major backing in the form of funding and purchases from national governments. In Goldberg’s mind: “For our country to maximize the likelihood of success, we have to harness the abilities of our different stakeholders and make sure they are executing where the big opportunities are.”
Canada needs a space for collaboration, innovation and entrepreneurship
The Telesat CEO offers a solution. He contends that Canada’s space industry needs what he calls a catalyst or convening function to bring government, businesses and academia together in common cause. Only then can the industry gain the clearest possible understanding of the opportunities that warrant substantial investment, the insights emerging from university researchers, and the technological innovations arising from universities writ large.
A space industry catalyst is not a completely unfamiliar idea. The United States established its National Space Council, chaired by the country’s vice-president, because it recognized the strategic importance of the public and private sectors working together. The United Kingdom has followed the U.S. example. Closer to home, Canada has taken much the same approach in various sectors other than space. Our country’s Innovation Superclusters are convening agents to nurture innovation ecosystems in industries such as digital technology and advanced manufacturing.
Goldberg’s rallying cry dovetails neatly with Lamine’s most recent research findings. Lamine found that innovation and entrepreneurship in the space industry only really take off when policymakers, entrepreneurs, established firms and university researchers build strong alliances. “This could be achieved by policymakers creating a space and working at the regional level to bring universities, industry and policymakers together to learn from each other, share ideas and transfer knowledge,” he writes.
Universities and their researchers are central to space industry partnerships
Both Lamine and Goldberg believe that universities and academics must be part of any relationships sparked by a space industry catalyst. Goldberg in particular sees two main benefits from university participation. First and foremost are new insights that are unearthed by expert university researchers.
“You have a lot of academics doing ground-breaking research on space communications and new battery technologies,” he says. “I believe there should be greater dialogue between what we are doing in the private sector and universities, and ongoing, regular dialogue and exchange about things that we are both seeing.”
Goldberg also anticipates a workforce benefit. “We are hiring a lot of people, including co-op students, out of universities,” he says. “We need to make sure graduating students come with the skillsets we need.” Dr. Lamine concurs. He notes that establishing the kind of deep, multi-faceted partnership referenced by Goldberg would create a vital “triple helix relationship” among universities, industry firms, and policymaking officials and institutions.
Two prominent voices—one in the private sector and the other in academia—are calling for the same thing: greater dialogue and richer partnerships within Canada’s broader space industry. Their voices might just be the catalyst our country’s industry needs to thrive even more in the new space race.
Place à la jeunesse is an outstanding experiential learning opportunity for Franco-Ontarian high school students organized by the Telfer School of Management each year.
It is a program for young students with an interest in business that consists of an in-class component focused on key business topics followed by, as central component, a case competition. The Jeux du Commerce inspired competition has been bringing together Franco-Ontarian youth since its first edition in 2004. The competition hosts over 90 students from French-language high schools across Ontario, aged 15 and 19.
The program also serves as an opportunity to promote the pursuit of post-secondary education in French and at the same time enriches the students' business knowledge through an immersive and extraordinary hands-on experience.
The students learn a lot in class, but the opportunity to practise theoretical skills in an environment that encourages creativity, innovation and critical thinking is the main value-add in their academic development.
The Place à la jeunesse (PALJ) competition creates an environment that encourages participants to grow and share their ideas, contextualize real issues, and solve them.
Traditionally, the competition is divided into the following academic sections:
Marketing
Accounting
Entrepreneurship
Debate
Students are given three hours to analyze a case study, find the primary and secondary problems, come up with solutions, prepare their answers and present them to a panel of judges.
Their presentations are evaluated by judges from the community, the Telfer School, and/ other local professionals. Judges provide critical feedback to each team so that members can improve and develop their skills beyond the competition.
“It feels good to see our students engaged, full of energy and finally having experiences,” says Shelley Ryan, a business teacher at E.J. Lajeunesse High School, who saw her students take part in the 2021 edition.
Linked with Experiential Learning Goals at Telfer
At the Telfer School of Management experiential learning is an important component of any student’s journey. Experiential learning is deeply integrated in our programs through our active learning courses, learning lab and co-op program amongst other opportunities. Students benefit greatly from these learning experiences and can use them to develop and explore new subjects, valuable at any learning level.
For Franco-Ontarian students, Place à la jeunesse is a great early experiential learning opportunity to participate in that offers a taste of what to expect during their university studies. It also has the advantage of being offered in Canada’s capital, the heart of bilingual Ontario. It’s one of the few experiential learning opportunities of its kind.
During the Place à la jeunesse competition, students can display their theoretical knowledge and apply it to real situations as well as gain peer recognition and possible scholarships.
How to Get Involved
If you or someone you know attends a French-language high school in Ontario, this unforgettable experiential learning experience is a chance to prepare for university life and develop a network of contacts with students and community members throughout French Ontario.
Participating students can win university scholarships. This fall, winners of each section received University of Ottawa scholarships worth a total of $58,500.
If you are interested in getting involved with the organizing committee, there are opportunities for this too. “We’re always looking for people who passionately care about education, entrepreneurship and French to help us organize the event,” says Catherine Gingras, Telfer BCom student and chair of the organizing committee for the 2021 edition.
Entrepreneurs and their start-ups, and the subsequent growth of their firms, can have a vital impact on the health of an economy. What’s more, young adults in Canada have demonstrated a growing interest in entrepreneurship as a career choice. Although entrepreneurship has historically been associated with business schools and traditional start-ups, all students need to learn to create value in uncertain environments with limited resources. Consequently, regardless of their faculty or career path, every student needs to learn and practice the skills typical of entrepreneurship. Whether these students become entrepreneurs, intrapreneurs, employees, or innovators, the question for educators is: How are we working toward this goal?
To answer this question, Professor Stephen Daze and his team conducted a review of entrepreneurship activities at the 27 largest universities in Canada. This annual report describes the numbers and types of entrepreneurship courses available, the opportunities for students to learn this valuable skillset outside the classroom, and the current practices that support student start-ups.
Professor Daze shared the highlights of his 2021 annual report in an article published in The Conversation Canada. Read the full article to learn more about entrepreneurship education in Canada.
Stephen Daze is a long-standing, award-winning member of the entrepreneurship ecosystem in Canada. He keeps his skills fresh as by serving as a visiting professor who teaches entrepreneurship in the undergraduate and MBA programs at the University of Ottawa and by working with entrepreneurs during the launch of their new ventures. He also currently serves as Entrepreneur-in-Residence at the Telfer School of Management and in 2016, he was named the University of Ottawa Chapter Honoree of Beta Gamma Sigma, an international business honour society. Learn more about Stephen Daze’s work.
When Nova Scotia Tory leader Tim Houston surged to an upset victory in August, most commentators attributed his success to his promise to improve healthcare. His proposed solution was captured by one line of his platform: “We need more beds, more staff, and more technology.” To overcome the next wave of the pandemic and to improve healthcare, a basic variation of this theme is being proposed by every government. However, following the recent Canadian Institute for Health Information report that indicates that Canadian healthcare costs continue to surge exponentially, can anyone really believe that we will be better off simply with “more,” especially with no consensus ceiling to consider?
The context bearing down on us is a nation-wide healthcare human resources (health HR) crisis. The workforce is being depleted, with droves of nurses, physicians, personal support workers, and others who are suffering from burnout or PTSD, quitting their jobs in record numbers. According to Statistics Canada, the job vacancy rate in healthcare is at an all-time high, up more than 50% from last year.
Without question, the one and only resource needed to sustain and improve healthcare systems across the country is human: qualified and engaged health professionals. However, simply adding “boots on the ground” or superficial one-off financial incentives to attract staff---such as the Quebec government’s $18,000 bonuses for nurses---will unfortunately not succeed.
The singular and all-consuming pandemic response during the peak periods has left hundreds of thousands of Canadians waiting anxiously for potentially life-saving diagnostic testing, surgical procedures that were deemed non-urgent, and a host of consultations and basic health services. These must now be reintroduced alongside regular day-to-day operations, led by a dwindling, traumatized, and exhausted workforce. The solution is not, as Dr. Andy Smith, CEO of Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre, suggests, to ask everyone to work 130% until we’ve caught up, which will likely take years – and at what cost?
The first step in solving the crisis is counterintuitive in that we need to invest time in formally debriefing the experiences of the pandemic thus far, lest they go to waste. This means asking leaders and staff at all levels, patients, families, and communities: where did we get it right? Who was under-serviced or treated inequitably? What systemic improvements are within our reach? Prioritizing the time to do this is crucial.
Second, the keys to solving many of our problems lie in the data, the terabytes of information on patient experience, clinical outcomes, and staff engagement that are waiting patiently in servers to be mined and analyzed. Healthcare leaders need to be equipped with the tools, competencies, and again, the time, to continuously analyze this information and make informed decisions for systems improvement.
Third, these decisions must be considered through the lens of the whole system – including its workforce, patients, communities, and continuum of care – as opposed to just a single element at the expense of others. For example, increasing the number of hours worked by individual nurses and physicians can also increase their fatigue, absenteeism, and turnover, as well as medical errors, all of which diminish the overall performance of the health system. Similarly, giving key personnel one-time bonuses, as is done in Quebec for nurses, will only momentarily prolong the inevitable once this same personnel returns to the same chaotic workplace conditions.
The responsibility of carving out time and space to reflect, to dig into the data, and to address issues in a systemic way does not belong to front line workers; their jobs are to saves lives. It is their leaders and more specifically, middle-level health care managers, who sit in the sweet spot to enact change. It is they who require a mindset of agility, adaptability, and innovation to extricate time for reflection, to look at data, and to propose systemic solutions. Since the early months of 2020, front-line healthcare workers have been front and centre in our minds and in our politics. As we look for a path forward, it is time to shift our focus up the organizational chart and provide support to those who will be the ultimate catalysts of improved healthcare.
In the coming months, The Telfer Knowledge Hub will be featuring select parts from Enabling Next Generation Legacies: 35 Questions That Next Generation Members in Enterprising Families Ask.
The resultof years of international research and practical experience, Enabling Next Generation Legacies delves into the unique challenges that confront family businesses.
Telfer professors Peter Jaskiewicz and Sabine Rau have brought together the world’s leading academics, practitioners, and enterprising families to answer the most pressing questions faced by Next Generation members in a short and concise, yet meaningful way.
The book consists of best practices, real-life examples, and additional critical questions for reflection from nearly 100 contributors from 27 different countries. Expert commentaries come from members of the world’s leading family businesses including Auchan (France), Saputo (Canada), and Sabra (Israel), as well as from various academic experts from business schools around the globe like Kellogg, IMD, and INSEAD.
Below, read the response to a pressing question asked by family enterprises, followed by commentary from a Next Generation member of an enterprising family.
Who Is Considered Part of the Family?
Response by Gibb Dyer, US
The question “who is considered part of the family” is important for both academics and consultants who study and work with family businesses as well as family business owners and managers themselves. For academics and consultants, identifying who is considered family is key to determining a family’s impact on a business (and the business on the family) while those families who own and manage a business often need to decide if those who are considered family will have an opportunity to be involved in the ownership or management of the business.
Definition of “Family”
To identify who makes up a family we need to understand what people commonly consider a family to be. The definition of family is problematic today given the various types of families that exist. For our purposes, a family will be defined as “individuals who identify themselves as a family unit, are recognized by others as part of a family, and share a common biological, genealogical, and/or social history.”[i]
Families come in all shapes and sizes. Common family types include the nuclear family (father, mother, and often children), extended family (one or more children living with a parent and a related nonparent adult, often a grandparent), blended family (one or more children living with a parent and a stepparent), cohabiting family (one or more children living with a parent and an unrelated adult), a single adult/parent family, and a polygamous family (typically one or more children living with a father who has multiple wives).
Family as a Social Construction and Legal Entity
These different family configurations raise interesting questions concerning who is considered family. For example, should a child consider an unrelated adult cohabiting with her mother a family member? Or should a child consider the children of a stepparent members of his family? While there are legal determinations of what constitutes a family, very often family is a social or cultural construction created by family members. For example, while a stepparent might legally adopt a child, that child may not recognize or relate to the stepparent as her father or mother. In other situations, there are parents who “disown” their biological children—the parents may be biologically related to a child, but they do not recognize that child as a member of their family, often due to what the parents consider bad behavior on the part of the child. However, when it comes to inheritance, unless a family member is explicitly denied an inheritance in a family member’s will, they might still have a claim on that family member’s assets—particularly if that person is a blood relative or a spouse —and those assets might include the family firm.
Family Roles in the Family Firm
We see families who own and manage family businesses having family members take on a variety of roles in the business. Ownership and management roles in the business typically consist of family members who are central to the business and have the most power. Other family members may have management roles but are not involved in ownership. Often Next Gens fill this role but hope to eventually be owners when succession occurs. Conflicts may occur when certain family members own the business but are not managers in the business. Family members who are in the business typically benefit from their salary and other perquisites that managers receive and are generally interested in putting profits back into the business to help it grow. However, family members who are owners and not managers typically want the profits from the business to end up in their pockets so they can benefit from the business’ success. This creates natural conflicts between family members who are owners and family members who are managers in the business (and may be owners as well). During succession, family members who haven’t been either owners or managers may want to lay claim to the firm’s assets increasing the likelihood that family conflicts will occur. Even if a family member hasn’t been involved in owning or managing the business, she may lay claim to the firm’s assets based on inheritance or some other criteria. For that reason, it is important for a family to determine not only who is currently considered family but who in the family may have a legal claim to the family’s business assets.
Family Membership and Succession Planning
Family conflicts and lawsuits are often the result of ambiguity regarding “who is the family.” With that in mind, it is important for families who own businesses to identify all individuals in the family who currently or may in the future be involved in family business ownership and management, take those family members into account when making decisions regarding the firm, and make provisions for those family members who will likely not be owners or managers. The rule of thumb is for parents (or other senior family members) to leave other assets in their wills (money, property, etc.), not family business ownership, to such heirs to avoid conflicts.
These issues are also important to consultants who want to help family firms.[ii] Research shows that before succession takes place the family should put together a clear succession plan, specifying which family members will be owners and managers in the business. It is important to share that plan with the family before succession takes place. To do this, the family needs to identify who is legally considered a member of the family and thus may have legal claims to the firm’s assets as well as those who may not be considered legal claimants but are viewed to be family members with many of the privileges of legal family members. To plan for such a change, research by Ivan Lansberg and others encourages family members to have common goals or a “shared dream” along with creating ownership structures and processes to resolve these potential conflicts.[iii]
W. Gibb Dyer (PhD MIT) is the O. Leslie and Dorothy Stone Professor in the Marriott School of Business at Brigham Young University. He has been a visiting faculty member at IESE in Barcelona, Spain, and a visiting scholar at the University of Bath. He has published nine books and over fifty articles and his research has been featured in Fortune, The Wall Street Journal and Fast Company. His recent book, The Family Edge, focuses on how “family capital” supports business growth. He has been ranked as one of the top ten scholars in the world in the field of family business.
Commentary by Marcelo De Rada Ocampo, Bolivia
My family’s business is an international insurance brokerage in Bolivia. After a decade of experience working for both U.S. and Bolivian insurance companies, my father started the business in 1995 and grew it to become the largest brokerage in Bolivia in terms of revenue, clients, and number of sales agents with presence in all cities in Bolivia. In 2009, he and two partners from Ecuador and Venezuela developed a strategic alliance that made them the third-largest MGA (managing general agent) in LATAM, partnering with ten different international insurers, managing hundreds of distributors, and operating twelve offices across seven different countries.
I am the oldest of three from my father’s second marriage. My half-sister is thirty-seven and lives in Florida, while my younger brother (twenty-five years old) is in San Diego, and my younger sister (twenty-two years old) lives in Miami. After studying in the U.S. and working at start-ups in San Francisco for two-and-a-half years, I returned to Bolivia to help my father in the family business. I worked as a sales operations manager, splitting my time between empowering sales agents with training and new digital tools, and the insurance partners negotiating new policy coverages, premium increases, and sales incentives. Now, while I am doing my MBA at INSEAD, I continue to support my father as an advisor, holding weekly to biweekly calls with him to discuss the strategic and operational challenges of the business.
The article is a good starting point in understanding why it is important to define who is considered part of the family in a family business. I agree with Prof. Gibb Dyer that having a clear definition is essential in helping the first generation build a fair process with regards to the ownership and ownership of the business. This can be critical when future generations start getting involved in the business and don’t have the same understanding of who is considered part of the family and its impact on the business. Even just as a second generation, I frequently found myself between my two parents in discussions about the fairness of financially supporting struggling family members in each of their extended families. There were efforts of providing employment to extended family members, which ended up creating more harm than good, probably caused by the lack of clarity regarding the roles of each family member in the family firm. From my experience without clarity about the rights and responsibilities of owners and managers, succession planning has been difficult to push forward. An owner must understand and allow the manager to operate the business successfully, while the manager must also provide the owner with enough transparency on the strategic alignment and execution of the business in order to put to best use the business assets.
The ebook for Enabling Next Generation Legacies: 35 Questions That Next Generation Members in Enterprising Families Ask is now available. Learn more at www.35questions.com. Print copies available February 8th, 2022.
[i] Gibb Dyer, The Family Edge: How your biggest competitive advantage in business isn’t what you’ve been taught—It’s your family (Sanger: Familius, 2019), 15.
[ii] Jane Hilburt-Davis and William Gibb Dyer, Consulting to family businesses: Contracting, assessment, and implementation (San Francisco: Jossey-Bass/Pfeiffer, 2003).
[iii]Ivan Lansberg, Succeeding generations: Realizing the dream of families in business (Boston: Harvard Business School Press, 1999).
My Experience with the Women in Management Network
In my first two years at Telfer, I felt lost, until I stumbled upon a newly launched club focused on helping women in business. The Women in Management Network (WMN) was launched in the winter term of 2018 by then fourth-year student, Polly Leung and it caught my eye.
The club defined themselves as “passionate about gender equity and determined to achieve it through the collaboration of community leaders and students of all genders,” which really appealed to me.
In my second year, I applied to join the club and was brought on as part of the Skill Team. The Skill Team worked together to plan workshops for students at Telfer that would help them learn both hard and soft skills to benefit them in their job search and future careers. I found myself surrounded by a group of inspiring, welcoming and supportive women who were just like me.
Slowly, I began to open up more and I eventually discovered different passions I did not know I had. I eventually switched from the Skill Team to the Brand Team and also switched my degree specialization from Finance to Marketing.
By my fourth year, I became the VP Brand of WMN. I lead a group of five incredible women who helped build the brand of WMN into something bigger. This year, we were nominated as the best-marketed club.
What WMN Strives For
The club is now run by two inspiring and hardworking women, Dawn Lising and Hannah Temple. WMN has transformed under their leadership; so I spoke with them about the leadership styles and values they hope to spread amongst the team:
“At WMN, we aim to lead with passion, empathy, and authenticity. Two leadership styles that we like to instil at WMN are transformational and visionary. We work to foster an inclusive and welcoming environment in which everyone feels comfortable sharing their own unique perspectives. As we develop the next generation of female leaders, we try to exemplify strong feminine leadership. Feminine leadership styles focus on nurturing and elevating others, which allows team members to develop their own skills and strengths. This style is more horizontal than traditional leadership styles and has proven to enhance team commitment and organizational performance”, shared Hannah
As I leave the club behind, I can’t wait to see what it continues to bring in the future. Hannah and Dawn shared their hopes for the future of women in business:
“We hope to see more women being empowered into positions of leadership. More women-focused mentorship and leadership development opportunities will be important in shaping the next generation of female leaders. We would also like to see more support and resources for female entrepreneurs. According to the Harvard Business Review, women-led startups received just 2.3% of venture capital funding in 2020. Institutionalized patterns of thinking have negatively impacted women entrepreneurs, and there is much work to be done in order to make venture capital funding more equitable. There are already some great female focused initiatives based in Ottawa, such as SheBoot, a 6-week bootcamp that prepares female founders to pitch their business and secure investment. We hope to see more initiatives in the future that advocate for gender equality.”
How to Get Involved
If you feel lost when you first start out at university like I did, it’s a great idea to get involved with clubs. By joining a club with a mission you feel connected to, you can become surrounded by like-minded people who can help guide you to become a better student and a more inspired professional.
If you are passionate about overcoming gender inequality in the workplace (no matter your gender), I recommend joining the Women in Management Network.
Follow them on social media to keep up with their latest events and when they start hiring, and sign up for their monthly newsletters.
I hope you find your place like I found mine, don’t give up!
The global economic recovery will rely disproportionately on the success family-owned enterprises achieve in managing next generation transitions. These organizations include 60% of the global workforce, account for two-thirds of the world’s businesses, and contribute 66% of worldwide GDP. Professors Peter Jaskiewicz and Sabine Rau of the Telfer School of Management address this next generation shift in a new book to be released at this week’s World Investment Forum in Geneva, Switzerland.
“Enabling Next Generation Legacies: 35 Questions That Next Generation Members in Enterprising Families Ask” details years of international research and practical experience into the unique challenges that confront family businesses. Solutions to these challenges must not only address transitional issues but also harness the talents of the next generation to overcome the devastating economic impacts of the pandemic on this sector.
“Without a sturdy, sustainable recovery among family businesses worldwide, there will be no global economic recovery at all,” says Professor Jaskiewicz. “Our work demonstrates that there is a path forward, with best practices, that will help steer businesses through inter-generational change and provide clear means for the next generation to manage successfully - as well as provide a needed boost to jobs and growth worldwide.”
The new book explores the most important questions family business owners and Next Gens need to answer to empower sustainable businesses that can innovate post-pandemic. The book consists of best practices, real-life examples, and additional critical questions for reflection from nearly 100 contributors from 27 different countries. These expert commentaries come from members of the world’s leading family businesses including Auchan (France), Saputo (Canada), and Sabra (Israel), as well as from various academic experts from business schools around the globe like Kellogg, IMD, and INSEAD.
“The next generation from family-owned business is eager and well equipped to take their family’s enterprises to the next level,” says Professor Rau. “Our book supports them in asking relevant questions, discussing answers and offering further food for thought.”
Professors Jaskiewicz and Rau will present the findings of their book at the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD)’s World Investment Forum during a featured address that will serve as a backdrop to their book’s release. Through previews, the book has already been acknowledged as one of the most influential books on the subject by academic scholars, business owners, and the Family Business Network.
The United Nations is calling on the World Investment Forum for strong sustainable development recommendations to recover from the pandemic. The takeaways from the forum will be reviewed at the 76th United Nations General Assembly’s deliberations on global policy actions. Today, UNCTAD’s 7th World Investment Forum will explore how governments and business leaders can invest in sustainable recovery and address today’s main challenges facing the investment-development community around the world.
The book is available now for pre-order in North America (coming soon in Europe, Asia, Oceania and South Africa), and will be available as physical copies in early December. All book royalties will be donated towards supporting the next generation of students at the Telfer School of Management under the Telfer Nation Fund. This fund supports student activities and opportunities such as case competitions, internships, and student clubs that enrich the student experience outside of the classroom.
Testimonials for “Enabling Next Generation Legacies: 35 Questions That Next Generation Members in Enterprising Families Ask”
“When Sabine and Peter approached me about this book, the timing couldn’t be better. FBN was going to celebrate the 20th anniversary of its Next Gen community. Yet, this is much more than a book. It is a useful and practical guide, asking relevant questions and providing concrete tips on how to tackle difficult issues that Next Gens face daily.”
—Alexis du Roy de Blicquy, CEO of the Family Business Network (Switzerland)
"This very helpful book is a gift to next generation members of enterprising families. Each chapter is a gem and collectively, it is a must-read.”
—John Davis, Faculty Head, Family Enterprise Programs, MIT Sloan School of Management (United States)
Excerpt From the Book
“Why do many next generation members fail to succeed with the family business? A major reason for failure is not being accepted by long-standing managers and employees or by suppliers, banks or customers...without acceptance by important stakeholders, relevant resources will not be at hand, whether financial resources, information, knowledge or other. Earning acceptance is crucial...success depends on taking time to talk to as many employees, managers, customers, and suppliers as possible, listening carefully, not promising too much, and finally building alliances.”
New research from the Telfer professor Darlene Himick suggests that public pressure is necessary if we are looking for ways to tackle the climate crisis. But while dialogue is important to put pressure on the financial system, Telfer alumnus Sean Sirois (BCom ’83, CFA, ICD.D, RIPC) believes we need concrete action now. We sat down with Sirois to discuss new research and practices, from selective divestment to responsible investing, and identified some of the major transformations needed to make our financial system more sustainable.
Defining sustainable investing is tricky but necessary
Many first-time investors are turning to what is being advertised as “sustainable investing,” hoping that their investment choices will help reduce carbon emission and address the climate crisis. For Telfer alumnus Sean Sirois, who has worked extensively in capital markets with large financial firms such as TD, JP Morgan and Deutsche Bank and is now a senior adviser at KingsRock, a global strategic advisory firm, often this is not the case.
Investors may think that they are purchasing sustainable or responsible funds, but the real impact of what they are doing is often minimal. For Sirois, also the founder of Demeter Advisors Inc., which consults on sustainability issues, “by greenwashing the economic system, Wall Street is delaying overdue systemic solutions.”
Sustainable, or responsible, investing is new, and there is no universally accepted definition of it. National and provincial regulatory bodies and other organizations such as the Chartered Financial Analyst Institute will be clarifying what can be called a “green fund” or another type of sustainable investing, taking into account environmental, social and governance issues. Sirois hopes this will enable investors to direct their capital to the right area for the right reasons, help regulatory bodies discourage greenwashing and hold companies accountable.
Many organizations have developed frameworks for responsible investing. The UN-produced Principles for Responsible Investment (PRI), for instance, outline six internationally recognized principles to help organizations implement responsible investing and publicly demonstrate their commitment. To date, over 2,500 institutions and investors with US $121 trillion in assets have signed on to the PRI.
The impact of public pressure in the financial system
The oil and gas divestment movement is one of the many environmental initiatives pressuring the financial system to go greener: to date, 1,300 institutions, with investments worth over US $14 trillion dollars, have committed to divesting from fossil fuels.
Pressure from these public groups may reduce the amount of capital flowing into these stocks, but Sirois, who also is working for a U.K.-based innovator that is commercializing an environmentally friendly substitute for single-use plastic materials for e-commerce and a Singapore-based company that has developed engineering innovations that improve container shipping efficiency and effectiveness, warns that some of these actions may have a limited effect on the financial system.
The commitment to divest from oil and gas is relatively small: over US$230 trillion of investable assets are currently floating in the global capital and public markets. Oil, gas, coal and energy stocks represent only 3% of total capital markets assets. “We also need to remember that … other companies or investors will be willing to buy oil and gas assets for a lower price, in which case the harmful gas emission activities will continue,” Sirois says.
Directing capital to promising sectors
Sirois advises investors to identify the sectors where their investment will reduce carbon emissions. “One area leading the way is the renewable energy sector.” According to the International Renewable Energy Agency list of financial commitments in renewable energy, the global renewable energy market had US$700 billion in revenue in 2020. The sector offers opportunities to investors: “If you’re in a growing market, your investment can potentially be more profitable than in a sector in decline” he says.
A lot of investment will be needed to support energy efficiency, electrification, infrastructure, and other areas, which total US$110 trillion according to a 2020 IRENA report on investment needs. “We need a major turnover in where our capital is invested today to meet some of the international environmental targets and improve the environment tomorrow,” says Sirois.
On the right track, but bigger changes needed
In Canada, a growing number of retail investors are choosing funds and products that support energy efficiency, renewable energy, water purification and other initiatives. In the public sector, large pension funds are working to lower the carbon emission weight in their portfolios, and some funds set out specific responsible investing guidelines for their asset managers. Sirois mentions the Responsible Investment Association call to action: “The association has recently called members to commit to take action that can help us achieve net-zero emissions by 2050.”
There is certainly momentum, but Sirois thinks a larger transformation needs to happen for Canada to reach the 2015 Paris Agreement climate goals. “The COVID-19 pandemic has taught us that we need to listen to science. We also need to encourage our political leaders to bring in rules and regulations that will force real change,” he says. Open dialogue is also key. “This includes understanding others’ points of view and communicating how we move forward to reach our goals,” he adds.
What Telfer is doing for sustainability
Telfer’s programs and research around responsible investment can help finance leaders, policymakers and companies support a greener future for Canadians.
The Telfer Capital Markets Program is a two-year development program for students seeking to learn more about capital markets. The program’s curriculum includes course work in finance, as well as mentorship, workshops, networking and the opportunity to manage a real investment portfolio.
Sirois is on the program’s advisory board. He explains the new program focus: “We are revamping the Telfer Capital Fund into a program for students that considers environmental, social and governance factors and focuses on investing capital in the companies of the future, companies that will help with the transition to a lower carbon economy.”
One of Telfer’s areas of strategic impact is Globalization, Governance, and Sustainability. Researchers are advancing our understanding of the role and impact of organizations on social, environmental and economic sustainability in Canada and globally.
One of these researchers is Professor Darlene Himick. Himick’s recent research is on how public pressure affects oil and gas divestment by public funds. According to Sirois: “Governments must change the rules of the game in order to create incentives for industry to literally clean up its act, and for investors to put their capital into areas that will create a sustainable future.”
This summer, four Telfer students led the six-week Telfer Mentorship Program, in collaboration with the Ottawa-Carleton District School Board (OCDSB). This program aims to give high school students who are seeking a co-op placement the opportunity to learn about the field of business. Students and recent alumni, Wiam Ben Karroum, Jamie Harvie, Laura Oris-Naidenova and Priyesh Sarju, represented the Telfer School of Management as the mentors.
The Mentorship Program and Certificate
It has been increasingly difficult for high school students to find an in-person co-op placement this year. As a result, the OCDSB introduced several virtual mentorship programs in partnership with the University of Ottawa, one of which was with Telfer. The purpose of this program is to create authentic, real-life problem-solving opportunities for students, as well as the chance to network with business professionals and university students.
Over the course of six weeks, the mentors facilitated thematic sessions, planned engaging activities, and invited guest speakers. Each week, the mentors introduced a different topic, then assigned an activity so the students could apply what they learned. Concepts such as networking, leadership, accounting, digital marketing and entrepreneurship were the focus of the curriculum. The high school students ended the summer with credits and a certificate presented by the Telfer School of Management.
Some highlights of the program include:
Jamie Harvie gave a presentation about LinkedIn along with guest speaker Tania D’Iorio from National Bank Financial joined the group to discuss her key marketing tips.
Wiam Ben Karroum shared a presentation on leadership in collaboration with executive coach Tina Cantrill.
Priyesh Sarju was joined by Telfer Professor Marc Tassé to introduce the students to accounting and assign case studies.
Laure Oris-Naidenova taught a workshop on digital marketing and gave students the chance to create their own logos on Canva.
Jamie Harvie gave a presentation on entrepreneurship and brought in guest speaker, Anne Khazzam, a 19-year-old entrepreneur who started The S’moresBox in Ottawa.
Testimonials from the High School Students
William Driscoll, a high school student within OCDSB, shared his highlights from the program: “While choosing what my high school co-op placement would be, the online Telfer mentorship program caught my eye and I’m glad that it did.
Led by qualified and engaging Telfer students, my time consisted of meeting with knowledgeable guest speakers, participating in group discussions, and working on tasks such as presentations and case studies.
Each session we had together was centered around a certain business topic such as digital marketing, accounting, leadership, entrepreneurship, and networking, all of which helped me gain valuable insight into their respective fields.
Although this program was limited in some areas by the current need for it to be online, I believe this program will be enhanced even more as it moves to in-person learning.
As a student who is looking to pursue a business-related profession in the future, this program definitely helped me to start that process.”
OCDSB student, Roha Aboud, also had a positive experience with the program: “I really enjoyed participating in the Telfer Mentorship program. My mentors were so nice with me and with others. What I really liked about this program is there was no pressure with our assignments or attending meetings. Our tasks were easy and simple, and we only had to attend meetings on Mondays and Fridays.”
The Mentor’s Perspective: Jamie
“As a former OCDSB student myself, I thoroughly enjoyed the role as a mentor. It was great to return to my former school board a few years after graduating and connecting with students who are in the same place that I was in not too long ago,” shared Jamie Harvie.
Next Steps
After the success of the virtual mentorship program this summer, Telfer and the OCDSB hope to continue the program next year. Ideally, the program would be offered bi-modally, to give the students the flexibility of learning from home, but also allow for some in-person activities. One of the suggestions was to invite the students to campus once a week to explore different areas of campus, such as the uOttawa Makerspace or the Financial Research and Learning Lab in the Desmarais Building.
The OCDSB team is optimistic that by promoting the program earlier in the year, more students will be enticed to register, and as a result, more students will be able to explore their interests in the field of business.
With new assignments and exams around the corner, it’s important to start thinking about our study strategies and where you’ll be studying. Personally, since my first year at university, I always tried to find the best places to study both on campus and nearby. So here’s what I believe are the 7 best spots to study on and off campus.
Spots on Campus
1. The Brian Dickson Law Library
Since the beginning of the school year, as a law student, I have been spending most of my free time at the beautiful Brian Dickson Library, which is located on the fourth floor of Fauteux Hall. I love how it’s so bright with its big windows bordering the back wall! Another positive element is the fact that the library has two floors. The first floor has a few tables reserved for law school students. There is also a study room where it’s strictly forbidden to speak called the “red zone,” which is very interesting since it was built to pay tribute to Chief Justice Brian Dickson. Moreover, right next to this room, there is a common study room where it’s allowed for students to talk and study in groups (there is also a charging station for Apple and Android devices). The second floor is similar to the Morisset Library and all students can go there: you’ll find individual cubicles as well as study rooms that you can book online. Pleasantly, it’s very rare that there is not enough space to study, even during “finals season!”
Location: The fourth-floor of Fauteux Hall
Open hours: Monday to Thursday: from 8:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m.; Friday: from 8:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.; Saturday: from 10:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m. and Sunday: from 10:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m.
Wi-Fi and charging outlets: Wi-Fi is accessible via the university’s connection of “eduroam” and you can find outlets at every table and in every study room.
Food: Hot and cold drinks are allowed in covered containers. Hot food is not permitted, but cold snacks are allowed.
Fun Fact: Heads up! There’s a really well-hidden bathroom in the library and it’s located on the first floor!
2. The Learning Crossroads (CRX)
Since the Learning Crossroads opened, I really enjoy booking the spacious, bright and practical study rooms in the building! On the first floor of the building are comfortable sofas with integrated electrical outlets. On the second floor, there are several large study rooms, one of which is silent, filled with individual tables and cubicles to study either alone or in a group. The upper floors, on the other hand, have many study rooms that can be booked. Most of them have two large tables and a whiteboard. This is great for group study, team projects or for reviewing using the whiteboard, and dry-erase markers and an eraser can be rented at the Morisset Library Information Desk. Many students enjoy studying there, so it’s important to book a room or arrive early in the morning to make sure you have a place!
Location: 100 Louis-Pasteur Private, next to Lamoureux Hall
Open hours: Sunday to Monday: from 6:30 a.m. to 11:00 p.m.
Wi-Fi and charging outlets: Wi-Fi is accessible via “eduroam” and you can find outlets at every table and in every study room.
Food: Food and drinks are allowed everywhere in the building.
Fun Fact: If you’re ever hungry while studying, you’ve come to the right place! On the first floor there’s a Tim Hortons, a Thai Express, a Paramount and a Go Café. Something for everyone!
3. The Faculty of Social Sciences Building
The Faculty of Social Sciences Building (FSS) is a small oasis of tranquillity. With its wall of plants and large windows, it’s very pleasant to study in this building. You can find a variety of services and facilities available at the FSS building. Throughout 14 floors, you will have access to tables, couches and various study rooms that you can book. Please note that the study rooms are reserved for students in the Faculty of Social Sciences. These highly sought-after facilities fill up fairly quickly, but you can always study there whenever. There are no noise restrictions, but generally, when I go there, people are not too noisy.
Location: 120 University Private, the Faculty of Social Sciences
Open hours: Sunday to Monday: from 6:30 a.m. to 11:00 p.m.
Wi-Fi and charging outlets: Wi-Fi is accessible via “eduroam” and you can find outlets at every table and in every study room.
Food: Food and drinks are allowed everywhere in the building.
Fun Fact: The Première Moisson’s almond croissant found on the first floor of FSS is delicious!
4. The Morisset Library
The Morisset Library is the most common and coveted place for students to study. The library’s facilities are very practical and varied. There are computers as well as printers available to students. The multiple study rooms are available to students from all faculties, and several individual study areas are also available. There are floors that are completely quiet and others where it’s possible to talk (excellent for teamwork). The study areas fill up very quickly during the exam period, so I advise you to arrive early to reserve a spot!
Location: 65 University Private, Morisset Library
Open hours: Monday to Friday: from 7:00 a.m. to 2:00 a.m., Saturday and Sunday: from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 a.m.
Wi-Fi and charging outlets: Wi-Fi is accessible via “eduroam” and you can find outlets in every study room, but not in every individual cubicle.
Food: Food and drinks are allowed everywhere in the building.
Fun Fact: If you ever need a study break while at the library, go walk between the rows, choose a book randomly and read a few pages! This little trick allowed me to expand my knowledge on some interesting topics and to take advantage of the many books that are available to us.
Spots Off Campus
1. Starbucks
The unavoidable Starbucks! We are lucky to have three Starbucks locations all within walking distance of campus.
a) The first one is located in the Desmarais Building. There are a few tables to study at, but they fill up very quickly! It’s a great atmosphere to do work with your friends or to work alone since the tables are quite small. If you like to study in an active and lively environment, this is the place for you.
Location: 55 Laurier Avenue East, Desmarais Building (on campus)
Open hours: Monday to Thursday from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Friday from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Wi-Fi and charging outlets: Wi-Fi is accessible via “eduroam”. There’s not a lot of outlets (1 or 2).
Food: Starbucks sells delicious food and drinks.
b) The second Starbucks is located at the Rideau Centre, in the food court. It’s nice to study there since it’s just next to the food court. That said, many tables are available for studying. It’s a good place to study with friends or do team projects since there is a lot of space.
Location: The Rideau Centre’s food court.
Wi-Fi and charging outlets: Free Wi-Fi is available throughout the Rideau Centre. There are not a lot of outlets available.
Food: Starbucks sells delicious food and drinks.
c) The third Starbucks is located on Laurier Street, next to the Annex residences. It’s a brand new Starbucks that is spacious and welcoming. I love studying there with my friends! It has two floors and lots of natural light. In the summer, it even has a balcony with outside tables, it’s very pleasant.
Location: 275 Laurier Avenue East, Sandy Hill.
Open hours: Monday to Friday: from 6:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.; Saturday to Sunday: from 6:30 a.m. to 11:00 p.m.
Wi-Fi and charging outlets: Free Wi-Fi is available via Starbucks’s Wi-Fi. There’s not a lot of outlets.
Food: Starbucks sells delicious food and drinks.
2. Driphouse
The Driphouse Café is a hidden treasure in Ottawa! With its delicious coffee and daily homemade “falafels,” it’s a great place to study. There are many spacious tables and nice background music. The design is breathtaking! To get there, you either have to take the train or a car since it’s a bit far from campus. Go check it out, it’s worth it!
Location: 340B Parkdale Avenue, Hintonburg.
Open hours: Monday to Sunday: from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
Wi-Fi and charging outlets: Free Wi-Fi is available and there are a couple of outlets.
Food:The homemade falafels, coffee and pastries will certainly convince you to stay and study!
3. Raw Pulp and Grind
*UPDATE* CLOSED
If you like to study in a colourful environment with a nice atmosphere, this pretty and healthy café serving smoothies, smoothie bowls, salads and a wide variety of coffees is the perfect place to study. They even have outdoor tables so you can enjoy the nice weather while you study. You will have to take a car or the train to get there.
Location: 440 Preston Street, Little Italy.
Open hours: Monday to Friday: from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.; Saturday to Sunday: from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Wi-Fi and charging outlets: Free Wi-Fi is available and there are hotels at every table.
Food: You can buy healthy meals and they also have a wide variety of coffees.
I hope this list will inspire you to start studying!
At the Telfer School of Management, we have formally named seven prominent Canadian business leaders to the School’s Strategic Leadership Cabinet to work with Dean Stéphane Brutus in order to advance the School’s Vision for a Better Canada. Each member of the cabinet brings years of experience to the table, leading some of the biggest and most influential businesses in Canada. Their first inaugural meeting takes place today, October 6th in the Desmarais building.
The Strategic Leadership Cabinet’s mandate is to advise the Telfer School with regard to its strategic choices and to provide information that will permit the evaluation of the relevance, quality, and effectiveness of its current and upcoming programs. The Cabinet also assists in identifying the ways in which the business community and the public sector can contribute to the strengthening of the School.
Meet the Cabinet
Rob Ashe - Chair of the Strategic Leadership Cabinet (Telfer BCom ‘82) joined Ottawa-based firm Cognos in 1984 and served as President and CEO from 2004 to 2012. He transformed the company into a world-renowned producer of business intelligence software and grew it to become Canada’s first billion-dollar software company. Ashe stayed on as general manager of business analytics after the organization's acquisition by IBM in 2008. With an avid interest in advancing the technology sector in Ottawa, Ashe has been the Lead Independent Director at Shopify since May 2015. He’s a 2020 Lifetime Achievement Award recipient, an award from the Ottawa Business Journal and Ottawa Board of Trade. He was also the former Lead Director of Halogen, until its sale to Saba Software in 2017. Ashe is currently an Executive Partner at Bridge Growth Partners, the Lead Director of MSCI, a Director of ServiceSource International, and a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Ontario.
Louis Gagnon (Telfer MBA ‘97) has been with Intact Financial Corporation, the largest provider of Property & Casualty Insurance in Canada, since January 2007. Mr. Gagnon has served in many key executive roles beginning with Senior Vice President, Quebec, and including President, Intact Insurance; President and Chief Operating Officer; President, Service & Distribution; and, President, Canadian Operations. In June 2021, Mr. Gagnon was appointed Chief Executive Officer, Canada. In his current role, Mr. Gagnon is responsible for all Canadian-based business entities and operations including Intact Insurance, belairdirect, BrokerLink and Johnson Insurance. Prior to joining Intact, Mr. Gagnon headed a successful Insurance Brokerage with offices in Quebec and Ontario and was very active in provincial and national brokers associations. Mr. Gagnon is a member of the Board of Directors of the Insurance Bureau of Canada, member of the Telfer School of Management Dean’s Strategic Leadership Cabinet, member of the “Comité Consultatif International du recteur de l’Université de Montréal” and member of the Board of Directors of the CD Howe Institute. He has been an active board member and volunteer of many charitable organizations and is specifically very proud to have been involved with United Way for over 30 years.
Justine Hendricks (Telfer MBA ‘04) has a demonstrated history of working in the financial services sector and has been a critical member of the Canadian export community since 2006 at the start of her career with Export Development Canada (EDC). She took on the role of Senior Vice-President, Sustainable Business and Enablement in 2019, and added the role of Chief Corporate Sustainability Officer (CCSO) in May 2021. Hendricks has worked closely with EDC’s banking partners and is a key component of the business development group. She received a Trudeau Medal in 2017 from Telfer in recognition of her leadership, initiative and contributions to the business world.
Patricia Saputo is the Co-Founder and Executive Chairperson of CRYSALIA, which supports Enterprising Families to succeed multi-generationally by creating and delivering deliberate learning journeys for their family members. She is a role model for female leaders in male-dominated industries, the business world, and the community. After her career at Deloitte in the Tax Department, she was asked to join the Board of Directors at Saputo once they went public in 1997. As a lifelong learner and a believer that education is a never-ending process - a process for the betterment of oneself, one’s family and for continued improvement of communities around us - she truly enjoys educating others.
Macky Tall (Telfer MBA ‘92) is the Co-Chair of Carlyle Infrastructure Group, which includes efforts across transportation, renewables, energy, water & waste water and digital infrastructure. Before joining Carlyle, Mr. Tall served in a series of leadership positions at Caisse de dépôt et placement du Québec (CDPQ), one of the world’s largest infrastructure investors and the second-largest pension fund in Canada. He also served on CDPQ’s Executive Committee and Investment-Risk Committee and served as Chairman of the Board of Directors of Ivanhoé Cambridge.
Ian Telfer (Telfer MBA ’76), the Telfer School’s namesake, is a Canadian executive and philanthropist who is known for his strategic business success in the mining and resource sector. Telfer is the former chairman of Goldcorp Inc., a Vancouver-based gold mining company, and former chairman of the World Gold Council. Telfer led Goldcorp Inc. since 2005, first serving as Goldcorp’s President and Chief Executive Officer before being appointed Chairman of the Board in 2006. Telfer has earned the reputation of being a ‘visionary mining entrepreneur’ for his ability to grow multiple mining companies. His 30 years of success in the resource sector can be attributed to an intrinsic aptitude for strategically timed acquisitions and value-driven mergers. In 2015, Ian’s career in the mining sector earned him induction into the Canadian Mining Hall of Fame 2015, and the Canadian Business Hall of Fame in 2018. Telfer was also awarded an honorary doctorate from the University of Ottawa in 2015.
Kathryn Tremblay (Telfer BCom ‘95) is the CEO and Co-Founder of excelHR, Altis Recruitment, Altis Technology and excelITR, with over 30 years specializing in the human aspect of human resources. She has dedicated her career to the betterment of the staffing process, launching her entrepreneurial journey at the age of 21 when she launched a small staffing firm in the Outaouais region. Tremblay paved the way for a new way of qualified job sectors with prospective employers particularly when it comes to filling executive roles. With its affiliated companies, excelHR has become a recognized leader in the delivery of recruitment and staffing services in Canada. Tremblay is an avid mentor for women in the workforce and encourages young people to pursue a career in entrepreneurship. She was also named the 2021 CEO of the year by the Ottawa Business Journal and the Ottawa Board of Trade.
Stéphane Brutus is currently the Dean of the Telfer School of Management. Between 2006 and 2017, Dr. Brutus served as Dean (Interim), Associate Dean Graduate Professional Programs, Chair of the Management Department and Director at the Bell Research Center for Business Process Innovation at the John Molson School of Business, Concordia University. Previously, Dr. Brutus worked as a Visiting Professor at Universidade Federal da Bahia, in Brazil and Universidad Pablo de Olavide and Instituto de Empresa, in Spain.
James Price - Secretary of the Strategic Leadership Cabinet, is the Executive Director of Development and Community Engagement at the Telfer School of Management and is responsible for leading the school’s external outreach vision, development, and community engagement initiatives. Driven by a desire to make a positive impact on society, he takes great personal pride in building sustainable relationships and partnerships to advance higher education, research, innovation, and economic development. Prior to joining the School in 2019, James led Canada’s national stem cell advocacy and strategic funding efforts as President and CEO of the Canadian Stem Cell Foundation.
The acknowledgement of the need for reconciliation through Truth and Reconciliation Day is a step in the right direction, but there is still more progress to be made as hundreds of Indigenous communities currently hold boil water advisories.
Advisories like these mean that in order to consume and use the water through their existing water systems, Indigenous communities must first boil the water to consider it safe. In some communities, the water is not usable at all.
University of Ottawa student and Project Manager of the Nibi Project at Enactus uOttawa, Alexandra Whiteduck, grew up with unsafe drinking water, despite only living an hour and a half from the Nation’s Capital.
“I grew up in a community 1.5 hours north of Ottawa, and I grew up without clean drinking water,” shared Alexandra.
As someone who has experienced the issue first hand, Alexandra now works on the student-led initiative, Nibi, to bring safe drinking water solutions to other Indigeneous communities through testing and purification solutions.
The map on the left shows the number of Indigenous communities in Canada with boil water advisories (note that the map does not include the do-not-use advisories) - via watertoday.ca.
The Importance of Clean Drinking Water
Without clean drinking water, the basic necessities of life are not met. Alexandra encourages you to ask yourself the question:
“What tasks do you plan on doing today? Are you going to wake up and have coffee? Drink a glass of water? Take a shower? Brush your teeth? Wash the dishes? All these tasks are not accessible to Indigenous communities.
As you go throughout your day, consider these questions and ask yourself: could I do this if I didn’t have access to clean water? There will be many tasks where the answer would be no, and for Indigenous communities, it continues to be the truth for them everyday.
If we work hard towards a future where Indigenous communities all have access to clean water, their everyday lives and everyday productivity would change drastically.
The Nibi Solution
How they’re helping
Alexandra became a part of the Nibi team as the second Project Manager. The two Project Managers before her who started the initiative were other uOttawa students Michelle Wronski and Elisabeth Mercier.
“Michelle and Elisabeth founded this project because they saw a large gap in research and support for the water crisis in Indigenous communities. They were extremely passionate about the issue and wanted to find a solution to fix it.”
The two founders saw Alexandra speak on the issue, and instantly saw her as a good fit to join the team. As someone who has lived without clean drinking water, Alexandra is able to bring first-hand insights on where support was lacking and how it could change to better Indigenous communities.
The student-run initiative now focuses on three different pillars of support: Testing, purification solutions and workshops.
For testing, Nibi connects communities with certified partners that help teach them how to monitor water on site. This gives Indigenous people ownership of their water treatment and the ability to monitor the systems themselves.
Nibi also helps Indigenous communities find purification solutions that work with their socio-economic needs. Unlike working with government bodies, the communities are not forced into accepting any help or taking action after the results are given.
“We conduct need-based assessments to identify purification solutions that meet their needs. It’s all their choice; if they want to work with us we will, but if they don’t, no problem.” The Enactus team then finds the contaminants in the water and asks the communities what they hope to see from the purification process.
Lastly, Nibi hosts workshops to empower youth to keep control of their water quality and infrastructure. The Nibi team also converses with Indigenous youth to see what they hope their communities look like in the future.
On this day of Truth and Reconciliation, it's important to remember that there is still a lot to be done. We hope everyone takes this day to continue to educate themselves on the lives of Indigenous people and how they are impacted by current legislations.
Moving in a big city can often seem logical upon choosing to pursue post-secondary education, but it remains a big decision especially when if we grew up in a small town. Studying in Ottawa often comes with many opportunities, notably given its political and economic opportunities amidst a vibrant culture fuelled by its own people coming from around the world. However, Ottawa’s portrait would be quite different without its large French community.
In the spirit of this day of celebration for Franco-Ontarians, we met with two students, Émilie Lebel and Alex Dalcourt, born and raised in French communities in Northern Ontario. Their experiences at the Telfer School of Management will shed light on why they chose Telfer for their post-secondary education and haven’t had any second thoughts about this decision since.
French at the centre of the decision-making process
Raised in a bilingual household in the predominantly francophone community of Hearst, Ontario, Alex attended French school all his life and had access to services and activities in French without even having to think about it. “The presence of a French community at uOttawa was crucial in my decision to attend my post-secondary studies here, in Ottawa,” shares Alex. After living on Vancouver Island for a year he came to realize how ‘lucky’ he had been to be able to speak and live in French: “When it came time to apply to universities, it didn’t feel right to apply anywhere other than uOttawa,” added the Commerce / Juris Doctor student who is in his final year of his program.
Émilie had a similar academic path throughout elementary and high school where French was predominant: “Kapuskasing, ON is a small town where most of the population is bilingual, but in the community, French was always the main language spoken,” shares the fourth-year marketing student who is also enrolled in the French co-op program.
It was, thus, an easy decision for her to pursue her post-secondary studies in French, but she also wanted to stay in Ontario to be as close as possible to her family: “The ability to complete my program in French and participate in activities in my mother tongue at Telfer made choosing a university easy,” recalled Émilie. She added: “Not only is Telfer a great school that provides me with professional opportunities beyond the classroom, but it’s also a place where I can freely express myself in the language that I feel most comfortable in.”
Living in a Francophone Environment
In addition to studying, universities are also place of growth, both on a personal and intrapersonal level.
Therefore, it was important for Émilie to be able to express herself in French both in-class and upon participating in extra-curricular activities; the Telfer community has always offered her that chance: “I have almost never participated in an activity where there wasn’t other francophone students,” she explains. “Throughout my studies, I have never been in a situation where I couldn’t express myself in my language. I have participated in many case competitions, including the Telfer Internal Case Competition, Pitch Your Brand with the Telfer Marketing Association, Happening Marketing and Jeux du Commerce, and I have always been able to do oral presentation and pitch in French.” Émilie also had the chance to increase French presence within the CASCO team along with other francophone students, improving communication with the community as a result.
Alex also values the ability to rely on his own French heritage and culture throughout his student experience at Telfer. He met like-minded peers in the process: “I have found a community with whom I can communicate in French freely,” he explains. For example, Alex was a volunteer, a member, then the co-president, of the Place à la jeunesse executive committee over the course of three years. “This French academic case competition is a perfect example of how I am able to work with colleagues, the faculty, and people and organizations outside of the University, all in French, toward a common goal,” he reflects.
Thriving in French
Moving out of one’s hometown for the big city always comes with difficult reasoning and challenges, but both Émilie and Alex agree on one thing: you’ll never be alone in this adventure.
“Don’t be afraid to speak your language!” exclaimed Émilie. “You’ll be surprised at how large the francophone community is, and how open and supportive non-French-speaking students are. You will never not be able to express yourself in French, in clubs, and activities at Telfer,” she concluded.
Alex wanted to leave a word of advice to students coming from remote French communities: “Cherish your language to use it to your benefit, be it to take part in different opportunities or to meet new people. You already know how precious your language and culture are. You now get to thrive in both your personal and professional lives in Ottawa and around the world.”
Wiam Ben Karroum graduated from the Telfer School of Management with a double degree in Finance and Business Technology Management (MISA) in just April of 2021. She has already secured a full-time role at Deloitte on the Technology, Strategy, and Transformation team, after completing a co-op with the company during her studies.
Not stopping there, Wiam is also actively working with Forget For A Moment Foundation, which is focused on sensitizing healthcare facilities by bringing nature inside their walls. A registered charity since 2012, the foundation was started by uOttawa alumna Jeannine Lafrenière, who went through cancer herself and wished to see something other than magazines in hospital waiting rooms for patients, families, and staff working.
We met Wiam virtually to better understand how her extracurricular involvement in clubs like Women in Management Network (WMN) helped her get involved with the Forget For A Moment Foundation. Like many other Telfer grads, Wiam is now helping to build a Better Canada.
Why was it important for you to be involved in extracurricular activities when you were a student? What did you learn in your time volunteering with clubs?
“Getting involved in multiple student-led clubs at Telfer helped me develop myself personally and professionally. I had a chance to gain more leadership and communication skills and it gave me the opportunity to discover my interests and passions outside of taking classes! I fostered meaningful relationships with like-minded students that helped and supported my growth through the university experience and beyond.
I also launched the podcast “Words with WMN” during the pandemic! Being part of the Women in Management Network (WMN) allowed me to meet incredible women leaders and made me realize where we stand on the topic of diversity and equality today and how much work is yet to be done. I was able to give back to my community and be part of causes bigger than myself, which ultimately brought me to the Forget For A Moment Foundation.”
As a new grad, what was the best thing you took away from your Telfer experience?
“The best thing I took away from Telfer is my now refined ability to network and maintain genuine connections. Overall, I had a wonderful experience, from trying new things and exploring the community to being involved in clubs and the Profession of Management Consulting Program (PMCP). I learned the power of saying “yes” and continuing to get involved past graduating. Telfer made me realize I am interested in things I didn’t even know about so the curiosity and opportunities I took away are so important.”
Wiam actually joined the Forget For A Moment Foundation as a Campaign Coordinator in her last year of university, thanks to the suggestion from Omer Livvarcin, her professor of Digital Enterprise. Currently busy raising funds for the living wall in the Orléans Health Hub, the foundation works to finance the construction of natural structures inside healthcare facilities and to help pay for their first year of maintenance. And they’re not doing it just because plants look beautiful. Numerous studies have proven that simply looking at plants in healthcare surroundings helps patients, families, and staff reduce stress.
The Foundation seeks to give the sick, their relatives, their caregivers and staff, a natural, healthy, and delightful garden to provide a momentary break from their fear, pain, and stress.
Wiam is working with interested individuals and companies to join the partnership program or donate directly through the website. The Foundation has a goal of systematically including nature in the designs of 10 hospitals, long-term care facilities or nursing homes over the next decade.
Wiam’s passion for this cause shines brightly and it’s a perfect example of Telfer’s mission to create profound social change through the Better Canada initiative. In addition to this wonderful project, we also asked Wiam about her future:
What are your plans for the future? Anything in particular you are looking forward to?
“My plans are to continue working with WMN founders to expand the network and to be involved with the Forget For A Moment Foundation to grow it to a national level. I am also excited to start my full-time journey in Technology consulting!”
We are so proud of all Wiam’s accomplishments and we are so happy that her involvement in Telfer Nation was able to provide her with confidence and leadership skills to pursue non-profit work alongside full-time employment. We are also proud to see an alumnus connect with our mission to Build A Better Canada. We wish Wiam the best in her future endeavours.
Canada ranks as one of the most entrepreneurial countries in the world. This can be attributed to not only the ease with which businesses are created, but also to its favourable legislative framework and its various support programs for entrepreneurs.
With this in mind, one might question the origin of the inequalities that define female entrepreneurship today. A report from the Women Entrepreneurship Knowledge Hub demonstrates that the real challenge when it comes to female entrepreneurship in Canada is not the creation of businesses, but rather their growth and development. In an environment where many conditions exist but still face challenges, let’s collectively reflect on the future of female entrepreneurship in Canada.
A Supportive Environment
Canada is a country in which its environment supports the development of entrepreneurship, particularly female entrepreneurship. In addition to the legislative framework in place to guarantee gender equality in the workplace, there are public policies and programs designed to ensure the development of female entrepreneurship. This is the case with the Women Entrepreneurship Strategy (WES) which was launched in 2018. It includes funding and support programs, as well as the creation of networks for women to improve their access to funding, talent, and expertise needed to start and grow a business.
Also, over time, these organizations have grown on both a large and small scale. For example, at Telfer, right within our business school, we have the Women in Management Network (WMN), founded by Polly Leung. This association came about as a result of a perceived lack of support in the student community of women’s groups that were helping each other at the professional level. WMN is working to address this through a mentorship program in a supportive and inclusive community where students can develop their skills and network for the future. As Leung herself says, with this network, she wanted to “change transactional relationships to make them much more meaningful.”
I also had the opportunity to meet with Marie-Emmanuelle Kouadio, ambassador of SEPHIS Canada, an association based in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, whose goal is to promote gender, female leadership, and entrepreneurship. Kouadio, who had the idea of creating the SEPHIS embassy in Canada, saw it as a way to enhance the association’s reputation and thus continue her fight on a global scale, while maintaining a connection with her homeland of Ivory Coast. In Canada, the association focuses primarily on African international students and organizes events such as panels and webinars where students can learn more about the professional world, but also have the tools to overcome the challenges they may encounter.
Ongoing Challenges
In the case of female entrepreneurship, there are ongoing challenges, primarily related to gender stereotypes. The Women entrepreneurship Knowledge Hub’s report about the state of female entrepreneurship in Canada demonstrates the pervasiveness of these stereotypes. For example, a content analysis study conducted between 2017 and 2019 of Canadian newspaper, The Globe and Mail, found that a majority of articles on entrepreneurship focused on men. As for the content, while men appear to be “born” entrepreneurs, women are presented as entrepreneurs by “necessity,” which reveals the presence of gender identity, in this context as it appears entrepreneurship is assigned to men. These socially constructed stereotypes are among the factors behind the low proportion of women in entrepreneurship training programs, and hence their under-representation in the field. They are hindering the growth of their businesses because they are partly at the root of their difficulty in accessing financing, and are closing their doors to certain sectors such as in Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics (STEM).
If I could visualize the future of female entrepreneurship in Canada, I would certainly see a successful and much more inclusive sector. The creation of WES in 2018, and their expert panel made up of women from diverse sectors and cultures, is a testament to the government’s desire to truly support all women entrepreneurs, and this time by working hand-in-hand with them.
Although there is still some progress to be made, particularly in terms of stereotypes and cultural diversity, by giving all women the opportunity to take their place this can be gradually broken. By providing them with the tools they need to develop such as gender-specific training services, better access to information and funding, and support for internationalization, they would be able to demonstrate their full potential. Coupled with this growing phenomenon of supporting women entrepreneurs, these are all factors that can only have a positive impact on female entrepreneurship.
That said, as Kouadio points out, women should dare and venture by giving themselves the means to do so. This is especially true when we know that the increased presence of women in the sector would serve as role models for the younger generation, which would help them develop an entrepreneurial identity other than that imposed by society, but also to motivate them to take their turn.
I will close with a quote from Marcelle Goran, who runs her own business support structure for hiring and retaining immigrant workers in Quebec: “It can only be beneficial to let women fit into the economic fabric.”
Telfer PhD candidate, Peyman Varshoei, started his doctoral journey in 2017 when he moved from Iran to Ottawa. Since then, he has started on his three-chaptered thesis for his PhD in Management with a Specialization in Health Systems. He met his wife (Elmira Mirbahaeddin) who is also a doctoral candidate in the same PhD program at Telfer School.
The focus of his research relates to various medical scheduling problems which includes patient appointment scheduling, staff scheduling, clinic block scheduling, home-care nurse scheduling, routing, and more. After the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the importance of his research became evident more than ever. His research contributes by strengthening pandemic-wave recovery through preventing extreme back-log of elective surgeries cancelled during the earlier waves of COVID-19.
Becoming a Telfer PhD Student
Peyman was connected with the Telfer PhD program when he was consulting a graduate student who was working on her master's degree project in Iran. Through this project he was introduced to professor Jonathan Patrick.
“[Professor Patrick] encouraged me to apply to the PhD program at Telfer School, I heard about Telfer before, and I knew it has generous packages for international students and also has powerful computer labs that could facilitate my research” explained Peyman. “It was a pleasure for me to apply and be admitted to Telfer.”
Thus Peyman began his PhD journey and is now starting his fifth year in September 2021. Peyman has previously completed his Bachelor’s of Science in industrial engineering in which he graduated with distinction and was invited by the same school in Iran to directly pursue a master’s degree in Systems Engineering. This engineering background provided him with an interdisciplinary perspective and the required methods and skills to work on complex mathematical problems, particularly in healthcare analytics.
“I chose to do my PhD in Management with the Specialization in Health Systems because I did some research in that area during my undergraduate and graduate years in Iran. I was searching for opportunities to expand my knowledge in advanced analytics techniques, and to also explore the connections between my area of interest with health systems management.”
His educational background and eagerness to learn drove him to research newer topics such as business optimization and medical scheduling.
“I have always been passionate to work on innovative ideas that optimize health systems. . So, choosing this PhD program and focusing on the optimization of scheduling in health care services gave me the opportunity to enhance my skills and apply my knowledge to health care problems in the real world.”
Learning and skills acquisition
Peyman has been keen on developing his ability to learn how to learn. By challenging himself with new topics and problems, he managed to exercise many learning curves.
“I’m learning things everyday non-stop. I need to improve my skills regularly, so I am trying to explore new ways that I can quickly learn. I am happy with everything that I have explored throughout my research,” he states as he emphasizes the importance of getting out of his comfort zone to enhance and advancehis skillset while obtaining his PhD.
Peyman faced many challenges that he overcame by adopting an open mind with curiosity. He explained “I explored a lot in the literature because I didn’t have a broad background in optimization. My background was mostly in simulation modeling” he adds: “I had to find a way to solve new optimization problems during my research. For example, in my first chapter, I had to figure out how to make a trade-off between two or more conflicting objectives through connecting a stochastic and a deterministic optimization model and spent days figuring out how to do it. I learned new programming languages as well as several solution methods for addressing the problems that I am working on.”
Working with supervisors
His main resource for obtaining new knowledge, he said, was access to professors and researchers who were knowledgeable and willing to advise him during his research in the areas that he was interested in. In addition to his supervisors, Peyman had the opportunity to engage in research and teaching activities with the other Telfer faculty members. Therefore, he has been able to further expand his experience through various research projects as well as teaching undergraduate courses. Peyman refers to the faculties at Telfer: “they made my PhD program even more fruitful by generously sharing their professional experience and knowledge in research with me.”
Professor Jonathan Patrick, also commented on Peyman’s enthusiasm towards learning: “One of the real pleasures about working with Peyman is his willingness to take on new tasks and learn new methods and/or software. He is not afraid to tackle new methodologies and readily asks for guidance if he is uncertain. These characteristics of his will stand him in good stead as he continues in his career as a researcher.”
During the first two years of PhD, Peyman went through his coursework. He explained: “My supervisors supported me in many ways, for example, in choosing the right method courses and the other ups and downs that an international newcomer PhD student from another educational system might face with. Moreover, they guided me to the additional skills and methods that I needed to prepare for my comprehensive exam and my thesis program of research. I believe this individualized support has been of great importance for the progress of my thesis research.”
Being a PhD Student During COVID-19
Researching a Pandemic from Home
When the pandemic hit in 2020, Peyman, like many, was unsure how his education journey would continue. However, it turned out to be the pandemic itself that led him to develop what would be the first chapter of his thesis.
“While I was exploring different home care problems in the literature to start developing the first optimization problem in my thesis, the pandemic started. We identified a new problem about admitting elective patients to hospitals during pandemics, which later became my first chapter. The problem was how to admit elective patients in a hospital during a pandemic while ensuring the hospitals are ready to empty some capacity for pandemic patients in case of a surge in the pandemic-driven demand” explained Peyman. This problem became evident after the first wave of COVID-19 hit and hospitals faced massive backlogs of elective surgeries because of the cancellations.
“What happened during the first wave was a new situation for the hospitals because they were afraid of the coming COVID-driven demand and they emptied lots of beds and resources for a predicted demand that never happened during the first wave. So, their resources remained under-utilized while they had cancelled many elective procedures and caused a massive backlog of elective patients.”
Peyman put his focus on this new topic, despite the uncertainty around the topic and its solution method. His COVID-19 research was pursued in pandemic-style: at home.
“I was at home all the time during the pandemic. I followed the news that was relevant to my research.” shared Peyman. He specified that because it was a novel problem in the literature, he had a lot to delve into when working from home. “I read the news a lot, I searched for keywords and specific news articles. I worked hard to develop a new methodology.”
Eventually, he was able to develop a solution to this issue: an elective patient scheduling policy that would allow admitting patients during the pandemic waves while ensuring the hospital can empty enough beds for pandemic patients over a short warning period.
Managing the Impact of Future COVID-19 Waves
With his research Peyman hopes to lessen the negative impact of COVID-19 and other pandemic waves in the future.
“We may see more covid waves later. In the future, we can benefit from the lessons learned during the first wave and I believe the findings of my research can help hospitals to minimize cancellations.” he explained.
The model would help hospitals to adapt quicker and more efficiently than the first wave of COVID-19, allowing for a faster post-pandemic recovery.
Participating in Conferences
When Peyman progressed with his research and developed the structure for the forthcoming chapters, his supervisors invited him to present the findings of his first chapter at the Canadian Operational Research Society (CORS) 2021 annual conference. “This was a great opportunity for me to share this research and to get feedback from the participants and experts in this area. Happily, we received encouraging comments from the audience, especially about the novelty and timeliness of the topic as well as the innovative method that was developed” He said. Peyman also presented in 2021 annual Canadian Association for Health Services and Policy Research (CAHSPR) conference.
Finishing a Thesis
Peyman states that the main goal of his research is “making a balance between the needs of patients and the utilization of health-care resources and to find an optimal/near-optimal solution”. He keeps that in mind as he works towards finishing the next chapters of his thesis.
His next steps will include delving deeper into solution methods for the complex problems he is trying to solve in home-care nurse scheduling and routing problem and cancer clinics block scheduling.
“I am going to develop a heuristic/metaheuristic method that is able to provide a good quality solution in a reasonable time, which is what operations research analysts do when it is impossible to reach the optimal solution for combinatorial mathematical problems.”
The impact of his research is not only applicable now more than ever but could change the efficiency of planning and scheduling within the Canadian health care system for the better.
Telfer BCom students know a big project is coming when they enroll for their fourth-year capstone course, Strategic Management (ADM 4311). The course includes an online strategy simulation that counts towards much of their overall grade in this course, the Intopia Strategy Simulation.
This summer from July 10 to 11, fourth-year Telfer BCom students participated in Intopia, which allows them to apply the strategic management concepts that they have learnt in class in a virtual simulated business world. During the simulation, students are required to make quick decisions and negotiate with classmates to grow their business over the weekend, acting as producer, wholesaler, or distributor organizations within the same industry.
Teamwork at its Best
While the competition comes with many challenges, the most positive and memorable aspect is often the collaboration between players: “Spending the weekend working on the competition with friends and colleagues was the most enjoyable part. Collaborating with other teams and fellow students whom we have gotten to know over the past four years was a gratifying culmination of our time at Telfer,” shares Aarun Senathirajah, accounting student and member of the winning team.
When asked about the greatest challenges Intopia had in store this summer, Aarun shared: “Adapting to the ever-changing market dynamics and power changes between producers and wholesalers was a significant challenge we faced throughout the game. Ultimately, by ensuring our strategy was flexible and dynamic, we were able to predict the changes in the market and adapt accordingly. Clear communication and an open environment between all our group members proved to be vital when adapting quickly.”
Congratulations to the overall winning team and Best Integrated Producer: Team 18
MacKenzie Erbach
Philip Kaczmarczyk
Julia Magahey
Aarun Senathirajah
Liam Woodside
Congratulations to the following teams who placed in other notable categories
The MBA Student Association (MBASA) at Telfer School of Management came up with an event that is the first of its kind – a small and medium-sized (SME) Consult-a-thon focusing on providing fast-paced, strategic solutions to businesses in the local community.
Over the course of the weekend from July 17th to 18th, 46 participants including students, business representatives, Telfer faculty and experts, put in a total of more than 170 hours of case-cracking to help these businesses prosper and give back to the community. “It truly represents what the Telfer School of Management is all about - bringing together the creative energy and expertise of students, local businesses leaders, and industry experts to focus on a business challenge faced by local organizations,” said Professor Catherine Elliott, Director of the Telfer MBA program.
Revisiting Case Competitions Framework
The event has completely redesigned the usual case competition framework, with an emphasis on collaboration, community value, and social good. “When we came up with this framework, we believed the emphasis should be on quick solutions and community value rather than competitiveness.”, stated, Karthik Chivakula Venkata, one of the 6 organizing members of the event and a Telfer MBA student. He added: “We also believed that this would provide participants with a sneak peek at real-world business challenges as well as an opportunity to put their course learnings and talents to the test.”
Developing the Right Challenge
Due to the pervasive pandemic, today's SME enterprises confront some very genuine and severe issues that require innovative solutions. To be successful, both businesses and students require assistance and direction from local business community supporters.
With many local businesses showing interest in being part of the Consult-a-thon, the MBASA organizing team had to interact with each of the business owners to understand the cases better. Following a thorough brief, the team collaborated closely with the business owners and members of the MBASA’s executive team to co-create case documents that showed extensive, accurate, and up-to-date market information.
Intensive Case-Cracking
The Consult-a-thon included 4 teams composed of 4 students that would come to know of the businesses and the cases only during the event. The team then had to work on the cases provided by each participating business at different time during the event.
The most anticipated part of each business case was the case cracking. Each team had 4 hours to tackle the business document. In the first hour, the teams got to discuss their questions and ideas with the business owners and consulting experts for a proper understanding of the situation and problem statement. By the end of the allotted time, the teams had to share their final ideas and solutions to the business owners and expert panelists.
At the end their presentations, the panelists will provide feedback on the teams' presentations and insights on how to implement their ideas better.
For its first edition, the Telfer MBA students had the chance to work with dynamic local start-ups such as:
Shyne Eyewear, a small Ottawa social enterprise run by Enactus uOttawa which manufactures and sells sunglasses and blue-light glasses created from 100% recycled materials;
Ekidna Sensing, a biotech startup located in Ottawa that builds technology solutions for the legal Cannabis industry;
Empower'em is a grassroots social enterprise focused on providing a community and support to women of colour in order to help them develop their leadership skills, build confidence and achieve their personal and professional goals.
All in for local businesses
Since it was not a traditional case competition, the panellists evaluated the ideas qualitatively, not quantitatively. The rubric focused on the clarity of identification and articulation of challenges, level of thorough analysis, creativity and feasibility to provide feedback, and recommendations to the participants.
The real winners of the Consult-a-thon were – the local businesses, of course! Students gained valuable experience and received feedback on their ideas and presentation skills, but the businesses were the real winners, leaving the event with new insight and actionable solutions for their business challenges. Professor Elliott added: “It was a winning partnership for all, bringing innovative and practical solutions to these local businesses. Congratulations to the MBASA and the participating students! I was so impressed with the students’ initiative in launching this first-ever Telfer SME Consult-a-thon.”
A Successful Event
The event also got praises from the principal beneficiaries. “We needed a strategic direction and these presentations provided us with new creative ideas on how to tackle this problem. The recommendations the students provided were actionable and we are happy and excited about the entire event,” said Alexander Parsan, Project Manager at Shyne Eyewear, and Telfer BCom Accounting student.
Nicolas Boileau, CEO of Ekidna Sensing, also appreciated the outside expert view that the Telfer MBA students brought in. He looks forward to the next 6 months to one year to see where the company will move towards with the new ideas and strategy he collected over the weekend.
The committee is already planning the next edition of the event, which will take place in 2022 in a much bigger scale with even more local organizations. Any local businesses and students from all horizons with an interest in being part of this incredible initiative are invited to contact the MBA Student Association to discuss possible participation in next year’s competition via This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Are you an international student still deciding on the university you would like to go to on exchange? Are you interested in the Telfer School of Management and would you like to know about what my experience as a French student was like? Well, you are in the right place!
In this blog post, I will cover all of the questions I was asked by fellow students at KEDGE Business School (my business school in France) who had to choose their partner university from among 15 options.
I’ve been through this myself, and I know how stressful it can be to choose where you’re going to spend the next few years of your degree, especially when it may be across the Atlantic in Canada at a recognized university.
LIFE AT SCHOOL
At Telfer, you have the winter, summer and fall semesters. I attended Telfer during the winter and fall. Each semester is about 3 months of courses which start in early January and end in early April. Your exams will start in mid-April and run until the end of April during this winter semester. You have a week off by mid-February that you can use as a study week for your midterms that start after this week. It is similar for the fall semester: courses start in early September and end in early December to allow time for exams starting in mid-December, until the last Friday before the holiday break. The fall study break happens in mid-October. Note that this means your summer break from school is 4 months long. Take advantage of this time to work at internships, apply for a student job, or just relax for 4 months by the pool!
All of the 5 courses are taught within 30 hours of the semester. If you take 5 classes each semester, you will be in classes for 15 hours per week, which gives you relatively short weeks of time spent in class. This allows you to spend the rest of the time on assignments, your studies, or even have a student job on the side. I think the personal work is fairly sizable.
The partnership between my school and Telfer includes having 60% of courses in French and 40% in English because Telfer wishes to keep a bilingual French-English environment, which is unique to Canadian culture. Rest assured that from my perspective, this had very little impact on my level of English, as I have improved it rather through my meetings with international students, and in my everyday life in general.
For courses, in the first two semesters, the 5 courses are mandatory and not selected by the student, and then for the last two semesters, you have 2 mandatory courses and 3 courses that you can choose yourself. Overall, I found the teachers interesting, passionate and responsive.
If you are afraid of not passing a course during midterm or end-of-session exams, don’t worry; you will not repeat a year. You will simply resume the course the following semester in order to rework it and obtain a passing grade.
MY HOUSING TIPS
For accommodation, you can stay in student residence on campus for the first term. That’s what I did, staying at Marchand residence, and I think that’s the best way to be at the centre of student life and to live with other international students. In Marchand, you can be in a single or shared room. The rooms are small and the bathrooms are to be shared, but you will have a real experience as a university exchange student in Canada. My English improved a lot during that term and I met amazing people.
For the following semesters, you’ll get to know the city better, so if you didn’t like the student residency experience, or want to change, you can rent a house with several other students (it’s always better to be with international students to improve your English). I recommend that you look on Kijiji to rent a house, or go to Facebook groups such as “Apartment Rentals Ottawa” or “Ottawa Housing, Rooms, Condos, Apartments, Sublets.”
Rent prices vary, but overall, for an apartment downtown, you will need about €600 or US$690. I was in a 5-room apartment in the “Golden Triangle” neighbourhood, which is a 15 to 20-minute walk from the University, and I paid €500. Life is on average similar to the cost of living in France for commuting. I never took public transport (even in winter at -20°C - you have to be brave!). In terms of neighbourhoods, I suggest you look around Golden Triangle, Sandy Hill, or Lower Town.
THE CITY OF OTTAWA AND ITS STUDENT LIFE
Ottawa may be the capital of Canada, but the city remains very quiet and family-friendly. Everything is concentrated downtown. You’ll find different museums, the Byward Market—which is a place with coffee shops, pubs/nightclubs, and small shops (and especially good beaver tails from Beavertails!). Very close to the university, there is a very large shopping centre, the Rideau Centre. Ottawa is above all known for the Rideau Canal, which freezes in winter and becomes the largest outdoor skating rink in the world. There is also Gatineau Park, on the other side of the river in Gatineau just north of the city, which is a beautiful place that I had the opportunity to discover with beautiful fall colours with lakes and walking paths. In addition, Montreal is only two hours away by bus or car. Finally, I urge you to visit Parc Omega in Montebello, Quebec, which is a nature reserve where you can see national animals such as bears, wolves, bison, foxes.
Life in Ottawa as a student will not be as hectic as that in Montreal or Toronto, and will allow you to be in good company (with over 40,000 students on campus, you can easily make new friends) and to take part in the university’s events to experience it fully.
The University of Ottawa offers multiple organized student outings (when possible), such as an extended weekend in New York, Chicago, or other locations.
Finally, there is no shortage of sports facilities on campus, and as a sports enthusiast, I was delighted to see two huge sports rooms, an Olympic swimming pool, a hockey field, an American football field (soccer), several gymnasiums, and more.
HOW TO COPE WITH THE CANADIAN COLD? (from a heat addict)
During winter, in Ottawa, it’s cold - very cold! Temperatures range from 0°C to -20°C (for the lucky ones, you can even experience winter storms and below 30°C temperatures). My best advice is to buy winter clothes when you arrive in Canada, especially winter coats and sweaters. I bought my winter coat at Aritzia (also look at SportChek or Canada Goose if you have a larger budget, which you can find at the Rideau Centre mall), the prices are lower than if you buy it in France, and more importantly, Canadian stores offer products that are much better suited for winter. For thermal shirts, pants, gloves, caps, etc., I recommend UNIQLO. For shoes, you’ll find a lot of shoes on the spot that do the job, but I personally chose the high ankle Timberland boots and I was very pleased with that.
YOU ARE IN NORTH AMERICA, TRAVEL!
Many ask me if I had the opportunity to travel while I was in Canada. I don’t think they checked my travel blog! I love to travel and living in Ottawa allows you to go to lots of cool places for a lot less than if you left from Europe. I won’t go into details, but in a year I had the opportunity to go to Montreal, Toronto, Niagara Falls, New York City (7 to 8 hours by bus from Montreal), Mexico (Tulum, Cancún), Miami, and Orlando. My adventure ended there, because of COVID-19 (well, it will be for another time!).
I sincerely hope that all this information will be useful to you if you are a future international exchange student in Canada, and that I have answered most of your questions.
If you would like more information, please contact me! My email is This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Telfer alumni Kim Ades (MBA 1993) and Nichole Grenier (BCom 1990) discuss how job candidates can overcome this type of anxiety and instead use genuine, powerful strategies to create a positive impression during a job interview.
Kim Ades: Helping people tackle the fear of being evaluated in a job interview in three steps
Kim Ades, president and founder of Frame of Mind Coaching, received a BA from the University of Ottawa with major in psychology and then decided to pursue an MBA. She was always interested in understanding what triggers anxiety and stress:
“Some of us can experience anxiety when we are preparing for a job interview, an important presentation at work, or a big event in our lives, and expect a negative outcome,” she says.
As an executive coach for nearly two decades, she takes people through a three-step process to overcome the anxiety created by their fears of winning and losing. The first step is to describe what it looks like to experience failure. “I ask people to imagine the worst possible scenario; one where they experience disastrous failure,” says Kim. She then asks them to express their feelings in journal entries that they share with their coach, a task that job candidates often find very difficult.
The second step is not to ignore the difficult feelings that many candidates might experience when preparing for a job interview. Instead, they should face the possibility of failure head on: “I ask people to imagine that they might fail a job interview, and then imagine what it looks like to recover from that failure,” says Kim. Envisioning recovery helps candidates build resilience and strength to handle any negative evaluation they might receive in a job interview.
The final step is to envision complete success. Job candidates are encouraged to imagine what it looks like to step into the interview, successfully answer the interviewers’ questions, and walk away thinking: “That was the best interview I ever had.”
Nichole Grenier: Preparation is the best strategy to show yourself in the best light
Nichole Grenier, founder of Grenier Executive & Business Coaching, graduated from Telfer with a major in accounting. She became a certified accountant and after many years’ working in the field, she was asked why she kept focusing on people instead of numbers. Her passion to work with people led to a career shift to human resources and to her becoming a certified coach.
Nichole believes that when studying the impact of anxiety on interview performance, coaches, and researchers should not only look at personality, but also on how culture, gender, and age affect how individuals cope with the fear of being evaluated. “The interview setting is very stressful, and people can react very differently to this specific situation.” For Nichole, there are many ways for individuals to position themselves as suitable candidates for the job, but the key to success is preparation and practice. This includes mock interviews with family, friends, or a coach:
“Preparing well is what allows you to show yourself in the best light,” she says.
Nichole asks candidates to do some research on the organization and its work culture: “What is the culture and how will I fit in? For example, should I be prepared to dress for an office environment that is more formal or more relaxed?”
She also advises candidates to carefully examine the job description and identify the key competencies required for the job. This can indicate what the employer is looking for and guide the employee in showing that they are capable, competent, and have experience in performing that type of work. “Even if you don’t have a specific example to illustrate that you developed a competency, you can think about transferable skills you developed in a previous job.”
Kim and Nichole share tips to help job candidates impress the interviewer with honesty
Kim and Nichole also commented on a new study coauthored by Silvia Bonaccio, a full professor at the Telfer School of Management. The research suggests that some anxious job candidates are more likely to use deceptive strategies to impress the interviewer. Both alumni offered valuable recommendations to help all candidates make a positive—and honest—impression during a job interview:
Back up exuberant statements with tangible facts
Kim believes that extroverts who wish to impress the interviewer do not need to “turn down” their extraversion when describing their success. However, she advises them to support their accomplishments with tangible, supportable facts, such as “I increased the company’s revenues by 50% last year.”
Show your credibility and impact
Nichole advises candidates to be prepared to tell stories based on past performance. Ideally, for every story, candidates should also provide a reference who can back up their story and prove to the interviewer that they have credibility and are suitable candidates for the job. Another way to leave a great first impression with the interviewer is to tell your most impactful stories. “Maybe you recently optimized the process of an entire company with 1,000 employees.”
Curiosity and interest go a long away
For those candidates who rank low on extraversion, Kim thinks that there is nothing wrong with being an introvert. “As an introvert, I think that sometimes curiosity and interest trump being outgoing.” When job candidates show they are honestly interested in the organization and their work, “employers will be able to evaluate their readiness, and their fit for the role, as opposed to whether or not they rank high on extraversion,” she adds.
Be confident
Nichole reinforces that introverts should show confidence during the interview. Candidates should recognize their ability to collaborate with teams and be inclusive when referring to team accomplishments, but it is equally important to use I statements to show how they contributed to the team. “The interviewer will want to know what you did to promote teamwork, so you can say we (the team) went for a mountain bike trip but use I did this if you were the person who planted the idea of the trip.” Downplaying these contributions can be too risky, especially if candidates are applying for a leadership position.
Make sure your actions reflect your vision
Kim often asks candidates how they would like to be seen and if their actions correspond with that vision. “A lot of times people behave in ways that clash with their desired outcomes; it is important to help job candidates understand that the action of stretching the truth doesn’t necessarily lead to the outcome they are looking for.” Nichole agrees that if anyone believes that they should stretch the truth to land the ideal job, then they should consider coaching to develop skills to resist the temptation to use deception. “Being manipulative or cunning can be a great skill if you are applying for a job as a bank robber,” she jokes.
You are also in a position of evaluating
Kim advises candidates to run their own mental interview with the company based on what they learn during the recruitment process. Nichole believes that if they do their research well, they will be prepared to ask the right questions and understand if this organization is the right fit for them.
Are you looking for a job but experience interview anxiety? Prepare, practice, and overcome your fears of being evaluated during an interview.
Kim Ades, of Frame of Mind Coaching, developed a coaching methodology to help executives and entrepreneurs become more effective leaders. Learn more about Kim
Nichole Grenier, of Grenier Executive & Business Coaching, offers customized coaching to groups, teams, and individuals to unlock potential, remove barriers, and maximize performance. Learn more about Nichole
On June 23rd, the Telfer School of Management held its Annual Excellence Recognition Assembly. Hosted for the first time by Dean Stéphane Brutus, this annual summer meeting is an opportunity to highlight the efforts and exceptional work of the Telfer faculty and staff members with awards assigned through votes by their colleagues and peers.
Revamped Telfer Awards
The Telfer Awards (“Telfie”) recipients include staff and faculty members who have distinguished themselves through excellence in service and dedication to their work, while showing leadership and initiative that has greatly benefitted the Telfer community. For the first time since its creation, the Telfer Awards ballot was open to part-time faculty members, creating 3 additional awards recognizing the contribution of part-time professors. The 2021 Telfer Awards winners are:
Nathalie Paré, Specialist, Academic Success and Student Experience, Graduate programs
Full-Time Faculty Members
Wojtek Michalowski, Full Professor Health Informatics and Decision Support and former Interim Dean
Jane O'Reilly, Associate Professor and Telfer Fellow in Workplace Wellbeing
Shantanu Dutta, Vice-Dean (Research) and Telfer Fellow in Global Finance
Part-Time Faculty Members
Jasmin Manseau, Parti-Time Professor on Long-Term Assignement, PhD Candidate
Marc Tassé, Corporate Ethics and Financial Crimes Expert & Part-Time Professor
Dorra Jlouli, Founder and CEO, Green & Smart Alternatives & Part-Time Professor
Patricia Ann O’Rourke Award for Excellence in Service
Created in 2014, this award honours Patricia Ann O’Rourke, an individual who provided exceptional service to one and all over the course of her career, for the greater benefit of the Telfer School and its stakeholders. She personified service excellence and was an inspiration to each of her colleagues, faculty and support staff alike. Patricia retired the same year after 32 years of service.
This annual award recognizes an employee (either faculty or administrative staff) who has demonstrated a strong desire and ability to help others, and in doing so, advance the interests of the School and contribute to the development of a culture of service excellence.
Congratulations to all 2021 winners who, in their own and unique way, embrace the Telfer vision in building a Better Canada through their work and dedication to our School!
The last 15 months have been turbulent to say the least. We have gone through many changes in the way we live, work and relate. Whether we’ve liked it or not, we’ve had to call on and build up our personal resilience. And by now, we’ve heard it all: from advice to eat better, do yoga, and take bubble baths, we know how to build our individual resilience so that we can “adapt to stress, […] harness resources to maintain well-being, and find personal growth as a healthy adaptation to crisis” (Southwick, Frederick, et al).
While building our own set of personal practices that help us bounce back from adversity is an essential part of being able to live and lead well, how do leaders make sure their teams are resilient, too? Individual and team resilience are not the same – according to Alliger et al., team resilience is about bouncing back from challenges that can jeopardize a team’s cohesiveness and performance. The focus isn’t just on individual recovery, but on the team maintaining positive dynamics and the ability to learn together.
As restrictions ease and many organizations begin a return to working together in-person, leaders will need to guide their teams through yet another period of change and adaptation. In the months ahead, leaders will be focused on creating an environment that supports the sense of belonging and motivation that their teams need, to not only recover from Pandemic fatigue, but to contribute to the transformation of this new workplace.
Shaping and strengthening resilient leaders and teams is part of what we do at Telfer Executive Programs. In a recent article from the Harvard Business Review, the authors share that a major component of developing resilience as a leader is building networks and connecting with peers facing similar challenges (Cross et al, 2021). Our programs help you build those networks and create opportunities for growth, which are defining characteristics of high performing teams.
How are you planning on supporting your team through this next phase? As you prepare for the upcoming period of change, we encourage you to consider creating an environment where your team can learn together. Part of our roles at Telfer Executive Programs is designing custom programs that meet the specific needs of your team. Custom programs allow participants to share a common learning experience which can facilitate the change management process and help promote feelings of inclusion, engagement, and motivation in your team so you can begin this next phase with confidence.
If you have any questions or are looking for more information on custom programming, connect with us at: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
About the authors
Margaux Carson is the Manager of Program Development & Delivery at Telfer Executive Programs and oversees the design, development, and delivery of all program offerings. She brings her background in education and international experience in leadership development consulting to the role. Margaux is passionate about designing and delivering high-impact programming that supports leaders to grow and create cultures of trust, connection, and development in their teams so they can succeed.
Christina Tector is an Executive Coach and Leadership Development Facilitator. She draws on over 20 years of experience working in the federal public service as a leadership facilitator, personal development coach, change leadership mentor, organizational change advisor, and mindfulness teacher. She is passionate about facilitating, supporting and guiding leaders to discover their own personal development edges, fulfill their potential and elevate the teams of people they lead. Christina cares deeply about creating a climate of trust, compassion and authenticity for healthy humans to thrive in healthy systems.
At the age of 19, Audrey-Claire Lawrence (EMBA, 1997) started her teaching career in Rouyn-Noranda over 850 km away from Québec City where she has been living. Little did she know, this was only the beginning of a lifelong journey that would lead her to rethink Canada’s health and educational system.
Teaching in a remote region of Québec brought on a lot of firsts for Ms. Lawrence. Due to the lack of school past grade 6, Cree students were flown in from different communities in the James Bay area; ‘It was an interesting environment to be in,” remembers Lawrence. “The North was quite different then Québec City. At school, you could see kids were divided between Cree and Town Children, but the class they integrated very well.”
One day, a dentist sent by the Department of Indian Affairs and Northern Development (now Crown-Indigenous Relations and Northern Affairs; Indigenous Service) came into her students’ class for what was presented as a routine visit for the Indigenous children. Lawrence (born Swaffield) was confused at the time, knowing there was already a dentist in town, but giving the official statement from the dentist, she sent in her first student. She was shocked when the young girl returned: “She came back green and looked terrible.” The dentist had explained that he needed to pull out 7 teeth to treat the young girl's cavities. After that, Lawrence immediately refused him permission to touch any more of her students and had the principal send the dentist away. “I simply didn’t understand the logic given how a local dentist could have taken care of the kids,” she added.
The consequence of this event sent Lawrence on a journey to understand the “system” regarding Indigenous relations in our education and health systems. Of Cree and Inuit Ancestry herself, she was already attentive to the Indigenous rights cause, but from that day, she knew she had to take a stand.
Starting On a Mission
After completing further degrees, Lawrence became an experienced facilitator, motivational speaker, and organizational development specialist. She has worked in management positions in government, education, and healthcare, most notably as Director of Educational Services at The Ottawa Hospital (Civic then) and as Director of Education for the Canadian Association of Medical Radiation Technologists.
She has also served in leadership positions in national, provincial, and local organizations involved with organizational development, libraries and concerns affecting Indigenous communities throughout Canada, including in Quebec, Ontario, and Nova Scotia. Author of several journal articles and study guides, Lawrence has presented at numerous conferences on cultural safety, humour in the workplace, stress and change management, and before retiring had her own consulting practice supplying facilitation and event services, customized to the needs of her clients.
In addition to her MBA from the University of Ottawa, Lawrence also holds an MA in Sociology and Organizational Behaviour from the University of Calgary, an Honours BA from McGill, as well as a Teaching Diploma in Later Childhood from MacDonald College. She is a Myers-Briggs Facilitator and has extensive experience in the provision of training and leadership programs.
Developing Critical Thinking Skills
Lawrence has extensive experience in policy analysis, report writing, and strategic planning. She attributes her success in these fields to her time at Telfer EMBA, which was known as the Faculty of Administration at the time.
“One of the classes I remember the most was held by Professor Raj Gandhi,” she recalled. “As he introduced his class on cost-benefit ratio, he said jokingly, that the biggest mistake we did was to put our money on an MBA when we should have bought a house. It’s a simple example, but it gets you thinking about how to develop your critical thinking as well as doing cost benefit analysis.”
Lawrence shared how the program helped her to further shape her skills: “My MBA helped develop my critical thinking as well as negotiations with teammates to get things done.” She noted that it helped one to be a system thinker so one can change the state of things: “When you have good people, but a lousy system, the barriers are too strong to do anything, the world is already too complex. When you get to fix the system, thinking and see what can be leveraged, that’s when change can happen.”
Lawrence is now a thriving member of the Telfer alumni community: “I enjoy seminars and the continuing learning opportunities offered by the University. I think I might be holding the record as the alumna with the longest time attending learning events” she said candidly. She continued: “If you have a good experience, it will build a lifelong learning objective, and I simply enjoy learning.”
The Career After the Career
Officially retired and living in Ottawa, it would be impossible to think that Lawrence would have left everything behind. She has been involved in the community through volunteer work at a few health and organizations and libraries, including serving as Chair of the Canadian Health Care Educators Association, the former President of the Ontario Library Board Association (OLBA), the former Chair of the Cumberland Public Library (now part of the Ottawa Public Library), and the Vice-Chair of the Southern Ontario Library Service Board and Volunteer Leadership Development Program (VLDP) of Volunteer Ottawa.
“I surely know how to keep myself busy. My husband would tell you that I’m spending more time volunteering now than I worked during my career,” exclaimed Lawrence.
Most recently, Audrey had served on the Public Witness for Social and Ecological Justice Committee. She now serves as the Indigenous Co-Chair for the All My Relations Circle for the Anglican Diocese of Ottawa for work on Reconciliation and has been on the Algonquin College Board of Governors since 2017.
Standing Up for Distance Learning in the Indigenous Community
Audrey has long been aware of the needs for financial support for university and college students and especially for Indigenous students, so she set up a special bursary for Indigenous learners at Algonquin College in 2019. Then upon hearing that there was no bursaries for online students, she recently in May 2021 established the Audrey Lawrence AC Online Bursary, the first bursary for learning distance which will be awarded to full-time and part-time online learners in financial need, following a second gift of $15,000 from Lawrence.
The Online Bursary will encompass two $6,000 bursaries for full-time learners, with one preferably directed toward an Indigenous student. Additionally, three $1,000 bursaries will also be awarded to part-time students.
As a former teacher to Cree students at the very beginning of her career, it simply seems natural for Lawrence to give back to the community and encourage distance learning: “As I went on through my teaching career, I’m glad I could count on correspondence courses (distance learning process at the time) to complete my degree. I am very sensitive to the needs of distance learners,” she said.
Audrey mentioned that even if it has been a few decades ago, the gap in providing essential services, such as education, to the Indigenous community is still very much a topical issue. “Over the past 20 years, not much has changed,” she said. “Gaps are being identified, but little is done to shorten them in the end. We bring infrastructure to the communities, but we do not take the time with them to ensure the facilities have operational support - and that’s a big issue.” She concluded: “Apart from the mea culpa, we need to learn from the past to make positive action and the most important thing to do is to ask the community what and how it should be done above all.”
We are delighted to announce the release of the report, Entrepreneurship Policies through a Gender Lens by the Organization for Economic Development and Cooperation (OECD). This timely report contains a collection of 27 policy insight notes on long-running policy issues in women’s entrepreneurship support. OECD data and editorial insights reinforce the policy note findings. This report will be of interest to women entrepreneurs, policymakers, women’s enterprise advocates, and academics at a time when evidence-based sights are needed to drive post-pandemic recovery measures.
Background
This report is a collaboration between the OECD and the Global Women’s Entrepreneurship Policy Research Project (Global WEP), which is a network of established researchers from over 34 countries. The project was led by Jonathan Potter (Head of the Entrepreneurship Policy and Analysis Unit) of the OECD and Dr. Colette Henry, Chair of Global WEP - (Dundalk Institute of Technology, Ireland; Chair, Global WEP), Dr. Susan Coleman (University of Hartford, United States) and Dr. Barbara Orser (University of Ottawa, Canada). Excerpts from the Executive Summary follow.
What will you learn from this report?
Women’s enterprise issues have become even more relevant as the COVID-19 pandemic threatens to set women’s entrepreneurship back 20 years. The notes contained in this report cover a range of policy challenges – including in relation to formal and informal institutions, access to finance, access to skills and policy design – and policy instruments that can be used to address them. The notes underline core principles and good practices to follow in designing and implementing policies.
This report also offers an overview of the state of women’s entrepreneurship in OECD countries and beyond, using gender-disaggregated indicators on business creation, self-employment and barriers to business start-up, sustainability and growth. These indicators illustrate gender gaps in entrepreneurship, not only in activity rates but also in the proportion of entrepreneurs who create jobs for others. Persistent gender gaps call on public policy to continue to address gender inequalities in entrepreneurship.
Overall, this report provides an important source of new insights to assist policy makers and advocates seeking to strengthen holistic interventions in support of women’s entrepreneurship, and to encourage and facilitate peer learning across countries.
Report highlights
The policy insight notes in this report argue that mainstream entrepreneurship policies and programmes are not gender neutral. Explicit approaches are needed to address barriers to entrepreneurship that are experienced differentially by men and women, and to ensure that women have equal access to policy support aimed at entrepreneurs.
To an extent, this reality is recognised by the wide range of dedicated policy interventions for women’s entrepreneurship that have been put in place internationally across many contexts. The interventions address barriers in the areas of entrepreneurship culture, entrepreneurship skills, access to finance, entrepreneurship networks and ecosystems, and regulatory institutions, as well as approaches to designing and delivering policies to achieve gender equality. These approaches illustrate the dynamic nature of women’s entrepreneurship policy, as well as the gains that are being made as policy makers recognise the needs and contributions of women entrepreneurs.
However, women’s enterprise policy initiatives are often fragile – time-limited, small-scale, sparse, symptom-oriented – and not sufficiently underpinned by a genuine vision and framework for women’s entrepreneurship. To address these limitations, there is a need to increase awareness and knowledge about policies that engage and support women entrepreneurs within entrepreneurial ecosystems. Adherence to gender-blind entrepreneurship policies will be ineffective in achieving the benefits to be had from truly stimulating equal opportunities in entrepreneurship.
There are three main priorities for further policy development:
Overarching policy frameworks for women’s entrepreneurship need to be introduced
In some countries, policy frameworks for women’s entrepreneurship are well-developed and women’s entrepreneurship programmes work effectively towards the global objectives and priorities set out in these frameworks. However, in other countries, women’s entrepreneurship policies are incomplete or ineffective, often because the programmes are not consistent with global policy objectives. Governments should do more to strengthen policy frameworks for women’s entrepreneurship. They also need to dedicate greater resources to ensure that programmes are informed by frameworks and are sustainable in the long-term.
Women’s entrepreneurship policy interventions must reflect context
Governments need to ensure that policy interventions are appropriate for the institutional, cultural and social contexts. The policy insight notes describe vastly different contexts, ranging from developed economies where gender inequalities persist but are relatively subtle to developing economies with strong patriarchal systems. Women’s entrepreneurship policy can be effective in any context, but the objectives, instruments and delivery mechanisms must be selected accordingly.
More evaluation evidence is needed as a foundation for scaling policy initiatives
A wide variety of policy instruments and delivery approaches have been put in place in many countries. A key challenge is to assess the effectiveness of these approaches in different situations and different combinations and to scale and transfer the most effective approaches. More evidence is needed on the effectiveness of women’s entrepreneurship supports in different contexts. This includes, for example, the impacts of measures for training and mentoring, financing, and the role of measures that influence underlying institutional conditions. Information is also needed on the extent to which measures need to be applied as packages. The lack of evaluation evidence represents a lost opportunity to learn from high impact policy interventions and may lend to the vulnerability of women’s enterprise programme funding.
A new Telfer study shows that traditional families with businesses often treat their children differently based on gender, including in succession planning and entrepreneurial education. We talked to two women raised in entrepreneurial families to learn how gender bias can affect women’s careers and experiences in entrepreneurship. They also shared some advice for family businesses.
Emma O’Dwyer
Emma O’Dwyer, regional manager at Family Enterprise Canada, has seen bias first hand in her own family. She says she was not given support even though she earned “two MBA degrees from prestigious universities, gained outside experience, and built a professional network beyond the family business.” She often wonders if this stopped her from building the confidence to take a more entrepreneurial path.
O’Dwyer says that gender bias can damage both daughters and sons. “Today, I see that a lot of men who are expected to inherit the family firm or start their own business receive pressure to be successful.” She believes that “forcing sons to lead the family firm restricts their opportunities to gain experience outside the walls of the family business and develop the business knowledge they need.”
Susan St. Amand
Susan St. Amand is the founder and president of Sirius Group Inc. and Sirius Financial Services. Like O’Dwyer, St. Amand always had an interest in the business world. “My dad and a group of local entrepreneurs would meet for coffee every day, and I loved it when I was able to join them to hear their stories.” This led her to studying business.
Even though St. Amand gained experience and education in entrepreneurship, her brother was still the one expected to take over the business on her father’s retirement. “It was just not common for women to run or inherit a family business, so I was not considered.” This didn’t deter St. Amand from pursuing a career in a large finance organization, before starting her own business. But despite her success, St. Amand was often asked when she would sell her business and fulfil a more traditional female role.
Advice to families to challenge gender bias
O’Dwyer and St. Amand shared some suggestions to help families challenge gender bias and prepare the next generation to succeed in the family firm and beyond:
Treat children as equally as possible and make sure the expectations and pressure are the same for all.
Identify what the children need to do and experience, and what support they need to build their skills and succeed in any career.
Great things come from failing and learning. Let the next generation try things, fail, learn, try again and repeat to succeed, within a safe environment.
Your legacy as a family does not and should not be limited by the business, no matter how many generations it has existed. Let the next generation find their passion and explore the world outside your walls — you’ll be surprised what happens.
Introduce children to role models and mentors across genders very early in life.
Engage them in conversations about the business and about finances. Don’t assume children aren’t interested in numbers, investments or business because of their gender.
Use stories to share knowledge and make information accessible.
Teach children how to make decisions and take responsibility early on. Being comfortable with risk is critical to feeling confident and independent.
O’Dwyer reminds parents who run a family firm: “You play an important role in the success of the family and the business.” St. Amand highlights the need to question rigid norms: “Families are members of communities and communities share cultural norms that are embedded for generations. It takes strength and courage to be disruptive and time to evaluate the results.”
Written by Mirou Jaana, professor and director of the Masters in Health Administration program at Telfer School of Management, University of Ottawa. This article was originally published on Policy Options onMay 5, 2021.
It is impossible to imagine our world today without internet, digital transactions, video conferencing or exchanges with family and colleagues via a computer or mobile device. Yet, we still live with the idea of our health care system lacking seamless electronic information exchange between health care organizations, providers and patients. Although some progress has been made on this front, this is a reality that persists to varying degrees today.
It has been a journey of a thousand miles. Health care has been closely accompanying the journey of digital connectivity but has kept shy from fully riding the wave. The reasons may vary depending on the perspectives of different stakeholders, but one constant stands: it is difficult to fully assess and understand the state of digital connectivity in our health care system today.
If we think of the health care system as a spider web, we can find parts of this web that are well constructed and connected, whereas other sections are still missing essential threads. In Canada, there are significant variations between and within provinces and territories in digital health connectivity and the inherently complex nature of the health care system further complicates the situation. This complexity is manifested by a dual provincial/territorial and federal jurisdiction with well institutionalized policies, funding and reimbursement structures; a digital divide across more than one dimension – rural vs. urban, older vs. younger generation, diverse social conditions; and a perplexing fragmentation of health services.
Following the early national IT efforts in Canada in late 1990’s, Canada Health Infoway (CHI), an independent not-for-profit organization funded by the federal government, was established in 2001 with a mandate to lead the national IT efforts. This included the development of an interoperable electronic health record for all Canadians. Since its inception, CHI received $2.45 billion in federal funding and played an active and important role as a strategic investor in health IT projects across provinces and territories, which contributed to improved digital connectivity. These investments evolved over time and expanded in scope from infrastructure-related projects to projects focusing on digital tools used by clinicians, as well as applications allowing patients themselves to collect, retrieve, and manage their health-related data.
We have come a long way as a society on the digital connectivity front in general. According to Statistics Canada, 88 per cent of Canadians and 60 per cent of those 65 years and over have a smartphone. Most Canadians (91 per cent) use the Internet and 75 per cent also use social networking websites and apps.
A recent study showed that around 40 per cent of Canadians track one or more aspect of their health using connected care technologies. This attests to the growing demand for digital connectivity in health care. In turn, health care organizations have been increasingly implementing new systems and technologies at the point of care that support digital connectivity. Around 85 per cent of medical practices are using electronic medical records (EMRs), and hospitals have accelerated the implementation of comprehensive EMRs that replace existing non-integrated systems. For instance, The Ottawa Hospital, in partnership with five other organizations in the Ottawa region, opted for the same EMR system, which will enable timely information sharing, and better connectivity and integration of care.
According to CHI, telehealth use has also grown over time reaching 1.5 million consultations a year, yet this still represents a relatively small portion of the overall health services. Since 2019, two initiatives emerged that aim at improving connectivity in relation to e-prescribing and supporting patients’ access to their health information through patient portals. These initiatives however remain in their early stages, with considerable variation in deployment between and within provinces.
Despite the progress made, considerable challenges and gaps persist. At the patient level, access to health information is limited. Unless receiving care from the same organization, or an integrated system or network of health care providers, a patient navigating the health care system often finds the onus is on them to communicate all relevant information related to their medical history, profile, and medications at each point of care. This is particularly challenging in the case of the elderly with chronic conditions who frequently interact with and move through the health care system.
A recent study on mobile health technology use among people 65 years and older compared to the general adult population reveals that the majority of Canadians using mobile applications and wearables, like smart watches and wristbands for health self-tracking, do not share the data with their health care providers. Enrollment in telehomecare programs for chronic conditions management also remains limited despite the wealth of research evidence demonstrating its effectiveness in reducing hospitalizations and mortality rates, and improving the clinical condition of patients. The success in the integration of pilot telehomecare programs in the standard care, similar to one at the University of Ottawa Heart Institute, is minimal.
According to the Canadian Medical Association, limited system interoperability and information integration across the spectrum of care persist. EMRs implementation progressed, but only a small proportion of Canadian medical practices support electronic communication with patients. For example, few medical practices provide electronic appointment requests or prescription refills. Communication of information between general practitioners and specialists, or hospitals and nursing homes, and the sharing of clinical summaries or test results is limited and inconsistent.
In addition, hospitals within the same city that may transfer or refer patients to one another may have EMRs systems that cannot communicate. Most importantly, digital connectivity in the context of long-term and senior care is minimal. The recent COVID-19 pandemic brought to light the dire challenges observed in these settings in relation to connecting the elderly to family, caregivers, and health care providers. It also highlighted existing issues in capturing and sharing timely relevant clinical information with other health care organizations.
The obvious question is where do we go from here? At this stage, regrouping and understanding our current state is instrumental in shaping the decisions that we make regarding the future state of digital connectivity in health care.
A wealth of experience and evidence from over 20 years of health IT projects across all provinces is available. It is our responsibility to leverage this knowledge to inform policy and practical changes, and to apply evidence-based management principles as we plan for the next steps. Federal leadership is critical to endorse a strategic planning exercise at the national level and enable the necessary policy and regulation changes to support it. The Canadian government can play an important role in advancing the digital health agenda through incentives and policies that can catalyze national changes to address the digital divide and current gaps.
In times of crises, we discover our limitations as well as our capabilities. The current pandemic demonstrated that the health care system can be agile and can adapt fast when needed. In response to COVID-19, health care delivery changed overnight in Canada. We broke the inertia and shifted to various forms of virtual care throughout the country that were considered unrealizable prior to the pandemic. Provincial health authorities implemented fee schedule codes to cover virtual health services in a timely response. It was a call for action and the health care system and health authorities responded. However, this crisis also revealed our health care system’s “Achilles heel” – long-term and senior community care, which would greatly benefit from digital connectivity.
It is time for health care to fully ride the digital connectivity wave. A pan-Canadian reform that formally integrates virtual care and connectivity in the discussion on the future of health care is merited. This is a journey of a thousand miles in health care, but we have already started it.
The Principles of Responsible Management Education (PRME) is a UN-supported initiative whose mission is to transform management education, research, and thought education leadership globally by providing the PRME framework, developing learning communities, and promoting awareness about the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
In 2020, the Telfer School of Management joined over 800 leading business and management schools from around the world that are committed to building a more sustainable future by implementing the Six Principles and striving to achieve the SDGs.
Ultimately, it is PRME’s vision to have the UN Sustainable Development Goals realized through responsible management education. The Six Principles of PRME are based on internationally-accepted values endorsed by UN Member States and provide an engagement framework for higher education institutions to embed responsibility and sustainability in education, research, and campus practices through a process of continuous improvement. Higher education institutions that become signatories to PRME make a public commitment to knowledge creation and education that supports and develops leaders capable of managing the complex challenges faced by businesses and society in the 21st century. PRME is a multi-stakeholder platform with a dynamic network of local and global learning communities, including thematic Working Groups and regional Chapters, which collaborate on projects and events. Since its official launch in 2007 by former UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, the PRME initiative has grown to more than 800 leading business schools and management-related academic institutions from over 80 countries across the world.
As a PRME Signatory, Telfer is committed to investing in our world’s future and doing what we can to ensure the planet is here to stay. As part of Globalization, Governance, And Sustainability area of strategic impact, the Telfer Institute for Sustainable Business is putting sustainability at the centre of decision-making, influencing a new era of business thinking.
Strategic planning with sustainability in mind, renewable business practices, and greener values have a positive impact on our global environment and enables us to build a better Canada. In order to build a solid foundation for our future, we need to completely rethink and reorient the way our economy does business. If Canadian businesses invest in technologies and practices that foster a green economy, then over time, we can make progress towards a sustainable world.
The Telfer School of Management has just unveiled its Vision for a Better Canada. Director of Executive Programs, Glen Orsak, answers questions on how Telfer’s Executive Programs contribute to achieving this bold vision.
What are Telfer’s Executive Programs are all about?
Our focus is pretty much exclusively around leadership development. Lots of executive education shops have a much broader range of things that they do: how to be a better this or a better that. We have chosen to focus on Leadership. Leadership is about making things change, whereas management skills make things operate effectively. We work with leaders to transform their leadership capabilities. We also work with organizations who want to grow their leadership capacity. There’s always that dual focus. We’re serving an organizational need — a strategic imperative — and we’re serving the needs of the individual leader for their career or professional development.
How do these programs help contribute to a “Better Canada”?
You know, it’s funny. At one point our team penned a neat and tidy statement of purpose that declares that we are about: Transforming leaders. Shaping communities. Changing the World. It hasn’t gotten a lot of public attention, yet, but it still anchors a lot of our conversations. We’re all about transforming leaders. By doing that, we help shape organizations and communities. And by shaping and transforming organizations and communities, it is leading to a better world. Transforming Leaders for a Better Canada sharpens that focus for our programs, our community of practice and our customers and clients.
I know it sounds like a lofty goal — and it is. It made us stop and go, “Really? There’s only 17 of us!” But we realized that of course that’s what we’re doing. We are working with people every day who are going to become very accomplished and influential leaders, people who are setting out to have an impact in their own corner of the world based, in part, on the experiences they’ve had with us. So why would we shoot any lower than that?
Having a growing number of better companies in Canada, or better government institutions, or better healthcare organizations will certainly make Canada a better place.
Who are your Executive Programs for?
Lots of our clients are in the public sector, working for the public good — literally to make Canada a better place. Lots of our clients are in healthcare and they are, again, literally making Canada a healthier place. These people are absolutely committed to a better Canada. That’s what brings me back every day.
One of the things we tend to do really well is we create customized learning programs within certain communities and sectors. In the federal government there are communities of like-minded people. So, we created a leadership program for the policy community. We have a leadership program for the security and intelligence community. We have one for lawyers and people in the justice department. We have a leadership program for people in national defence and related sectors centred around huge complex projects — think military procurement. We try to find ways to build leadership programs that are contextualized, customized and relevant in those communities such that you’re not just gaining generic leadership skills but learning the practice of leadership in your own unique context.
How do your programs help leaders have a broader impact?
Some people have gone through our programs and five years later are sending their own leadership teams through our programs, too. They’ve described the huge impact it has had on the culture of their organization. The entire leadership conversation can change. Sometimes my team will know the entire executive team at such and such a health care institution or government department because almost every one of them has been through one of our programs. Obviously, that’s having a high impact on these organizations and communities.
I would also argue that our business has a very strong social mission. When you’re working in the healthcare or public sector, you’re working with people engaged in social, economic and community development. We’re trying to help leaders create culture shifts and to introduce progressive changes that will transform their workplaces. We have to bring these kinds of discussions into the room because our clients expect it.
What affect do you think your programs have on participants’ careers?
Can we attribute their success entirely to our programs? Of course not. It’s not a one-to-one correlation, but it doesn’t need to be. I wouldn’t take credit for your success, but I would certainly take credit for having nudged you in the right direction. And a nudge is good enough for me. I think that’s a valid intention to have, I think it’s the truth about what we do and it’s not too much hubris. We don’t set ourselves up as these heroic gurus of leadership. Rather, we position ourselves a co-pilgrims on a leadership journey — on the pilgrimage to make Canada a better place.
Has anything changed since the pandemic began?
Prior to March 13, 2020, we didn’t have much online programming. Since the first pandemic lockdown, every single minute of programming from then until now has been delivered in a virtual environment. The conversion to online was rapid and amazingly successful. You could say that the pandemic response in the executive learning space has opened all of our minds to virtual learning — and I think we will never go back to the old way. We can’t unsee the possibilities. Oh, we’ll definitely go back to the in-person learning experience, there’s no doubt about that, but there are a ton of things that we’ll no longer do in-person, because it no longer makes sense.
It’s given us all the push we’ve needed to innovate and improve how we deliver our programming — and that’s giving us access to a broader set of potential clients. We’ve already had people join our programs from across the country that probably wouldn’t have otherwise. Now, all of a sudden, we can enrich our engagement with communities outside of Ottawa and possibly have an even greater impact on shaping a Better Canada.
Telfer’s fourth-year Finance students complete their capstone course, Equity Valuation (ADM 4350), at the culmination of their studies. It is an opportunity for students to take all that they have learned throughout their years of study and apply it to a real-life situation. The students perform a case analysis of a chosen company to estimate the value of the organization and create an action plan to enhance its economic performance.
This semester, another great capstone competition commenced on April 9th, when the Equity Valuation class worked on their live case study to value Clearwater Seafoods Inc., the largest shellfish producer in North America. Based in Bedford, Nova Scotia, the company was recently acquired by Premium Brands Holdings and a coalition of Mi’kmaq First Nations on January 25, 2021.
After an exciting competition, the finalist groups went on to present their work online to a panel of judges to compete for the first-place position of strongest strategy.
Congratulations to the first-place winners:
Griffin Brown
Fawad Hedjran
Harley K. Hubbard
Melissa Reyes Chinchilla
The winning team’s experience
We spoke to the first-place team and judges panel to learn more about this semester’s competition. Hubbard shared his highlights from the experience: "Our favourite part was hearing from the panel of nine distinguished judges. Ken Paul, the Director of Fisheries with the Assembly of First Nations, was very enlightening, and Alexander Comeau, of Fiera Capital, was also very knowledgeable. Overall, it was a great experience made possible by the tutelage of Professor Michael Reynolds."
When asked about their team’s greatest challenges, workload is the first thing that came to Hubbard’s mind: "Our greatest challenge was the time commitment and workload required; each of us balanced the competition with a full course load, extracurriculars, and internships. By leveraging each other’s strengths and working as a team, we succeeded,” he concluded.
Furthermore, Ken Paul provided enlightening comments from the indigenous perspective. He indicated that the Clearwater valuation, mergers and acquisition (M&A) provided students the opportunity to reflect on important indigenous ethical considerations: "One of the biggest differences between Indigenous fishers and non-Indigenous fishers, is that in our Canadian society, we always think about maximizing economic gain," Paul shared. "In the indigenous world, a critical consideration is the need to leave some of the resource for future generations. Concepts such as corporate social responsibility and environmental sustainability really mean something and are embedded in the value system of First Nations peoples."
Paul emphasized: “we had had to ensure the First Nations communities approached this M&A on a commercial base, which will benefit the communities economically.” He stressed that the Clearwater acquisition was commercial and did not involve treaty issues, such as the Indigenous maritime lobster fisheries issue that was in national news during the fall of 2020.
Congratulations again to the winning team for their work and excellent presentation!
This past year has been unexpected to say the least, but the DECA uOttawa chapter made the most of it. As things changed, and classes and clubs went online, it was clear our annual events would look a bit different. Nonetheless, with the club being led by co-presidents Ethan Koloditzky and myself, Sydney Hutchison, we were determined to give delegates an authentic DECA experience.
DECA uOttawa is a club open to all undergraduate faculties, specializing in business case competitions. With 10+ categories to choose from, delegates can compete in teams or as a solo competitor to solve cases based on real-world business problems. Students gain valuable experience with problem solving, reasoning, and can make amazing friends along the way.
This year, DECA uOttawa had its highest delegacy numbers yet, despite facing the challenges of being online. The team held multiple social events with games and prizes to provide a chance for mingling between delegates. Led by a group of hard working executives, the club successfully converted its annual internal case competition online and, for the first time, hosted competitors from Trent University, Ontario Tech University and University of Toronto St. George. The event was sponsored by Ross Video and Celtic House Venture Partners. The competition also featured speakers from Ross Video, PMP Pete Grieve, and uOttawa alumni Elizabeth Audette-Bourdeau.
In January of each year, DECA chapters from across the country usually travel to Toronto to compete at Nationals. Instead, the event was held online for the first time in history, with delegates tuning in from their bedrooms and home offices to compete in one of many categories. The uOttawa chapter saw huge success with 5 delegates placing in their respective categories and qualifying for Internationals.
For its last event of the year, the uOttawa chapter decided to take on something they’d never done before: hosting their own Quizbowl competition. Quizbowl is an event that is usually held at DECA Nationals, but due to COVID, it was cancelled. Typically teams of 4 assemble and go head to head in a jeopardy-style trivia competition. To replicate the experience, a round robin tournament was held via Microsoft Teams, allowing quiz teams to compete with one another by raising their hand to answer a variety of questions.
With the year coming to an end, DECA uOttawa is proud to celebrate its achievements and end the year by cheering on 4 delegates as they compete at DECA’s International competition (ICDC) this Spring: Parker O’Neill, Hussain Kapadia, Antonia Romanisin and Megan Brink.
The DECA uOttawa chapter is left in good hands with incoming co-presidents, Genevieve Marquis and Camille Pelet, who are to make the 2021-2022 year a success.
As students, we know how hard it is to find time to give yourself some much-needed self-love, but it is important to make sure that mental health is a priority. You don’t have to simply replace your time with just scrolling on Instagram or TikTok, you can do so much more to bring yourself the needed self-love into your life.
Here are three tips for loving yourself: celebrating yourself, setting boundaries for yourself, and social engagement. Now, you may be wondering, “what does it mean to create boundaries, and what does celebrating myself look like?” You’re in luck, I have got you covered with upcoming proven suggestions! For example, if you take the time to give yourself some self-compassion it will lead to increased productivity.
1. Celebrate Yourself not JUST During the Victories
To celebrate yourself does not mean to celebrate an achievement nor a victory. It means to simply celebrate for being YOU. Celebrating yourself looks like taking a bath and relaxing with some wine. Enjoying your favourite go-to food as a “just because” moment. It doesn’t have to be for something, it has to do with you and for you. Getting back to the bath, imagine being able to just relax in the bath with spa sounds in the background, maybe with a bath bomb, while having candlelight mood light.
Did you know that it is proven through studies that taking a bath will improve your mood? The study found the participants that took warm baths daily experienced greater moods, had an easier time falling asleep and exhibited a lower score on a depression scale.
2. Boundaries are a MUST
Setting boundaries is one of the easiest things you can do and can be very rewarding. Setting boundaries for yourself can be as easy as saying you are going to take a break: “No more studying and no more readings tonight, I’m going to bake!” Giving yourself permission to take the night off or day off can bring so much excitement and happiness. You can set aside time to meditate, set reminders to take breaks, read your favourite book, or binge your favourite show. These boundaries don’t have to stay-put like concrete, they can change day-to-day or week-to-week. Try adding in some boundaries for fun! The next time you are up late figuring out when to stop working, set up a boundary. In-place, try setting that time for something you really enjoy; reading, cooking, baking, crafting or meditating. During exams, this can be a perfect time to try this out to benefit your mental health.
3. Socialize Like a Butterfly
That’s right, socialization is another way to give yourself that much-needed self-love! Some of us know that perfect night of spending time with our friends or family. The other side of that is spending the night with that one friend who makes the time to FaceTime or WhatsApp video call you. Regardless, being social can look different to different people. Of course, during COVID-19 times we must spend time with our friends from a distance.
The next time you plan on spending a night with your friends try these virtual games to play: The always popular Among Us, which is always fun to find out which one of your friends is the sneakiest in your group. You can try Jackbox Games!, which has tons of mini-games to choose from so you’ll never get bored of playing. Lastly, Backyard is an Imagine Scrabble, but with a twist. Doing activities like this can allow you to be more playful and social as well as bring creativity to our minds, flexibility in thinking, and it brings youthfulness to our hearts.
Hope you enjoyed these three tips to benefit your mental health! I implore you to discover which of our three tips for self-love work best for you. Again, make sure you are taking the time to celebrate yourself, putting up boundaries, and socializing. If all else fails, check out some new hobby ideas that you can try. Whether that is practicing yoga, walking outside, making jewelry, knitting, or building up your recipe book. Take care of yourself this mental health week and beyond!
On April 6th, the Telfer School of Management hosted its annual Michel Cloutier Competition, a live case competition where fourth-year marketing students are required to present a marketing plan which aims to solve a real-life business issue for an existing company. This year's organization for the case was Canada Post.
Students were asked to build an integrated marketing plan to generate awareness, drive interest, build long-term relationship with identified target consumer segments through repeat purchases of Canada Post’s new simple loan product. Finalists presented their recommendations in front of a panel of 6 judges of industry professionals.
Congratulations to this year’s winning team:
James Cormier
Estevao Costa
Ryan Coughlan
Jackson Hines
Paula Jaramillo Palacio
Maclain Van Eindhoven
Team member, Estevao Costa, reflected on his greatest challenge throughout the project as well as how important it was for his team to get organized: “I believe our greatest challenge was finding the right pieces of information to focus on and develop our ideas when there was so much available data and information to explore. And we knew this would be key, since having the right information would form the basis of everything moving forward. In fact, this was so challenging for us that our marketing research project for the competition was the longest out of all teams - but luckily, it was ranked the best too!”
Estevao attributes his team’s success to great team chemistry and equal ambition from each of its members. This allowed them to foster a strong, creative space, enabling them to come up with new and cohesive ideas: ̎For me, the best part of the competition was the brainstorming sessions my team and I had when we were working on the final presentation for Canada Post.” He continued: “We were a great team that worked well together. The results we achieved are 100% due to quality teamwork, where everyone got along, and knew what they had to do for the team to succeed – everyone was willing to do what was necessary, without feeling pressured by each other. I think that was my favourite part about this competition - it’s rare to have groups work so well together, and it’s not until you’re in a group like this that you see the difference that it makes," he concluded.
Congratulations to all fourth-year marketing students who completed their marketing capstone this semester.
A special message from Stéphane Brutus, Dean of the Telfer School of Management
Every day at Telfer, we try to move our vision of a Better Canada forward. But some days we don’t just move it: we ignite it to greater heights. Today is one of those days.
Today, we ignite the Smart Money campaign, in support of Telfer’s Vision for a Better Canada. And we’re inviting you to join us in a campaign that we believe will make Telfer history. And change Canada forever.
Our Vision is fifty years in the making
Its goal is a greener, healthier,happierandwealthier Canada for all, made real by one-of-a-kind labs and institutes of research, learning and practice. You can be one of the first to inspire and help build these centres to achieve profound social change — and your smart money will be the impetus for more.
The Smart Money has always been on Telfer
Why else would Ian Telfer have made the biggest donation ever at the time to a Canadian business school? Why else would CEO Magazine have rated our Executive MBA program #1 in the world — twice?
They saw a School years ahead of its time, dedicated since day one to putting business to work for better. A School situated at the very core of Canadian decision-making. And a School that’s ready to throw its entire weight at helping Canada and utilizing its huge, untapped potential.
The world needs a Better Canada —and that will take a bolder Telfer
We’re asking you to help make both happen, by giving to the Smart Money campaign.
You and your money will be even smarter if you give right now — because every dollar donated will be personally matched by Ian Telfer himself, up to $50,000, to a maximum of $5,000 per individual.
You can make a one-time gift or a recurring gift. It’s all at telfer.uottawa.ca/en/donate/, which describes The Telfer Nation Fund and the Better Canada Impact Fund.
Join us in the ultimate start-up
In many ways, through our Vision, we’re launching a start-up, the biggest we’ve ever imagined. With an ROI that our children and their children must have.
You can be an early investor in a Better Canada. I’m in. Our faculty and staff are in. Join us.
James Price, Telfer’s Executive Director, Development & Community Engagement, and the Telfer community engagement team are leading Telfer’s Smart Money campaign in support of our Vision for a Better Canada, the most ambitious awareness and fundraising effort in Telfer history. Just hours before we ignite the Smart Money campaign, he found a few minutes to explain what the campaign will achieve, what it’s going to do for Telfer and Canada, and why, of all possible moments, now is the time to make this happen. Every alumnus or citizen who wants to see a Better Canada can play an important part.
So, what’s at the heart of Telfer’s new Vision?
We feel that business has a critical leadership role in addressing some of the big challenges facing the country, whether it be social, economic, or financial. We are generating new knowledge, insights and practice through research, and most importantly applying that to developing young management students and mature management leaders.
And how does the Smart Money campaign fit in?
It’s a focused five-year effort to make smart and strategic investments in the future based on research, experiential learning, and program renewal.
Why is research-inspired teaching such a big part of the campaign?
Research creates new insights and translates into a better classroom experience, the thing that matters most. Our student evaluations show that our best researchers and practitioners are our best teachers - they’re constantly bringing in new ideas, new challenges and new case studies - and they're on top of the new knowledge within their communities of practice.
It also leads to better business practices
And not only for students, but for executives. As it relates to our vision and four themes, that means initiatives to implement new business practices around better inclusivity in the workplace; around structuring a family enterprise to support the next generation of enterprising leaders; around integrating sustainability into business decision making and reporting to shareholders, and around rethinking healthcare systems to be more effective and deliver better care to patients.
You mentioned family enterprise – that's important to the Canadian economy
It is, and we have an internationally recognized group of researchers and practitioners leading our efforts. We're building a whole next generation education program for family enterprises.
‘Next generation’ education for enterprising families – is that unique, as so often we focus on the family business itself or the patriarch/matriarch of the family business?
We’re focused on the next generation, the people who may or may not move into the family enterprise. We are looking at questions like what do these children and grandchildren do with the family wealth to create new but often related, enterprises? We’re looking at it more broadly than just the single business.
What are the three major thrusts that you mentioned for the next five years?
Number one is experiential learning: our Dean believes that it's through real life experiences that our students are going to truly unleash their potential. This is why we want to add an experiential component in every program and learning offering. And we want to integrate this in the student experience as much as possible. Competitions and clubs are great for that and we’re really strong there, but we want that experiential component where it matters most.
The second thrust is the research-informed teaching we spoke about earlier.
As for the third thrust, right now, post-pandemic, is the big renewal opportunity for Canada. So our new Dean has signaled a complete renewal of our programs - and the fundraising campaign will allow us to innovate across our undergraduate and graduate programs.
We’re also planning to build brick and mortar Telfer infrastructure?
Yes, where it makes sense. For the Thriving Organizations and Societies Lab, we have a major initiative to refit and build a state-of-the art lab that can actually look at workplace dynamics, how people work with stress, leveraging one of the strongest groups of occupational and workplace psychologists in the country.
A few people have commented that the Vision seems to have come about as a result of the pandemic
The work to develop the vision actually preceded the pandemic. We had gone through a collaborative process leading into our recent 50th anniversary to determine our areas of strategic impact. Looking back and looking forward, we realized that contributing to a Better Canada has always been part of the School’s DNA. And now the Vision also answers the call to ‘build back better’ that needs to happen in Canada.
Look at the Vision’s health pillar and the pandemic response: much of the issues are operational issues, and logistics issues. Or the Vision’s happiness pillar: The workplace now is transformed. Teams have been physically disconnected for a year. What does this mean for workplaces, teams and employee wellbeing?
And of course, there’s systemic issues around equity, diversity, inclusion. Our professors have been committed to this type of research for a long time, but recently we’ve gained a lot of attention around work that demonstrates how marginalized groups have suffered more than others during the pandemic, and any type of economic rebuild needs to keep them at the core.
We can't ignore any of it. The time is now, and we’re committed to all of it.
To an alumnus who wants to get involved, this is about “build with us” versus “we’re the best, give us money”?
Absolutely! We’re a very good School, we know where we want to go, but we need your help. This Vision and campaign are ambitious. Five years from now, everyone's going to know we're a top school — but we can't get there without you.
There are so many ways to give to all this
And every gift matters. Yes, we need transformative gifts that can help us build these Institutes and help us recruit new chairs and senior leaders. But as we build those centres, we need to grow our already strong team and amplify their work. In recent years we've had excellent recruitment and our faculty is a modern, motivated group — and every single dollar helps us continue to recruit even better.
Here’s another way your money can work: our institutes aren’t ivory towers. We bring in executives-in-residence, so our professors can work hand-in-hand with practitioners, linking research and teaching to the world of practice. By contributing to our Better Canada Impact Fund, you help advance this work and make sure it is connected to better pedagogy for students and better practice.
And with our commitment to experiential learning and the student experience, your contribution to the Telfer Nation Fund will help us accelerate and expand these unique opportunities for all students across all programs.
What are the different giving channels?
You can give to the Telfer Nation Fund which is all about experiential learning and improving the student experience, or the Better Canada Impact Fund, to support innovative research and its application to teaching and practice.
Any amount of support - one hundred dollars, one thousand dollars or a million dollars — it’s all going to be put to work in an extremely smart way. It’s all about getting Telfer, getting business, and getting Canada where we want and need to be five years from now.
From March 19 to 21, fouth-year Telfer BCom students participated in the Intopia Strategy Simulation, as part of their fourth year capstone Strategic Management class (ADM 4311). Students had to apply strategic management concepts in an online-simulated world, where they are required to make quick decisions in a determined period and negotiate with their peers to grow their simulated business over the weekend.
This winter, the competition was held in an online setting for the second time. When asked about the greatest challenges Intopia had in store this semester, Hanae Merdas, member of the winning team, shared: “I would say selling our inventory to the fullest [was the biggest challenge]. As we were moving forward in the game, some teams had financial difficulties in respecting contracts. However, we decided to add a clause in our contracts to respond to such situation in order to protect ourselves as Producer X and make sure the inventory was being delivered to each team.” Overall, Hanae’s experience wasn’t affected by the online environment: “Even though it was online, I had such an amazing time meeting new people and especially working within my team,” she concluded.
As a matter of fact, while the simulation was held virtually, this did not take away from the collaborative aspect of Intopia. “My favourite part was to collaborate and negotiate with the other teams and try to see what their strategy was,” said Jade Ladouceur, another member of the winning team. She continued, “I really enjoyed interacting with the others and making contracts with them! We were really all working together to try to be successful as much as possible, and at the end, a lot of people from our partnership took the time to congratulate me and my team which I really appreciated! I think this shows how we were all rooting for each other.”
Congratulations to the overall winning team and Best Component Producer:
Hugo With
Hanae Merdas
Jade Ladouceur
Katerine Delev
Martin Arnold
Congratulations to the following teams who placed in other notable categories:
Telfer alumna Chantal Butler (BCom ’94) believes there is a momentum in the food retail sector for driving sustainable actions within supply chains. Chantal is Vice President Sales and General Manager of Loblaw Business at Weston Foods. She works with several clients who seek to influence the food retail industry so that it becomes more sustainable. How can the food and grocery retail sector create a greener world through their supply chains and what are the main challenges? We interviewed her to learn more about positive changes ahead.
Changes ahead
An increasing number of companies worldwide are committing to reducing their carbon footprint and to creating a better society. But to create real change, companies must trigger sustainable actions along their supply chains. A study led by Telfer Professor Sara Hajmohammad suggests that companies can make improvements at the industry level by shaping and transforming their suppliers’ environmental and social sustainability practices and behaviours.
When asked if the food and grocery retail sector can play a role in driving sustainability within their supply chains, Chantal shares her optimism: “Ten years ago, things were different, but there has been a lot of progress in the industry and I really think this is only the beginning.”
As consumers become increasingly aware of their environmental impacts and seek ways to shop for greener products, many food and grocery retailers today are aspiring to achieve bolder goals. Not only do they want to engage in sustainable practices in house, but they also want to encourage their suppliers to do the same. Chantal explains that “there is a major opportunity for businesses to influence the entire supply chain in the long run.”
Company size matters
Large food and grocery retailers work with multiple suppliers of raw ingredients, including food ingredients and packaging. When large companies like Weston Foods set out sustainability goals, they can influence their suppliers, according to Chantal. “If suppliers may not support us in achieving these goals, then we can identify vendors who have our shared vision,” she adds.
Joining forces is the best way to drive sustainability
Professor Hajmohammad’s study suggests that when companies in the same industry collectively build strategies to influence their suppliers, they are more likely to push their suppliers to engage in sustainable actions across the whole sector. Chantal agrees with this collective ability to trigger change across an industry: “Leading food retail companies may be competing, but when they all start asking for the same sustainability standards and pushing their suppliers into adjusting and accommodating, change can happen.”
Leading groups in the industry have forged alliances to encourage suppliers to become sustainable, particularly when it comes to packaging. “Large and small companies alike are forming alliances to push suppliers to start sourcing recyclable plastics or to eliminate some types of products in their plastic materials,” says Chantal.
Challenges
Although a large company’s size and power can definitely influence its supply chain, the company’s size can make innovation challenging. According to Chantal, large companies often face obstacles to innovation and to implementing changes on a larger scale and across a large part of their portfolio.
Companies will need to further innovate if they want to address new goals and consumer expectations. For instance, the next generation of consumers may be looking to purchase from companies that focus on zero waste.
While sustainability is widely accepted today, Chantal explains that changing a supply chain is not simple and requires time. “Some suppliers can be selective in some of the ideas that they want to embrace, some are more willing to innovate with you, and others are a little concerned about how to get there,” she says.
She also mentioned that some companies that want to become sustainable may face financial challenges. Sustainability policies can generate incremental cost increases for everyone, in the end, so companies need to lobby for relevant government policies and tax breaks. Failing to do so could lead to additional costs to the consumer: “Even when organizations make an effort to absorb those costs as much as they possibly can, consumers may end up paying more.”
How Weston Foods is driving change
Weston Foods has a ten-year plan for sustainability that Chantal has been implementing for the past two years. Packaging has been one of Weston Foods’ key priorities because the company is aware of how relevant this is to consumers. “Today, consumers want to eliminate the really bad plastics and replace them whenever possible.”
To meet their sustainability goals and reduce the impact of packaging on the environment, Weston Foods is partnering with vendors to source more sustainable packaging solutions. For instance, the company is currently working on a pilot project with a client to test if reusable packaging can play a role in consumer-packaged goods and food.
Advice for other companies seeking to go greener
Chantal believes that not only leading companies can implement greener goals: small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) can also play a transformative role in the supply chain. She shares a few recommendations for SMEs seeking to become sustainable:
All large organizations now have a sustainability and corporate social responsibility (CSR) strategies that they publicize and track: pay attention to what they are doing and latch on to those actions that are important to your business model.
Smaller companies often have the flexibility to test out more creative or more ambitious sustainable ideas: leverage your size as an advantage to innovate further so that you go beyond what the big companies can do.
Small or large, companies across industries can support the development of a greener Canada and a better future. As a mother, Chantal knows how crucial it is to drive environmental sustainability: “The reality is what will the world of our children, and their children, look like if we do not collectively address these issues now?”
Chantal Butler (BCom ’94), Vice President Sales, Loblaw Companies Limited
That being said, unlike their male counterparts whose sectors of activity are varied, women tend to start their own businesses in the service sectors. Let's find out what these different sectors are.
Information, culture and recreation industries (44.1%)
Finance, insurance, and real estate services (38.5%)
Professional services (38.1%)
Similarly, among the self-employed, they generally report that their activities are in the following sectors:
Public services (65.7%)
Health care (57.6%)
Commerce (55.7%)
Professional services (54.2%)
Information, culture and recreation industries (54.1%)
While some studies tend to explain this concentration by factors related to history or socialization, I believe that we should not neglect the motivations of female entrepreneurs, who often start a business in order to have a significant social impact. Many of them find their interests in the service sector, where relationships with others are higher. In fact, they dominate the social entrepreneurship sector with 11% of female-dominated companies reported as social enterprises compared to 5.3% of their male counterparts.
Emerging Growth Sectors
Just as the number of women who decide to go into business is changing, so are the sectors in which they decide to work.
According to a Statistics Canada study, between 1987 and 2018 the number of self-employed women in the health care and social assistance industries nearly doubled. So did the finance, insurance, real estate services and related industries, which grew by five times in 30 years.
Art and Creation: A Forgotten Sector?
When talking about female entrepreneurship and even entrepreneurship in general, little mention is made of the art and creative sectors, even though most artists tend to work independently (usually freelance or under contract) and can be considered entrepreneurs.
The absence of art and creation can be explained by the desire of some artists to distinguish themselves from the business world or by the existing debates surrounding the very definition of the word "artist" itself (partly linked to the distinctions between different cultural fields such as fine arts, advertising art, design, and crafts).
In the end, there is no denying the growth of female entrepreneurship in Canada and its contribution to the country's economic development. That being said, the concentration of female entrepreneurs in the service sectors is a testament to the inequalities that remain in the business community in the entrepreneurial field.
While there are more and more women, they are still sidelined by sectors with high growth potential. Work remains to be done to finally break down the barriers women face.
As a female entrepreneur, you are bound to discover lessons learned and favourite tips from your experiences. A wise person once said that the first act of wisdom is to give good advice, the second is to ask for it and the third is to follow it. While this statement applies to all aspects of life, it resonates even more when it comes to entrepreneurship, which is a field full of surprises and twists.
If you’re a student thinking about starting a business, know that you’re in the right place! I had the chance to talk to inspirational women who decided to work on their own, which led to this list of 7 things you need to know before you get started as an entrepreneur.
#1 Take Your Time
For Christen Konan, CEO of her financial coaching firm, KC Consultings, in Ottawa, it is important for future entrepreneurs to think carefully about their project and plan it properly before starting. This will help you to avoid “hitting your head” as she says, as you will have a clear idea of what you want to do and, therefore, a guideline. This step includes coming up with a good definition of the benefits of your product or service and identifying what you want to bring to the market.
#2 Surround Yourself With The Right People
Christen Konan shared her second piece of advice about one’s surroundings. She said that one of the most important things for female entrepreneurs is their entourage, because it is what guides them and helps them grow. Therefore, it would be great for you to build a network of professionals in your field through which you can develop connections and share information. However, you should not neglect your loved ones who will be in the best position to support you and bring you a perspective different from that of a professional in your field (for example, because of their perspective as a possible client).
#3 Continue Training
We all know that you never stop learning. According to Binta Kanté, co-founder of Spirits Chocolats, an online gift shop and retail store selling chocolate-based treats in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, the success of any entrepreneur depends on continuing one’s education in business management.
Although she stressed that it is very good to delegate tasks, she acknowledged that an entrepreneur must have, at minimum, knowledge of each of her company’s functions. Whether it is in marketing, accounting or finance, it is important to have basic knowledge that will enable them, especially in small businesses, to keep an eye on their activities and be able to recognize any problems or errors. Binta advises those interested in starting a business to watch YouTube videos, attend seminars, and connect with local entrepreneurs to further your training.
#4 Be Humble
This advice from Christen Konan echoes the previous one. She explains that in order to succeed in business, you must be humble. This humility will allow you to always be open to constructive criticism and continuous learning, which will improve your performance.
#5 Accept Challenges
Any entrepreneur, especially as a woman, must prepare to meet obstacles, says Marcelle Goran, director of a business support structure for hiring and retaining immigrant workers in Quebec. Whether they occur in your personal life or in your micro-environment, she maintains the fact that challenges are inevitable. Therefore she advises you to see these obstacles as means to help you grow and improve, and invites you to put them into context when they occur.
#6 Believe in Yourself
It can never be overstated that self-confidence is essential in entrepreneurship. As Christen Konan says, “if you do not believe in your project, you will not be able to convince someone else to trust you and join you in your project.”
#7 Go For It!
This latest advice comes from freelance photographer-journalist, Ama Ouattara. She emphasizes the importance of freeing oneself from the hesitation and fear that often leads to inaction. Once you feel that this is what you want to do and have thought about your project, she advises you to avoid thinking too much, but rather to go ahead and start. After all, only then will you know whether your project can work or not.
Now you have a few essential tools that will help you navigate the busy waters of entrepreneurship. If your project is well thought out, only one thing is left to be done…go for it!
After taking home three titles in 2020, the Enactus uOttawa team has again distinguished itself at the 2021 Enactus Central Canada Regionals competition. The uOttawa chapter has been awarded Central Canada Regional Champion titles in all three competition pools they competed in. They also brought home the coveted Best Project Idea all pools combined at the Scotiabank Climate Action Challenge.
“I’m happy to say that we had a very successful run at the competition.,” stated Carter Barrett, President of Enactus uOttawa and fourth-year student who is pursuing a BCom with a specialization in Management Information Systems and Analytics. “We placed first in our respective pools for all three challenges that we competed in and placed first in the country in the Scotiabank Climate Action Idea Pitch Competition with a new project idea. We will be continuing on to compete at the national level in all three challenges!”
“Enactus Regionals was a great opportunity to both celebrate our accomplishments and think of new ideas for future impact-driven work”, added Alexander Parsan, first-year student in Accounting. He continued: “It was nice to work with some members of the team that you don’t usually get to interact with.”
With the competition being held remotely for the second year in a row, Catherine Gingras, second-year student in Marketing, explained how important the competition was this year for her given the online environment: “The Enactus Canada Regional competitions are really the cumulative moment of the year, especially this year since we were working remotely the whole time. This is where we realize that all the efforts made from May to March are worth it, by the impact we created through reducing greenhouse gas emissions or by providing financial education for youth.”
The social entrepreneurship club Regional Champions will be competing at the Enactus National Competition from April 21st to 29th. Best of luck to the team!
Competition Results
CWB Financial Education Challenge
Central Canada - League A Regional Champions
University of Ottawa - Poly and Shyne Eyewear
Shyne Eyewear is social enterprise that creates socially and environmentally friendly eyewear using 100% locally recycled plastic using small scale shredding and injection moulding machines. The proceeds from these sales finance their core objective which is to provide prescription eyewear to those that need it most, both in Canada and around the world.
Poly aims to tackle the massive environmental implication of plastic waste through the manufacturing of small-scale machines that can shred down plastic and mould it into new products using injection moulding techniques. Their mission is to make it possible for any community, anywhere, to make recycling not only a positive environmental initiative and beneficial piece of infrastructure, but also a job creator and profit generator.
University of Ottawa - Project F.L.Y. - Perfect Pitch
Project F.L.Y. is a program that strives to empower and guide youth with practical, hands, on and experiential workshops.
Perfect Pitch is a bilingual pitch competition hosted by Enactus uOttawa through Project F.L.Y. and is geared towards high school students in Ontario to teach them about entrepreneurship and its viability. It allows youth to learn about basic business skills, creative thinking, and initiative.
On January 18th 2021, Telfer Nation celebrated an important milestone in the young history of its Doctorate in Management program when Vusal Babashov successfully defended his thesis and became the first PhD graduate of the School. Like the challenges of a candidate’s doctorate journey, the celebrations were well in order as it took a lot of effort, research, and the work of a whole team of faculty and staff members to finally create what is now the renowned PhD program at the Telfer School of Management.
History of the Telfer PhD
Developing a new degree program, especially a doctorate program, is a long process and an exciting challenge for any academic team. Telfer’s executive team, faculty members, and graduate office came together to create a program that reflects the vision of the School, value of a PhD and cutting-edge, valuable learning experiences for students. The program’s evolution also exemplifies the leadership of women faculty and staff in all phases of development, including inception, design, implementation and evaluation.
The School had been in discussions about creating a PhD program for nearly 40 years.
Telfer’s former Dean, François Julien, shared the challenges that come along with creating a new program: “The most credible and reputable PhD Programs are anchored in research excellence. The prerequisite to creating a PhD Program was to build a research culture within the School, and to develop faculty members in graduate supervision. The School-wide research culture was built over the past twenty years through various incentives to stimulate research productivity and excellence, and through the recruitment of professors who were not only excellent in education and teaching, but who were also actively engaged in influential and impactful research programs.”
At least four previous attempts to develop and launch Telfer’s PhD program were initiated in 1995, 1999, 2004 with Clarkson University, and 2008 with Babson College, respectively. The creation of a PhD program is truly a lengthy ordeal, as a lot of important facets need to be in place before anything official can happen.
Progress towards elevating research excellence at the School in hopes to eventually launch the PhD was well underway when the School created two research-based M.Sc. programs. The creation of the M.Sc. in Management in 2007 was directed by Professor Ajax Persaud who led colleagues in the Innovation and Entrepreneurship fields. The M.Sc. in Health Systems was launched in 2008 with Professor Wojtek Michalowski who led colleagues in the Health Systems Management field.
Dean Julien reflected on his involvement in these programs as Associate Dean of Programs and as the School’s Vice-Dean between the years of 2005 and 2010: “I had the pleasure of participating in faculty recruitment, and to work with colleagues in the creation of the School’s first research-based programs. Later, as Dean, I supported Professor Barbara Orser in the development of the PhD program, and Professors Silvia Bonaccio, Mirou Jaana, and Samia Chreim who successively became PhD Program Directors.”
In 2009, Telfer established a Graduate Studies Taskforce to consider a ‘built-in-Telfer’ doctorate, and in 2010 the Telfer PhD Committee was formed to establish standards for the program and conduct research into existing Canadian and international doctoral degrees.
Subsequently, 2011 and 2012 were the years when program details such as curricula, disciplines, and structure were established. These decisions were made collaboratively through consultations with faculty members and various stakeholders, benchmarking with and market research of competing programs. Many lengthy proposals were written, including plans for new faculty positions. Professor Barbara Orser served as the Chair of the Telfer PhD Committee from 2010 to 2013 and worked on setting up these program details alongside Danielle Bennett, the Executive Administrator of Telfer’s Graduate Programs at the time.
In 2013, approvals were reached with the University of Ottawa’s Senate and a number of its committees, the Ontario Ministry of Colleges and Universities, and the Ontario Universities Council on Quality Assurance.
This then led to an evolving discussion on cross-disciplinary studies, and to bringing on new hires to doctoral students. Five key fields of study were created within the program: Accounting and Control, Entrepreneurship, Finance, Health Systems, and Organizational Behaviour and Human Resources. Each PhD candidate would choose one of these fields in which to specialize through their research and seminars.
Prior to 2016, the Telfer School was already offering several programs targeting different audiences: a bachelor’s degree for young professionals starting their careers, professional masters' programs for early to mid-career managers and emerging leaders, research-based masters programs for aspiring analysts, management researchers and consultants, and executive programs for experienced professionals.
In 2016, the program was officially opened for business when Professor Silvia Bonaccio led the program as the first PhD Program Director. Professor Bonaccio was glad to see the PhD program added to our portfolio: “this was the next step in the growth of the Telfer School; we had a roster of world-class professors who were eager for the opportunity to work alongside doctoral students and train the next generation of researchers. I was thrilled to earn the responsibility of being the first director.”
Former Vice-Dean of Research and former Interim Dean, Wojtek Michalowski, shared that the program was truly a result of hard work: “The program was created because of Dean Francois Julien’s leadership and because of the hard work and dedication of Professor Barbara Orser.”
Dean Julien reflected on the value added to Telfer once the doors were opened up to PhD in Management students: “Adding a PhD Program to our roster allowed us to complete our program portfolio. The program puts the Telfer School in a different league. It speaks to the academic rigour and excellence of its faculty members and allows us to attract and recruit talented professors, and students alike.”
Now that the program was set up for success, all it took was the right leader to steer the ship that is the Telfer PhD. Professor Silvia Bonaccio was up for the task.
Launching the Program
Silvia Bonaccio, Ian Telfer Professor of Workplace Psychology, was named the first director of the PhD program and has been instrumental in making the program what it is today. She led the program for five years from 2013 to 2018 and worked behind-the-scenes for more than 2 years on building the program prior to its official launch in 2016. Having the chance to finally welcome the first cohort of Telfer doctoral students is still a fresh memory for Professor Bonaccio: “The first weeks were some of the most thrilling ones of my close to 15 years at Telfer. Admitting the first cohort so that they could work alongside our professors on essential, impactful, and exciting research was my biggest accomplishment as director.”
The addition of the PhD to our research-based graduate programs portfolio is the most significant change at the School in the past decade, according to Professor Bonaccio: “This addition shifted us into a new group of institutional peers, as doctoral-granting institutions are a select group.”
Thanks to her leadership, the program has continued to grow and improve since its launch. As applicant and admission numbers keep increasing each year, the School has been able to maintain the highest standards for its diverse group of admitted students.
By the time Professor Mirou Jaana, current Telfer MHA Program Director, took over as PhD Program Director, Telfer had also welcomed a considerable number of new faculty members who were active researchers from various management areas.
This growth as well as the successful research performance of Telfer’s students (e.g., publications, presentations in conferences or meetings, recipient of awards or grants), attests to the successful evolution and maturity of the program. “Since its launch, the PhD had gained growing visibility and developed a strong reputation, which allowed it to attract an increasing number of diverse applicants from all around the world,” reflected Professor Jaana.
Above all, what makes the success of the program, according to Professor Jaana, is the support offered to students throughout their academic curriculum as well as the quality of the teaching experience. “The program provides attractive funding and support for students over a period of 4 years,” said Professor Jaana. “During their studies, PhD students can specialize in what have now become six fields of study, led by experienced, world-class and dedicated faculty.”
Professor Jaana’s mandate as Director was marked by a program revision: “The biggest accomplishment during my tenure was launching the first revision of the PhD Program, which resulted, among other changes, in the addition of a new field in Organization and Strategy,” noted Professor Jaana. “This new field will present research opportunities for PhD students who are interested in specializing in this area. The program revision also led to improvements and changes, which strengthened the experience of students and added more flexibility in relation to the program delivery.”
The third and current PhD Program Director as of July 2020, Professor Samia Chreim, Ian Telfer Professorship in Organization Studies, shares the same enthusiasm as her predecessor on these changes: “We have recently conducted a program revision based on the feedback we had received over the first four years of the program from various groups, including the students and the faculty members. As part of this revision, we have provided more flexibility to students in the choice of their courses. The addition of a 6th area of specialization, is giving students interested in our PhD program more choices.”
Professor Chreim also wanted to celebrate the efforts of her predecessors and all people implicated in the creation of the Telfer doctoral program. “The launch of the PhD program in 2016 was the culmination of the dedicated efforts of many people who were consulted extensively, both internally and externally,” added Professor Chreim. “The program has grown over the years and is now the program of choice for nearly 40 PhD students, who are working with accomplished researchers as their supervisors. The students have established a strong sense of community. They have also been very engaged in research, participating actively in conference presentations and journal publications.”
According to Professor Chreim, a testament to the sense of community and engagement in research is the Thesis Competition event, which the Telfer PhD and M.Sc. students organize and host each year with the help of Telfer’s Research Office.
The Echoes of the Program
As Interim Dean, Professor Michalowski was one of the first to congratulate Vusal and celebrate this important milestone of the program. “It was a great privilege and honour for me to announce our first PhD graduate. This program was long in the making and graduating a student seems like ‘reaching a destination’.” He continued: “Telfer’s PhD is our program, and I would like to thank all of my faculty colleagues, and staff in the Graduate and Research Offices for their hard work and commitment. Last but not least, I am very proud of our doctoral students. They will be Telfer’s ambassadors and will make us proud.”
Professor Michalowski, emphasized that the work is not yet done: “We need to work hard to ensure that the quality of the program meets students’ expectations, in order to attract the best and the brightest, and to ensure that the program contributes to Telfer’s research enterprise. The launch of the program strengthened our path towards research excellence - a catalyst of academic and intellectual debates at Telfer,” he concluded.
For Dean Julien, the success of the doctorate program is undeniable: “There is no doubt that the Program allowed us to recruit excellent, research-intensive faculty members who were attracted by the prospect of working with our researchers and supervising PhD candidates. The quality of the students we have recruited at the PhD level, and also in our research-based masters programs, has been excellent.”
This is only the beginning according to him: “Over time I expect the reputation of the PhD and, therefore, of the School will be confirmed by the excellence and reputation of the organizations where the graduates of this program will be hired and the impact of their work. We will track and promote the career of our PhD graduates with great interest!”
Since being involved in the program’s inception, Professor Barbara Orser shared where she hopes to see the PhD evolve in the future: “It would be great to see more PhD disciplines added, further integration of doctoral degree candidates in multi-disciplinary research portfolios, the creation of centres to support doctoral students, and Telfer to become the ‘go to’ School for prospective hires.”
The PhD program will be linked forever to Dean Julien’s legacy long after he stepped out of his 10-year tenure in 2020. The most important takeaway for him is that the institution will gain several benefits in the years to come. “I am happy I have been involved in some way in the process since the beginning,” he humbly added.
“I truly believe this program brings Telfer to a new level of excellence and that this program and its graduates will contribute in no small way in strengthening Telfer’s reputation as a leading business school in Canada and in the world!” he proudly concluded.
As Telfer is committed and united by a shared belief that better business means a better Canada, the PhD program and its contribution to the academic world will more than ever foster a greener, healthier, happier, and wealthier Canada for all.
The seventh annual Telfer Internal Case Competition (TICC) sponsored by Avison Young Ottawa took place from March 13th to March 14th, where 60 students met online to compete in a 24-hour digital marketing case. The closing ceremony gala featured Telfer alumna, Liora Raitblat (BCom, 2015), who is a Digital Delivery & Agile Coach at Export and Development Canada and Part-Time Professor at the Telfer School as a guest speaker.
An Online Success
The bilingual competition hosted by Telfer Competitions Committee (TCCT) was led by three coordinators and third-year students, Alise Gertsenchtein, Emma Rankin and Patricia Felthman. It was the first time that the competition was held online, but it didn’t stop the students from excelling during the competition.
“We can’t even put into words how proud we are of everyone that competed and overcame the challenge of a virtual competition,” stated Emma on behalf of her colleagues. “It took a lot of time, effort and adaptability, but it was a great weekend, and we are beyond excited to see Telfer compete at future case competitions! A big thank you goes out to all the volunteers and judges who helped make this event successful! If we have Iearned anything, it takes a village to host a case competition,” she added.
The excitement was also palpable amongst the students throughout the competition. “As someone who has never participated in a case competition before, TICC was the perfect opportunity for me to get my first experience,” said Dasser Kamran, fourth-year student in Marketing and President of the newly created Telfer Content Creators Commitee. He continued: “The competition had the right balance between challenging and easy for first timers like me. Although my team did not win a prize, the experience I gained was invaluable.”
The competition was just as fun for seasoned case-crackers like Liz Tran, a third-year student in Marketing. “TICC 2021 was definitely a fun time to spend with my friends. We were challenged by the sponsor to come up with a realistic and creative digital marketing campaign which certainly tested our skills as marketers. It was an experience that I would love to do again and encourage all Telfer students to participate in,” she concluded.
Reana Mouaj Agil, second-year student in Finance, also reflected on her experience at the competition: “TICC was the best first ever case comp. experience; it was my first time ever experiencing a case crack and being in that environment, and I learned so much. I know what to look for and how to analyze better, and I am excited for the years to come! I encourage anyone who can to sign up next year!”
In addition, Cole Dumelie, second year uOttawa student minoring in Management, is looking forward to attending the next TICC in the future: “I had an amazing weekend cracking my first case with TICC! My team and I were able to showcase our problem-solving skills - while under pressure - and address a real business case. Didn’t get much sleep and worked well straight through the given 24 hours. It was a challenging feat and a truly invaluable experience! TICC did a great job of organizing the event! I look forward to competing in case competitions like this one in the future!”
After watching all 20 of the teams’ presentations when the case-cracking phase of the competition drew to a close, the 9 judges had the difficult task of putting three teams on the podium for each category, Junior and Senior.
Competition Results
Juniors
1st place: Maryam Rana, Chau Nguyen, and Cole Dumelie
2nd place: Arash Jeyrani, Sean Butler, and Callum Cameron
3rd place: Guangtai Wei, Joy Liu, and Xilong Zheng
Seniors
1st place: Liz Tran, Emily Chiazza, and Nicole Sauvé
2nd place: Kristelle Rivard, Émilie Lebel, and Charles Doray
3rd place: Clarissa Tremblay-Filion, Alexis Raymond, and Jean-Simon Lavoie Albert
Congratulations to all winners, and we look forward to seeing what happens at the next year’s TICC!
This Francophonie Month, Telfer is highlighting the inclusion of the French language and Francophone culture in our community.
The Telfer Student Services Centre (SSC) is at the heart of the student experience at the School. The role of the SSC is to guide students throughout their studies, from the time of admission to Telfer through to graduation. With the French community representing close to 30% of our student body and after receiving 2,500 applicants this year to the French BCom program only, French services is an important component of the Centre’s offer.
Since the beginning, in 1969, our School has provided bilingual services to our students. In addition to the availability of bilingualism, the Centre offers services and programs that are adapted to the both the local and international members of our French community through the Undergraduate Office, the International Exchange Program and Scholarship Program, and the Telfer Career Centre.
One of the main goals of the Centre is to make sure that students feel comfortable as soon as they start their journey at Telfer. The Peer Mentoring Program is doing just that.
Student Mentorship Programs
Peer Mentorship Program
The main purpose of the peer mentoring program at Telfer is to facilitate the integration of first-year BCom students by ensuring that they are accompanied by a mentor, for domestic students, or by an international guide, for international students: “Each student is matched with a student mentor or guide, according to a series of priority criteria, the first being the language of correspondence,” explains Marilou Charbonneau, Student Experience & Event Assistant at the Telfer Career Centre. “In this way, we ensure that each French-speaking first-year student is matched with a French-speaking mentor or guide to ask questions and obtain a variety of resources in French,” she added.
In addition, French is one of the most important criteria in the annual selection process of guides and mentors. It is essential that most of the team members can support French-speaking students.
Fourth-year Accounting student, Priyesh Sarju, is one of the program’s international coaches. Coming from Île Maurice, Priyesh is a good representative of the French diversity at the School: “French is certainly one of my main assets as an International Coach at Telfer,” shares Priyesh. “That being said, many of the international students come from French-speaking countries around the world, so being able to interact effectively in French with them is essential to ensuring they have a successful student experience,” he added. Furthermore, as an international guide, Priyesh can not only help international students with their studies through revision sessions, but also moderate various Telfer events in French.
Camély Gendron is another student mentor in her fourth year at Telfer, completing the Commerce and Juris Doctor program. She shared her experience guiding members of the French community at the School: “When I think of my experience as a Francophone mentor, I immediately think of the word community,” she proudly said. “The students I work with are happy to be able to speak in French to someone who has been through a similar journey. It is also nice to see how united and supportive the Francophone mentors are on a daily basis!”
Executive Mentorship Program
Another mentoring opportunity offered by the SSC is the Executive Mentoring Program. This program connects senior students, usually third- or fourth-year, with industry executives and entrepreneurs. The program establishes a relationship between a student and a professional so they can exchange ideas, provide informal guidance, and grow their network. This is a way for a student to learn in a one-on-one setting from a business professional.
Isabelle Décarie, Manager, Student Experience at the SSC explains how unique this experience can be for a French Telfer student: “Students can be matched to different successful French leaders in the community. For example, we have a student in the BCom/JD program that is matched with the President of the Réseau des gens d’affaires (RGA).” The experience is also quite unique for the mentors, as it is a wonderful opportunity to meet students interested in their field of work, have great conversations, and learn about the exciting new things happening at Telfer.
Reaching out to the French Community and Beyond
This year, Telfer received 2,500 student applications to its BCom French program. One of the key reasons of this success is the freedom of choice in the program. “We want students to know that they can study in the language of their choice whether it’s in French, in English or in both languages,” stated Émilie Desrosiers, Marketing and Liaison Coordinator of Telfer’s Undergraduate Programs. “We’re really proud of the fact that uOttawa is a bilingual institution,” she added.
The Telfer French community also counts in its rank English-speaking students who also speak French as a second language, or who are working on practicing their French through the various opportunities offered at Telfer. This includes the French Immersion Stream, which is eligible to the French Studies Bursary.
International students coming from French speaking countries can also benefit from the bilingualism environment offered at the University and in the city of Ottawa. “Our international student population likes the fact that they can study in French, experience life in a Canadian city, and that we have a generous scholarship for them”, explains Émilie. Another key factor that appeals to our international population and more broadly is the Co-op program. “Students can gain real work experience and receive a salary during their co-op placement”, she concluded.
There are several scholarship and bursary opportunities offered to French-speaking students, those who study in French Immersion, and International students alike:
The Bernard and Valérie Marcil Scholarship is offered to BCom Accounting students who demonstrate financial need. The scholarship is named after Telfer graduate and co-founder of Marcil Lavallée, Bernard Marcil.
The Legico-CHP Fleur de lys scholarship is available to a francophone Telfer student who is from Quebec with an excellent academic record, but who is unable to take on the cost of tuition fees. The scholarship is named after Legico-CHP, an organization that is an amalgamation of two who companies were major players in international and local construction projects.
The Fleur de Lys Admission Scholarship Fund of the Telfer School of Management was created to provide financial aid to francophone students who wish to join the Telfer BCom program, but for whom the higher tuition fees pose a challenge. The scholarship was created through a generous donation by Mr. Ian Telfer, Telfer’s namesake, and it is designed to help students coming to Ontario and facing higher tuition fees.
The Marcil Lavallée Accounting Scholarship is awarded to a Francophone student registered to the accounting program who has demonstrated community involvement. The fund was generously created by Ottawa accounting firm, Marcil Lavallée.
The French Studies Bursary is a $1,000 admission bursary awarded to full-time students in the French Immersion Stream who are taking at least 2 courses (6 units) each term that are taught in French (including French-as-a-second-language courses). This bursary can be renewed for the three following years and reaching up to $4,000 in total.
The Differential Tuition Fee Exemption Scholarship is offered to an international Francophone and Francophile student who is enrolled in a bachelor’s or master’s program as of September 2021. This significant contribution means that tuition fees paid by these international students will be nearly the same as those paid by Canadian students.
The ninth of March marked the first day of Dean Brutus’ journey at the Telfer School of Management. Despite all classes being held online, the new Dean couldn’t wait to get in touch with his new environment: “When I signed my contract I was in Montréal and something was a bit off. The first thing I did on my first day was drive to Ottawa, get the key to my office, and worked from there,” Dean Brutus confessed. “It was important for me to be present and ‘touch’ Telfer and really incarnate the role from day 1. The next step is to get everybody else on campus and get the real feel, give some ‘high fives’ to everybody when it will be allowed, but it was a start,” he added.
Upon officially starting his mandate a week ago, Dean Stéphane Brutus has been looking forward to meeting with the student body at the Fireside Conversation: “I enjoyed the opportunity to talk with the students”, he said. “With the lockdown, it is difficult for me to get the pulse of the School and this meeting allowed me to do so. Some of the questions were direct and I appreciate the fact that the students had the courage to ask me.’'
The conversation occurred Monday morning, March 15th, on Zoom with students in various programs and our staff.
Do You Know Your Dean?
Hosted by Isabelle Décarie, Student Experience Manager at the Student Services Centre, the Fireside Conversation event was a great opportunity for any students to ask questions to the Dean and get his honest opinion on important topics at Telfer.
To start the event, Stéphane Brutus had prepared a special video entitled “Do You Know Your Dean?” where he was put to the test and answered general questions about his vision for the School, and even some trivia questions about Telfer and uOttawa. His performance on the latter section was nothing to be shy about. He also had the chance to tell us a bit more about himself through rapid-fire questions about his hobbies and interests.
Getting to Know Dean Brutus’ Vision
Prior to the Q&A portion of the event with the students, Dean Brutus had the chance to talk a bit more about his objectives for the School in the short and long-term: “I want to augment visibility of the School by reinforcing the Better Canada pillars as mentioned in the video (Editor’s note: Greener, Healthier, Happier, Wealthier) through continued support of our research,” he stated. “I want to improve the student experience, that is already excellent, and focus on engagement with Alumni as their involvement is really important just as for any business school.”
Dean Brutus had the chance to talk more about his plan regarding student experience: “The Case competitions are really important for the overall student experience. Having worked for 23 years at John Molson School of Business (JMSB), the case competition was a big part of the student experience and I’m a big fan.” He added on the subject by describing the ‘win-win' value he sees in the case competition: “It gives a chance to the students to perform when ‘put on hot fire.’ The Faculty also benefits from the visibility by participating, but also by hosting. The Telfer community can also benefit by being involved as judges or sponsors. It’s a good way to involve everybody,” he explained.
Questions from Telfer Nation Students
Within the last third of the event, Dean Brutus had the chance to answer the questions received through the registration form and some additional ones asked directly in the session chat.
Many subjects were brought up by the participating students, including global recognition of our School, online teaching, the presence of equity, diversity and inclusion in the vision of the Dean, as well as the future of research opportunities for students at the School.
Dean Brutus showed quickly that he is open to listening to any feedback, suggestions and comments from the student population: “The Dean seemed very motivated and excited to join Telfer,” noted Saida Sambour, a third-year BCom Marketing student. “His answers were always well thought out, and it sounds like he has done his research on the School! Hearing about his experiences at JMSB and his skills, the Dean seemed more than ready to take on his role at Telfer. During the conversation, he had no trouble answering questions. Some were more difficult than others, but he always found a way to answer honestly and conscientiously,” she concluded.
We look forward to the next years with Dean Brutus, and his development of our Vision for a Better Canada.
You can still watch the recorded “Fireside conversation with the Dean” session, in case you missed it. (MS Stream links are available to the uOttawa community only)
The Telfer PhD in Management program opened its doors to welcome the first cohort of PhD candidates in the fall of 2016. Eight exceptional candidates among 28 applicants were admitted into the brand-new program. They committed themselves to tackling the journey that is PhD training, surely not fully aware of the erratic ride of challenges and victories ahead of them. Four years and one semester later, Vusal Babashov was the first student to successfully defend his thesis on January 18, 2021, and he is the first graduate from the Telfer PhD in Management program. Considering the hurdles caused by the COVID-19 pandemic, this is a remarkable achievement.
Choosing the right PhD program
Any student considering a PhD must first decide to dedicate the next 4 to 6 years of their life to PhD training. Choosing which field of study to join is also a major decision, as this will tie into their thesis topic, who their supervisors could be, and it could ultimately impact future career choices.
This is a big decision for all PhD candidates, but how does a student take the leap in applying to their field of choice?
Marwa Soliman joined the program in 2016. She felt that her decision to pursue a PhD at Telfer was obvious considering the diverse expertise of the school: “I worked in academia my whole life and pursuing a PhD in accounting was one of my dreams. Before joining Telfer, I lived for two years in upstate NY and during this time I was a frequent visitor to Ottawa. I started reading more about Telfer and the PhD program and I really liked what Telfer has to offer as a new PhD program. I contacted Dr. Walid Ben Amar and he was kind enough to provide all necessary information about the program. I enjoyed our conversation so much and I decided to join Telfer. Given the diverse expertise in the accounting and finance disciplines and the outstanding research output in the last few years, I felt I can prosper in this vibrant and encouraging research environment.”
Vusal Babashov did not give his program selection a second thought: “I chose Telfer's PhD program primarily based on the supervisors I was going to work with for the next 4 to 5 years. I did a fair bit of homework researching my supervisor. First, Professor Jonathan Patrick was quite visible and well regarded in the Healthcare Operations Research community. Second, he was actively engaged in research and publishing. Finally, after having an introductory meeting with him it was evident to me that we could work together. Professor Antoine Sauré joined the program shortly after I started my PhD. It was a natural fit for me to have him as my co-supervisor given our shared research interests. Also, he was just starting his tenure-track journey, and his engagement and motivation created more synergy and boost to my doctoral research commitment.”
Three Major Steps of PhD Training
After officially starting the program and completing four semesters of required course work, PhD students must complete the Comprehensive Examination, also known as the “PhD comps.” This consists of a two-part examination (written and oral) that is overseen by the Comprehensive Examination Committee . Passing these exams proves that they have acquired the relevant knowledge needed, and that they are ready to tackle a thesis project.
Before the end of their 3rd year in the program students must choose their thesis topic, prepare a thesis proposal and defend it orally. While most students at this stage are quite excited about starting their data collection, this is a big hurdle and a key rite of passage. Failure to successfully defend their proposal leads to withdrawal from the program – talk about stressful! We asked Andrea Ghazzawi how she felt about this challenge. “I knew what to expect, as I had defended my proposal for my Master as well. I absolutely love my research topic – social pediatrics – and had invested a lot of time into developing my research study with the support of my supervisor Dr. Craig Kuziemsky and the clinical director at the social pediatric centre Dr. Anne Marie Bureau. As such, I felt very prepared for my defense.”
We asked Marwa how she felt about this challenge. She adds that the support and guidance from her professors helped her achieve these milestones: “I was one of the first students in the first Telfer PhD cohort to join the program. It was both a challenge and an opportunity. Although, we did not have the history of previous students to guide us and provide some tips and tricks to manage our PhD journey, I was fortunate to always find the support and guidance from my professors in all the stages of my doctoral program including my comprehensive exam, choosing my dissertation topic and even during my proposal defense.”
After these steps, PhD candidates are well on their way to becoming independent researchers. This is after having spent countless hours of reading, planning, and designing the right research approach, making sure to ask the right research questions, and defining a methodology, a data collecting process, and analysis. Their major triumph is succeeding to publish their research, hoping to make an impact and help shape the future of their field. At this stage, PhD candidates are ready to write and defend their thesis and celebrate this immense achievement.
Support from Telfer
PhD training is an intense journey of academic and professional growth. The thesis supervisors play a major role in this process, but many other faculty members, support staff, and peers have a major influence on this training. For Marwa, Associate Professor Dr Qiu Chen has really made a lasting impression during her PhD: “I have enjoyed working with Dr. Qiu Chen. She is always supportive inside and outside of our seminar classes. I remember the first day of her class when she said that one of the great things about teaching PhD students is that you are working with your colleagues, not your students. I have recently asked her for a letter of support, and I was two days away from the deadline and she was very kind to provide her support and help. She came back asking for more information to provide her best recommendation letter even within this short period of time.”
Joining the student community
The Telfer Graduate Research Programs Student Association (TGRPSA) plays a major role in enhancing the PhD student experience at Telfer, sharing opinion or thoughts from the students, and ensuring their needs are met. Among the first PhD cohort, Alexander Chung was the first PhD student representative in the association and served as President until 2019. Alex offers a unique perspective about the Telfer PhD student experience: “Since the inception of the PhD program, the association has been instrumental in organizing activities to unite the students and promote our research. Two examples include “skills-sharing” activities and writing bootcamps. The skills-sharing activities allowed students to share their skills and hobbies with others while providing a social environment to help alleviate the stress of graduate studies, while the writing bootcamps were weekly sessions that provided a motivating environment for students to come together and write productively. Furthermore, we helped in organizing and delivering the thesis competition for graduate students.”
The Telfer PhD program now hosts five cohorts of ambitious PhD candidates, driven by a quest for knowledge and a desire to develop the research expertise and skills needed to conquer the world. Congratulations to them all for committing to the challenge. We wish all our students much success in their respective adventures and look forward to celebrating with each of them as they complete their candidacy.
As part of the University of Ottawa, the Telfer School of Management prides itself in offering bilingual opportunities in countless ways within the world’s largest English and French university. Nine out of the eleven Bachelor of Commerce programs are offered in the French language, which means a student proficient in English and French can choose to study in English and in French, or in one of these two languages.
Other opportunities and incentives are offered for students to sharpen their skills in a second language. For English speakers who want to work on their French skills but still take most classes in English can take advantage of the French Immersion Stream. This stream allows students to take some of their regular content courses in French, while having the chance to benefit from a $1,000 scholarship for each year they participate in this stream if they fit the eligibility criteria. In their first two years, students have the option to take accompanying language courses to build a strong base in French. In their third and fourth years, students move on to more advanced classes related to oral and written communication.
This Francophonie Month, Telfer is highlighting four clubs and committees who value the inclusion of the French language and Francophone culture in the Telfer community.
Telfer Competitions Committee
Each year, Telfer undergraduate students compete at several case competitions where French speakers can speak in their mother tongue, including Jeux du commerce (JDC), Happening Marketing (HM), HR Symposium, and Omnium Financier (OF). The Telfer Competitions Committee (TCCT) recruits and organizes the teams from Telfer who will represent the School at these competitions. “The Telfer Competitions Committee allows students the possibility to use what they learned in class in a real-life consulting situation,” mentions TCCT President, Elias Azzi. TCCT participants can develop their analytical, problem solving, and communication skills in both French and English by solving real-world business problems in a case crack.
JDC is a large student competition offered to Canadians in their undergraduate studies located in Eastern Canada, usually attracting 1,300 participants from 13 different schools each year. The competition is predominantly conducted in French, although academic case cracks can be presented in each of the student groups’ language of choice. On the other hand, Happening Marketing is the largest marketing inter-university competition in Eastern Canada with 10 competing ten universities. HM consists of 6 academic cases, 1 quiz and 3 components: social, participation and sports. Lastly, Omnium Financier is the largest academic competition in finance and accounting in Eastern Canada. The event aims to promote careers in both fields, regroup students from different universities, and allow them to network with industry experts.
These competitions, overseen by Regroupement étudiant des facultés d’administration de l’Est du Canada (RÉFAEC), are fully bilingual, but mostly conducted in French due to the demographic of competing universities. “A proper operating proficiency in French allows students to better interact with sponsors and delegates from other universities”, states Elias. He also enjoys these competitions because of the opportunity to expand his network: “As a bilingual student, it's nice to participate in an event where French takes precedence. It's also nice to meet new people and to network in the language of your choice.”
Francophone club members largely contribute to the advancement of the Telfer Competitions Committee. “French executives bring so much to the table,”believes Elias. Some case competitions are hosted in French in different regions of Canada and Quebec. Therefore, the team must have representatives who can communicate with other committees in French. “We truly need a bilingual executive team to properly judge and serve every student on an even playing field,” says Elias. The French language also holds importance in the recruitment process for the competitions.
As a former student of the French Catholic School Board (CECCE), Elias chose to study mostly in French at Telfer. “It was close to home, but more importantly it was completely bilingual,” shares Elias. In 2020, he became president of the Telfer Competitions Committee and is proud to be a part of it: “TCCT is what I would think is the most bilingual club/committee Telfer has to offer as most of our competitions are held in Quebec. TCCT is fully inclusive and attracts unilingual and bilingual students to be part of its competitions and executive committee.”
Place à la jeunesse
Jeux du commerce also founded the Place à la jeunesse (PALJ) initiative in 2004. The francophone event consists of a university-level case competition only offered to Franco-Ontarian high school students. PALJ not only promotes the French language, but it allows students to get familiar with the business world and get the chance to win scholarships to study at the University of Ottawa. “We also believe that it is important to have the opportunity to study in one's mother tongue in post-secondary education,” mentions Émilie Desrosiers, faculty coordinator of Place à la jeunesse. The competition is the perfect opportunity to meet new people: “You can also make good connections and sharpen your networking skills with members of other schools, students from uOttawa, and our guest judges.”
The competition starts with a preliminary round in which over 90 Franco-Ontarian high school students resolve cases in 3 academic subjects: marketing, entrepreneurship and accounting. The principal committee then chooses 24 teams, 8 per academic subject, to go on to the final round. Similarly to JDC, the teams in each of the three academic categories receive the same case to crack. Despite the event being held entirely in French, teams can present in the language of their choice. A panel of academics and business experts evaluates each team’s work to determine a winner.
Place à la jeunesse is one of the few clubs on campus where French is predominant on the organizing committee. President of Place à la jeunesse, Catherine Gringas, shared her experience and motivations for being part of the club: “It makes me really proud to say that every year, our chosen organizing committee is comprised of students who study in French, appreciate the language, and believe in the importance of post-secondary education in French.” Catherine has been involved with PALJ since 2019 and became president in 2021. “I started to get involved with Place à la jeunesse as a volunteer in 2019 and I loved the concept of the competition, the club's mandate, and the people who were a part of it.”
Despite the challenge of an inevitably virtual setting this year, it was important to the group to make sure PALJ still happened so students could have the opportunity to surpass themselves. “We are all very proud to host this competition year after year even if we have to adjust it,” mentions Émilie. Place à la Jeunesse will hold two competitions this year, in April and November, and begin recruitment for their committee in the summer. “We are always looking for passionate people who have at heart education, entrepreneurship, and French, to help us organize the event,” shared Catherine.
CASCO Charity Organization
Every year, Telfer’s student-run charity organization CASCO raises money for the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO) and highlights students and their talents at the annual Gala show. The event includes different forms of art such as dance, music and fashion. CASCO brings together students, the business community and Ottawa locals for the common cause of raising funds to support CHEO. Just last year, the organization was able to raise over $53,000 for the Recreational Therapy program at CHEO.
The CASCO team recruits members on social media platforms such as Instagram and Facebook. Within their team, the organization encourages members to speak the language of their choice: “This will hopefully make our French members feel more at ease while asking questions and know that they can express themselves in the language that they are most comfortable with,” mentions Danika Dumoulin, VP Development at CASCO. The team also reaches their French audience through Q&As on Instagram, in which the questions are answered in English and in French so any student can feel comfortable to participate.
Students involved in the CASCO Charity Organization can expect to “build interpersonal skills by working as a team and collaborating with others.” In fact, the club works together for the common objective of helping those in need. “CASCO also teaches students the importance of helping others and demonstrating that anyone can make a difference if they put their mind to it,” says Danika. As a Francophone VP and student, Danika joined CASCO and had the objective of making it a bilingual club: “When I joined CASCO and met all of these other people studying in business, I felt as if the French program was in a bubble.”
Students who join CASCO have an opportunity to meet people outside of their program and make connections that can last a lifetime. Danika shared her advice for future students interested in joining the club: “I definitely encourage French students to join CASCO, it's a great way to meet new people that study in the same field as you. The French program does not include all the students at Telfer, and I think that's very important to remember! I could not imagine a better way to remember my university experience. Not only was I introduced to some of my best friends, but they gave me a second family that I could rely on.”
Telfer Student Council
The Telfer Student Council (CéTSC) represents over 4,000 undergraduate students enrolled in Telfer’s Bachelor of Commerce. The team, comprised of around 25 representatives from different backgrounds, organizes annual events dedicated to the Telfer community and helps other Telfer clubs to fund and run their various events. They welcome each new round of first year BCom students to the school, organize a celebration for each graduating class, and hold an event recognizing the countless achievements of the Telfer Clubs community.
The CéTSC team values both the francophone and anglophone communities, but they are working to establish more French-focused initiatives in the club: “We have the responsibility to ensure that our communications material and services are offered in both official languages,” shared Nick Gratton, VP Marketing at CéTSC. Nick also added that he hopes to see more francophones get involved with CéTSC in the future: “Students who are seeking to build on francophone culture and francophone pride at Telfer should undoubtedly get involved with CéTSC. If you are passionate about something, whether its general change or a specific topic or cause, join CéTSC and/or get involved with Telfer Clubs. It's truly the best way to shape student culture and the student experience at Telfer.”
Each year, students can apply to be a part of the annual election, then Telfer students vote for the individuals they wish to see take on each role in CéTSC after the campaigning has concluded. Some roles on the team do require bilingualism as VP Marketing and VP Academic both require the completion of a language competency evaluation to ensure French and English proficiency, so that they can make sure to communicate to the student body in both official languages.
A number of Telfer clubs make sure to give Francophone students the opportunity to get involved in academic, professional, and social activities. The diversity brought by students fluent in French allows the clubs to compete at competitions on a larger scale, host events in French, network in English and in French, and recruit students who grew up with French as their first language. We look forward to continuing to see French-centric initiatives and opportunities for Francophone students to get involved in the student experience at Telfer.
This year’s 6th Annual Diversity and Inclusion MBA Case Competition hosted at the Telfer School came to a close on March 5th, where 10 teams competed against one another. Held in close partnership with Export Development Canada (EDC), Deloitte and Royal Bank of Canada (RBC), the competition lasted over the course of 2 weeks, where participants had to examine emerging challenges and propose solutions pertaining to an assigned case on this year’s theme: Systemic Anti-Black Racism in the Canadian Workplace.
Throughout these two weeks, participants were periodically invited to attend interactive sessions with the competition founding The Deloitte Greenhouse team kicked off the opening day of the competition with an Interactive Live Session, adapted to the case topic, to engage participants intellectually, emotionally and physically and set them up for success in cracking this year’s case.
A week later and after submitting each of their executive summaries on the case subject, the teams were invited to a Diversity Experts Session hosted by EDC, an organization that leads by example when it comes to fostering an inclusive culture.
It was then showtime as the second phase of the competition took place when participants had to put together a video presentation. Each presentation would present the teams’ innovative ideas to tackle this important challenge of inclusivity in the workplace, in hopes to convince the expert panel of judges on the creativity, feasibility and pertinence of their solutions on:
How Canadian corporations can create an environment in which employees can thrive and reach the following targets:
• 3.5% of executive and board roles being held by Black leaders by 2025; and,
• at least 5% of new hires being from the Black community by 2025.
A Message of Fostering Change
As the case competition neared the end for another year, the closing remarks resonated with the attendees during the heartfelt speeches from this year’s year’s special guests from the The BlackNorth Initiative: the Executive Director, Dahabo Ahmed-Omer, and the Executive Chairman and Founder, Dr. Wesley J. Hall. The case question was directly inspired by The BlackNorth Initative pledge to end anti-black systematic racism.
“Bring us to a place where Black Canadian can prosper and are given an equality of chances,” said Ahmed-Omer, hopeful that a competition like the Diversity and Inclusion MBA Case Competition can help shape the roles of our future leaders.
Ahmed-Omer added her thoughts on systemic anti-black racism in the Canadian workplace: “In order for us to see the problem, we need to acknowledge it, for all of us to act on it."
From virtual to international
In the midst of the current pandemic, the sixth edition of the competition went online, opening the gates to yet another first for the competition: the world. This year’s case competition welcomed 10 MBA teams, including 8 teams from across Canada and 2 international teams: FIA Business School from Brazil and Barna Management School from the Dominican Republic. Even though the case portrayed a Canadian reality, all could agree issues around anti-black racism in the workplace are global and the judges all agreed on the overall quality of the strategies and presentations offered by all participating schools. Our Telfer Nation representatives, Sinatrio Raharjo, Krishna Venkatasubramanian, Roxy Lu and Sushant Garg, better known by their collective pseudonym Awesome Possum during the competition, was led by Coach Sylvie Albert, Lead of Internationalization and New Initiatives at the University of Ottawa.
At the end, Beedie School of Business of Simon Fraser University (Team InCahoots) brought home first place with a solution that was described by the judges as a compelling case for an important issue: “They showed a willingness to take a step ahead in developing a solution to restrict current gaps in the workplace, while presenting a strategy not just based on subsidies solutions, but filled with bold ideas.” stated Justine Hendricks, Senior Vice President of Sustainable Business & Enablement at EDC. Hendricks presented a shared $5,000 prize to Team InCahoots composed of Bessie Chow, Kelly Woo, Viksit Jain, Raymond So and Coach Shelley Graham.
The steering committee is already planning the 7th edition of the event, which will take place in early 2022. Any organization with an interest in diversity and inclusion issues and topics is invited to contact the Telfer Graduate Programs Office to discuss possible participation in next year’s competition at: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Nowadays, it’s no secret that the path to entrepreneurship is far from being a walk in the park, and more so for women, who face many more challenges compared to their male counterparts. That being said, there is a growing number of women around the world who are leaving their traditional jobs to work on their own businesses.
So I decided to look into it, and I interviewed several business women to understand their motivations for entrepreneurship. Here’s what I found:
Common Motivations
After conversations with these women, it soon became apparent that they shared common reasons for choosing entrepreneurship:
1. Desire for Independence
Many women see entrepreneurship as a source of empowerment and autonomy. For freelance photographer-journalist Ama Ouattara, it is the need to distance herself from hierarchical institutions that has led her to entrepreneurship, as well as the flexibility to work on projects she is interested in and in the way she wants.
For Marcelle Goran, who leads a business support structure for hiring and retaining immigrant workers in Quebec, this desire for independence resulted in wanting to “control what she represented and its results”, but also because she wanted to manage her own time and schedule.
2. Willingness to Do Something Meaningful
Entrepreneurship is seen by many women as a way to engage in something that makes sense to them. Most of the time, it is about helping society or filling an unmet need in their environment. This is the case for Christen Konan, who started her financial coaching firm, KC Consultings in Canada, to address the lack of education in the field.
In that same spirit, Binta Kanté, co-founder of Spirits Chocolats, an online gift shop and retail sale of chocolate-based treats in Abidjan, Ivory Coast, uses entrepreneurship to “share with others and make them happy.” Meanwhile, Marcelle Goran’s choice of specialization is closely linked to her own career path in Quebec.
3. Seeking a Better Work-Life Balance
This reason is perhaps the most prevalent among entrepreneurial moms. They find that entrepreneurship allows for greater flexibility in their schedule and in turn, for their family constraints and obligations. This is the case for Ms. Goran, for whom entrepreneurship makes it possible to work while still having time to spend with her children.
4. Looking for a Better Income
Less prevalent than some of the other reasons, but just as important, one motivation for women to pursue a career in entrepreneurship is the desire for better economic opportunities. This motivation usually occurs when they are either unemployed or looking for another source of income.
Contextual Differences
While these motivations apply to the majority of female entrepreneurs, there are still subtleties, depending on the cultural contexts and territories, in which they operate. So from one part of the world to another, you can find differing key reasons.
Bottom line, in terms of women’s motivations for entrepreneurship, although they have a lot in common, they have different motivations from one part of the world to another. So we can understand that female entrepreneurs have very different backgrounds, and in order to better understand them, it is important to consider them in their environment.
Today’s article is written by team member Stephanie Thompson. Stephanie is a program officer at Telfer Executive Programs. She manages logistics and administration for a wide portfolio of programs, ensuring high-touch client service and maintaining a standard of excellence in program delivery. Among her portfolio of programs, she is responsible for the Boundless Leadership: A Breakthrough Program for Women.
International Women's Day has a long history and, like other holidays related to social movements, it has shifted in part from its original political meaning. When I was obtaining my Gender Studies degree at Queen’s University, International Women's Day was a day of protest to recognize the injustice that women – particularly poor, working-class, racialized, immigrant, trans, and Indigenous women – still face. As I flash-forward to the present day, my background as a social scientist helps me advocate for social justice in my work at Telfer Executive Programs and to maintain a balanced opinion and perspective.
As a Program Officer at Telfer Executive Programs, I was given the opportunity to take on Boundless Leadership: A Breakthrough Program for Women, a program we designed specifically to address the needs of current and emerging women leaders. It has been a great experience being involved in a program where I am surrounded by such accomplished women I can learn from and who motivate me to grow my leadership skills.
In my role, I have been supporting the program’s delivery, which allows me to sit in on program sessions. A few weeks ago, in one of the sessions, one of our guest speakers used a phrase that has been bouncing around in my mind ever since: the “tyranny of the day-to-day”.
It seems to have resonated with the program’s participants as well as it continues to reverberate through this cohort. I think it’s because it cuts to a deep truth we’re all feeling right now. We’re all working longer hours, attending more meetings, writing more emails, cooking more meals, spending more time and mental energy keeping ourselves and our families safe from the virus… there’s simply no time to pause and reflect. There’s also no time to consider the hardships we and others are facing, if we’re moving in the right direction, or if we’re shaping the world in the way we’d like it to be for the next generation.
I hope this year, on International Women’s Day, we can take a moment away from the tyranny of the day-to-day to reflect. Reflect on the progress we’ve made, and the work still to be done. I am a part of the Support Staff union at the University of Ottawa, which is made up of over 75% women, and I see the invaluable work we do to support a massive institution like the University. As a Program Officer at Telfer Executive Programs, I have been fortunate to engage with many women in positions of leadership, learn about their career journeys, and even watch them progress to hold more senior roles. I have the opportunity to see women like Dr. Virginia Roth graduate from the Telfer Executive MBA and become the first female Chief of Staff of The Ottawa Hospital. I see so much to celebrate, to pause and reflect on, before taking a deep breath and tackling the work still to come.
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It is clear that as society evolves, entrepreneurship has emerged as a driving force of our modern economies. Following the various advances in women’s rights and liberation around the world, it was only a matter of time before women began to conquer the entrepreneurial world.
As we celebrate International Women’s Day in March and look back on their place in our societies, let me share with you my thoughts on female entrepreneurship as a business student at Telfer.
What Is Female Entrepreneurship?
In my opinion, entrepreneurship seems to be one of those terms that we often hear without really knowing what it means. For those who can relate to this, let me give you a little help. Entrepreneurship is defined as the creation of economic activity to achieve a goal, the primary result of which is the creation of value.
Now that we have a better understanding of the concept, what about female entrepreneurship? It can be defined as the creation and development of economic activities specifically by women. Whether it is for personal or professional reasons such as self-fulfillment, better work-life balance, or economic reasons such as seeking a higher income, more and more women are choosing to trade their 9 to 5 jobs to become an entrepreneur.
According to the World Bank’s data, it is recognized globally that one in three businesses is owned by a woman. In Canada, many women-owned businesses operate primarily in service sectors such as hospitality, tourism, retail, and food services.
Exploring Entrepreneurship
For as long as I can remember, entrepreneurship has always been something I have been aspiring to do even before I was able to define the concept. Having been raised by an ambitious, busy mother who has run several small businesses, I developed my personality from the example my mother set as a female role model who is entrepreneurial and an independent woman, which probably explains why I chose to study at a business school.
As a teenager, when I had my first project ideas, although I was far from imagining the issues of women in entrepreneurship, I was at ease with the idea of living in an ever-changing world. As I grew up and met female entrepreneurs along the way, including some friends who have chosen this path, I really became aware of the realities of female entrepreneurship. This allowed me to:
Discover a rapidly developing environment shaped by important issues. One example is financing, which is still difficult for many female entrepreneurs to access. This is because women are sometimes seen as lacking in credibility , according to socio-cultural stereotypes which hinders their productivity.
Understand the importance of female entrepreneurship not only in addressing gender inequality, but also in terms of the benefits it brings for economic growth in various countries.
What Does Female Entrepreneurship Mean to Me Today?
First of all, as a strong supporter of women in leadership, I see entrepreneurship as a way for women to assert themselves as leaders in order to prove their managerial abilities, and, therefore, to break down the clichés and stereotypes that have long influenced society.
Now that I am in the last year of my BCom program, I know that I am getting closer to the professional world, as well as my growing awareness of women’s issues in the business world, especially in the field of entrepreneurship, which I intend to pursue one day.
Each graduate student would like to be able to get a chance to apply what they’ve learned and succeed in their careers. It is important that career opportunities remain equal for each and every one of us.
I see women in entrepreneurship as a source of opportunity that women can largely benefit from if they are given the necessary tools to do so. This is a developing sector where women still face inequalities that need to be addressed in order for them to reach their full potential. With global awareness to foster change, and the increasing development of community groups that support female entrepreneurs, this may be the beginning of a promising change. At least, that is what we are hoping for!
Our Master of Health Administration (MHA) students are shaping a healthier debate with their final assignment as part of the Health Care in Canada course (MHA6360). This course, led by Assistant Professor Agnes Grudniewicz, consists of an interesting project as the final class assignment which involves an online publication opportunity. The students were to prepare an opinion article on a chosen topic of interest with the ultimate objective of being published in Healthy Debate, a Canadian online publication that aims to provide easy-to-understand information about the health care system.
An opportunity to make an impact beyond the classroom
Professor Grudniewicz first came across the Healthy Debate online platform during her PhD studies since their editorial office was based at Toronto’s St. Michael’s Hospital where she was conducting her research.
“The idea to include Healthy Debate as an applied learning opportunity came to me this summer, while planning the first online delivery of the course due to the pandemic. I simply decided to reach out to them,” she added. “They were very enthused about the idea as it aligned with their new goal of using their platform as an educational opportunity.”
The experience of writing for Healthy Debate
For the assignment, students were expected to follow all guidelines to write an opinion article as outlined on Healthy Debate’s website. Students had the chance to read previous opinion pieces to understand the tone and style of these short-type articles.
Ranging from 650 to 900 words, the opinion articles are far more challenging to write than usual longer research papers since ideas, fact-based content and argumentative information needs to be concise. “It was a challenging exercise because they had to adapt to the style of Healthy Debate, which is very different from more academic writing. It’s punchy and short. Students had to think about ways to write about a niche topic to a broader audience, using lay terms and explaining concepts,” stated Professor Grudniewicz.
Students had the opportunity to consult with the editors at Healthy Debate regarding their topic and work with them to submit the article for publication. This consultation and submission to Health Debate was an optional component of the assignment, but students were strongly encouraged to make use of this fantastic opportunity to strengthen their assignments, as their article is expected to be of high enough quality to be submitted to Healthy Debate for publication after they are graded.
“The Healthy Debate assignment was a great learning experience as we got the chance to pick a health subject of our choice. We felt proud to share our opinion with a broad range audience and bring awareness about mental health in these COVID-19 times,” shared MSc in Health Systems students Mohcene Abdessemed and Sandra Blais-Amyot, co-authors of the now published opinion piece Pandemic, winter taking toll on Canadians’ mental health. “We had the opportunity to interview a mental health professional to gather his insight on the current situation. We found the course professor and the Healthy Debate editors to be very helpful in providing constructive feedback that guided and strengthened our article.”
The assignment was also followed by a requirement to create a 10-minute podcast where one student interviews another on the topic of their Healthy Debate article. “Students did tremendously well on this component, surprising me with their creativity and enthusiasm,” exclaimed Professor Grudniewicz.
Lesson learned
"Publishing in Healthy Debate was a great opportunity to collaborate with a colleague and add our expertise to a topic that we're both passionate about. It allowed us to not only apply the course content to a real-life policy issue, but to also use our respective professional backgrounds to bring our different perspectives to the issue." shared MHA student Joey Taylor, one of the co-authors of It’s time to get moving, Canada.
“I think it was a great experience for these students because they got to pick a topic that was important to them – either because of personal experience or because a topic we covered in class sparked a new interest” reports Professor Grudniewicz. She concluded: “the MHA trains our future health care leaders. In this assignment, I wanted to give our MHA students the opportunity to join the conversation and have their voice heard on topics that mean the most to them. I hope having their work published inspires them to continue to actively engage in health policy discussions for the betterment of our health care systems.”
Read each of our MHA students’ articles published by the Healthy Debate:
Successful in her career, Maria McKay (Telfer MBA, 2012) is a caring mentor and a true agent of change for her clients in the public sector and for the Black, Indigenous, and People of Colour (BIPOC) communities and beyond. Maria is a Senior Manager in KPMG's People & Change Advisory Services Practice. She grew up in an environment where differences of opinions and ideas were encouraged and seen as a strength. Throughout her life, she lived according to the values of promoting good, both for herself and others around her, by standing up for what’s right and supporting people to do the same.
Maria was adopted as a small child by two people she considers to be her original allies: “I am very lucky to have been raised by thoughtful, humanist parents,” shared Maria. Her late father was a United Church Minister who shared his beliefs about social justice and inclusion with her growing up: “My dad grew up in New Glasgow and told me about a teenage experience he had there when a Black woman refused to leave a Whites-only area of the local movie theatre, and the disgust he felt at the violence against her that ensued. I only figured out who this incredible woman was in 2016 when Tim Harper of the Toronto Star wrote a story about the heroine, whom he suggested should be put on our new $10 bill (Viola Desmond), which was the same story my dad had told me as a child. My dad would have been absolutely thrilled at the ultimate decision to put Ms. Desmond on our new currency! This early experience may have been part of the reason why Martin Luther King and the US Civil Rights Movement had such a profound influence on my father, and was why he chose to study in Boston, where my parents met me.” Despite hopes to the contrary, Maria’s parents were powerless when she was on the school ground, and she had many early, difficult personal experiences of exclusion and racism. However, this opened Maria’s eyes to observe human behaviour from many different angles and led to her interest in the study of groups and organizational values and norms, or cultural anthropology.
After completing her Bachelor of Arts (BA) in Cultural Anthropology and History, and later her Master of Library and Information Studies (MLIS) in Canada, Maria’s career took her back to the United States East Coast and the cities of Atlanta and Boston. She worked at McKinsey & Company as a Research Analyst and as a Strategic Market Intelligence Analyst at EY. Her strong strategic research and analysis capabilities combined with her interest in working with others made a career as a management consultant seem like a perfect fit. At least, that’s what Gregory Richards, Director of Telfer’s Executive MBA program, thought back in 2011 when Maria showed interest in pursuing an MBA.
Telfer MBA: A Life-Changing Decision
Maria decided to come back to Canada and pursue her Master of Business Administration (MBA) at Telfer. We have Gregory Richards, Cognos Professor of Performance Management at the time, to thank for it: “At the time, we interviewed everyone who applied to the MBA program. Maria had non-consulting experience at McKinsey and EY,” recalled Professor Richards. “After talking with her, it struck us that she had the analytical, interpersonal, and problem-solving skills to become an excellent consultant. I think we might have asked her why she hadn’t considered consulting before given her professional background.”
Maria shared how she chose to pursue her MBA at the University of Ottawa: “Greg Richards is a big part of the reason why I picked uOttawa. I wanted to study with an expert in strategy and performance management and my big brother strongly recommended Greg. I also did not have a long history of having had Black professors as I only had two as an undergraduate at U of T . In my MLIS I did not have any Black professors, but the school was incredibly supportive of my interests including my final project, a comprehensive bibliography that detailed the history and experiences of Black American librarians. I learned a great deal from all my professors at Telfer, and especially Gregory Richards and Gerard Brathwaite-Sturgeon, who is an expert in organizational behaviour and HR. And in the end, Greg was right, and I ended up doing very well in my consulting course.”
A proud mentor and teacher, Professor Richards saw Maria excel in the program: “Her work in the MBA program showed her capabilities to not only solve problems, but to work collaboratively even with people she found to be difficult sometimes. It is good to see that she has become an accomplished consultant post-graduation.”
Maria now has close to twenty years of professional experience. She helps people and organizations to identify desired outcomes and to determine how to realize value through structural cultural and operating model changes. She lives according to the spectrum of belonging that celebrates diversity and inclusion, and she also pushes for anti-racism, equity, and justice. Above all, Maria is passionate about serving clients and other people, and she’s been recognized for her ethics and support of students, professional peers, and newcomers to Canada. Her contribution to the Telfer MBA Mentorship program after graduating is no surprise to all.
A Passion for Mentorship and Coaching
Maria is a mentor in the Telfer MBA Mentorship program, providing useful advice to Telfer MBA students. The program allows current MBA students with the opportunity to interact with an accomplished professional to build their network and seek career advice. “A program like the Telfer MBA mentorship program couldn’t function without people like Maria,” exclaimed Caroline Hannah, Relationship Manager at the Telfer Career Centre. "Maria was a mentor before even joining the program. It all came naturally to her. Throughout her MBA, and following, she would welcome having coffee chats and meetings with students as she enjoyed those connections and guiding others. That’s passion for mentorship.”
Maria does indeed have a strong inclination for mentorship: “I am always on the lookout for somebody who needs my help as a mentor or coach: clients, colleagues, friends, strangers on planes, business school friends. If someone asks me for help, it may be just once or several times, I try to say yes if it makes sense and I have something of value to offer to them,” declares Maria. “I try to be a confidence lifter for others, and especially women and racialized people, as they build their feelings of self-efficacy and self-worth while also building a professional network.”
Mentees of Maria’s start with the end in mind by doing an exercise called ‘the life I want,’ and then they align their personal and career aspirations to their own desired future state. She helps to guide them on setting and achieving goals, and she engages in discussions with them about philosophies on management practices, work-life integration, and professional success. The mentor/mentee relationship might evolve from there, depending on the needs expressed by each mentee.
“A wise business leader shared with me her perspective on the difference between a mentor and a coach. When you are mentor, others learn by direct or indirect ‘osmosis’ when you share your own experiences and hope it inspires them. As a coach, you try to establish conditions for others to see what might be possible and what could be different through their own exertion of energy and effort and then support them as they build their own plan. What happens next is up to them in terms of how much they want to practice their craft and what actions they are willing to take, or which sacrifices they are willing to make to work toward their future life; so sometimes I am a mentor and sometimes I am a coach,” explains Maria.
She has enjoyed her experience as a mentor at Telfer, including helping students get started in their careers: “There is a component to my work at Telfer that involves communication training for newcomers related to learning how to do business in Canada and translating cross-cultural experiences. I have also been able to help some students make connections to employers and make decisions about job offers,” added Maria. “It’s an honour to help them with this, and to have others trust me enough to let me help them think about their future. I’m grateful for this experience, and I’m so glad Caroline Hannah brought me in with open arms.”
Standing Up for Herself to Help Others
With a successful career in consulting and dozens of mentees she has helped, it can be concluded that Maria has always found it easy to help others and advocate on their behalf. During her undergraduate degree she marched on campus and fought against discrimination in a group called ‘United Coalition Against Racism.’ However, it wasn’t until the tragic events surrounding the death of George Floyd in May 2020 that Maria rediscovered her activist roots and the courage to speak out more publicly again against racial injustice.
“One of the leaders at my firm told me last June: ‘You don't have to worry anymore about being labelled an ‘Angry Black Woman’ when you raise important issues – just be yourself,’" said Maria. “I honestly thought I would have to wait until I retired before I could voice strong opinions about racism, bigotry, misogyny, able-ism, and to loudly support Black Lives Matter, Indigenous Lives Matter, LGBTQIA2+, and Mental Health movements amongst others because I did not think the mainstream world would listen. What I realized in the last year is that there are so many people around the world who are as ready for change as I am and that if I speak from the principles of honesty, authenticity, integrity, and love for my fellow humans, there is nothing to fear from speaking the truth on any stage, private or public.”
Inside her firm, Maria is an active member of KPMG’s Black Professional Network and an ally in the National Indigenous People’s Network. She is also a change management leader who seeks to help organizations prepare for a future of work that is ‘inclusive by design.’ “The digital business transformations that were being planned or were underway before the pandemic are necessary to modernize how work is carried out to enable workers to do their jobs more safely and enable the large-scale shift to hybrid and remote work. However, when we introduce automation and AI to enable changes, many of the workers most at risk are women and BIPOC staff. If our guiding principle is to ‘leave no one behind,’ then we must use data and analytics to assess the impact of emerging technologies on workers by race, age, gender, and location before we change anything – and then build a people-centric path to the future for all, especially considering the differential impact of COVID by race and gender,” stated Maria.
According to Maria, without the support of others, it would not be possible to make changes in one’s personal life or career, and that is why she is so invested in being a mentor and coach to others. While she has experienced many challenging periods throughout her life, she has always had people who advocated on her behalf and helped her, so passing it forward comes naturally. It is also why she tries to live by the adage (exact origins unknown), ‘We are not put on earth to see through people – we are put on earth to see one another through,’ Maria concluded: “One of the greatest privileges in my life is to have mentees share their hopes and aspirations related to the life they want with me. It is fulfilling beyond words to serve others by helping them articulate their own vision, plan the required steps to get there, and then cheer them on as they make moves toward achieving their dreams.”
Lavagnon Ika is a Full Professor of Project Management and founding director of the new Observatory on Large-Scale Projects at the Telfer School of Management, who makes a difference at the school and beyond when it comes to his research, teaching, and practice. His research interest focuses on the evolution of complex projects that have developed around the globe. He is also affiliated with the uOttawa School of International Development and Global Studies. Ika holds both a MSc and a PhD in project management from the Université du Québec.
Mastering Hurdles in Life
Last year, Professor Ika came across Bruce Feiler’s bestselling book Life is in the Transitions: Mastering Change at any Age: “It resonated with the story of my life as a Black faculty member of African descent in Canada.” Almost twenty-five years ago, just after the ice storm crisis, he arrived in Canada to pursue a master’s degree. That transition was not always easy as he faced a number of hurdles to prove his academic excellence. These obstacles did not deter him from pursuing his dreams. A few years later, Professor Ika found himself doing his PhD.
“As a project management scholar, I was well aware that project planners and managers end up underestimating the times, costs, and challenges of such big endeavours, only to sometimes ‘stumble into success’ as Albert Hirschman, the late economist and social scientist said,” shared Professor Ika. Ironically, his own PhD turned out to be a very complex project to manage; first, it was not easy to gain access to the data around World Bank funded project management. Finding researchers who were experts on international development projects proved to be another struggle to form his thesis committee. Financial challenges forced him to commute to the National Capital region for a part-time teaching position while having to attend classes in Montréal. However, his hard work and excellence were rewarded. Professor Ika was proud to receive two prestigious competitive doctoral scholarships. After stumbling on many difficulties that delayed the completion of his doctoral studies, he defended his thesis and won several academic awards. Before his long-awaited defense, he got a tenure-track position at the Université du Québec,then he later joined the University of Ottawa.
Valuing Inclusion in Academia
Professor Ika also overcame challenges of being different in the academic environment in Canada: “As a Black faculty member, I am well aware that we have a long way to go in terms of equity in Academia.” A 2017 study has recently shown that discrimination remains a complex phenomenon in higher education in Canada. Reflecting on many situations that were personally discouraging for him, Professor Ika says that we need to have these difficult conversations in a constructive manner: “The representation of BIPOC in the students, faculty and staff communities is a work in progress at Canadian universities.”
One positive example that he notes is called Dimensions; it is a government-led initiative that supports post-secondary institutions that are collectively seeking to drive cultural change and increase equity and diversity within the research ecosystem. Professor Ika believes that it is also important to implement these strategies into actions. “Equity Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) is a long-term transformation that requires changing behaviours and tackling bias and prejudice at all levels,” he says.
Mentoring Others and Conducting Impactful Research
Professor Ika champions equity and inclusion in his teaching, research, and leadership activities: “Some of the challenges I faced made me more understanding of the hardships that many students and colleagues go through.” In class, he works hard to integrate students into diverse teams so that they can learn to work with people from different backgrounds. Professor Ika has also mentored several BIPOC graduate students, including a very bright young man who was struggling to establish himself in the job market. Professor Ika helped the recent graduate to secure a very well-paid job, became a close friend, and still advises him today.
When asked what he would advise to junior colleagues who arrive from other cultures, Professor Ika focuses on the importance of persistence and mentorship. “Always tell yourself that you can make it, tap into your creativity to that end, and never stop fighting.” He has encountered many supportive colleagues who opened their doors and offered insights and advice. “Find a mentor to help you navigate the complexities and uncertainties of academic life,” he adds.
Professor Ika is also proud of having become a well-established researcher in the area of project management in Canada, Africa, and other global economies. Beyond his many recognized research contributions in the field, he is also an engaged scholar who is having an impact: “I was motivated to study projects in the global South because when I was younger, I always wondered about how these large international development projects had varying degrees of success,” he shares. He collaborates with several African universities to expand the knowledge of project management and to improve education programs offered to academics and practitioners. Ultimately, these investments can help address issues pertaining to project management capacity and infrastructure development.
Professor Ika is an academic leader whose research, teaching, and practice contribute to advancing our knowledge of project management are recognized across the world. As a result, he was recently invited by the Minister of Higher Education in Guinea to share his knowledge on project management. He also worked with the African Capacity Building Foundation, to evaluate and enhance capacity building standards. He is currently a World Bank Research Fellow, sharing research insights to help the organization strengthen its project management systems.
Professor Ika is not only excelling in his field and pushing the frontiers of impactful research, but he is also inspiring the next generation of academics to push all frontiers.
Abtin specializes in onboarding and engaging with clients for growth and expansion. He enjoys helping clients efficiently solve their problems while offering consultative services to enable cost and time savings with the use of data and analytics.
Abtin works on projects across various verticles, applying advanced data analytics, technologies, data intelligence, data mining, data modelling, algorithms, automation, and visualizing tools. He is passionate about building his clients’ trust in comprehensive data products and services, while emphasizing education and developing more sophisticated and scalable tools to tackle complex data problems within the industry.
The Journey of Ottawa’s Top Data Analyst
After obtaining his Bachelor of Honours studying E-Commerce in Malaysia, he completed his Masters in Systems Science Engineering in 2012, a joint program from the University of Ottawa’s Faculty of Engineering and the Telfer School of Management. During his Masters, he worked closely with his thesis supervisor, Telfer Professor Sandra Schillo. Abtin shared: “I always enjoy the numbers and relations between them. However, the journey started at the University of Ottawa when I was doing my Master's thesis under Professor Sandra Schillo’s supervision. We gather, collect and analyze the numbers to search for questions and solutions for real-world problems.” He also reflected that he gained the ability to look at questions from different angles: “I learned to look at the questions from different perspectives, think outside of the box, learn life lessons, and develop and hone my skills.”
Upon reflection of his journey up until his Ottawa Award achievement, Abtin noted: “I started working in a couple of startup organizations (I highly suggest it to everyone), which helped me build my professional network and slowly move up in my personal and professional life. I kept in contact with friends from university, classmates, professors, subject matter experts and anyone who taught me something new. Those were the people who nominate and support me, and I will be there for them when they need me.
Abtin continued to work with Professor Schillo when she brought him onto a research project she was working on in the area of biofuels. Professor Schilo shared her experience working with Abtin on the project: “the data we were looking for was hard to find. Abtin had to dig quite a bit to find the data we were looking for.” In 2017, Professor Schillo, Abtin and Professor Diane Isabelle from Carleton University’s business school would see their publication, “Linking advanced biofuels policies with stakeholder interests: A method building on Qualty Function Deployment”, shared in Elsevier’s Energy Policy. The paper discusses advanced biofuels and the impact it has on Canadian decision-makers in the renewable energy industry.
Professor Schillo was thrilled to see Abtin’s latest win: “I am very proud of Abtin’s accomplishment. He works incredibly hard, which is the reason why he would have received such an award. He is a team player who has always been passionate about continuous learning, and I have a lot of respect for him after working together over the years during his thesis, on our publication, and when he was a teaching assistant for one of my classes.”
In conclusion, Abtin shared his takeaways when it comes to career development: “No matter where you work, when you start and where you are in your life, the hard work, professionalism, and grinding will always show themselves when you least expect it.”
Congratulations to Abtin on his exciting achievement, and we wish him continued success in his career.
Abdul-Aziz Garuba Jr. is a strong business leader who leaves an indelible mark on those who interact with him. He graduated from the Telfer School of Management in 2008, where he obtained his BCom with two specializations in Accounting and Finance. He then went on to complete his MBA at Queen’s University in 2012 and earned his CPA designation in 2013. Aziz is currently the Director of Cost Transformation and Reporting Finance for RBC Capital Markets.
Standing out in the crowd
Aziz had been a very shy kid, but when he joined the Telfer School of Management, he quickly realized that he had to find ways to be heard and present if he was to succeed in a business career. Therefore, he emersed himself fully in the university experience. To challenge his comfort zone, Aziz signed up for the Telfer Entrepreneurs’ Club (TECDE), and became VP Finance and eventually President of the Telfer Student Council (CéTSC)
The added benefit of getting involved in these extra-curricular activities was that he was able to connect with people and enjoy his student experience. Upon reflection of his experiences as a Telfer student, Aziz shared: “I also felt that I needed to build something beyond grades to set myself apart; being involved gave me a lot of leadership exposure and other skill sets that you don’t necessarily learn in class.”
Making a difference for other students
His engagement outside of the class offered him opportunities to have an impact; Aziz also discovered that he wanted to leave a mark behind and uplift others. This became the guiding principle of his leadership journey. “The School gave me the foundation for my future, and all the things I was able to do there set the foundation for my character,” shared Aziz.
At the beginning, making a difference meant to take small but important steps to enhance the student experience within the student council and for clubs at Telfer. Aziz helped to spruce up and paint the outdated student council office, which was situated in the basement of the Vanier building at the time. Later, he was able to influence the university student association to direct more funding to Telfer student clubs to help improve student activities.
Aziz also realized that there were very few Black students on campus. He met Omar Hashem at Telfer at the time. Both young students were originally from Africa, and they both wished to encourage a diverse group of bright students to apply to Telfer. Upon his graduation in 2008, they established the Garuba-Hashem Admission Scholarship, a funding opportunity for students of African descent interested in pursuing a BCom at the University of Ottawa.
After moving to Toronto, Aziz continued to support fellow alumni. “I joined the Dean’s Advisory Board and signed up for many events organized by the Toronto Telfer Alumni Association because I wanted to help ensure that Bay Street companies considered recruiting Telfer graduates.”
A diversity and inclusion advocate on Bay Street
One of the engagement activities that mostly tapped into Aziz’s passion was his involvement with the Canadian Association of Urban Financial Professionals (CAUFP). He was the president of CAUFP for two years and, more recently, sat on its advisory board. He leveraged his Telfer education and helped the organization increase corporate sponsorship. Through some of his strategic and leadership insights, the organization added a lot of value to the community: “We elevated this non-for-profit organization and built on the importance of having a representation of Black professionals on Bay Street,” says Aziz.
Today, Aziz makes sure the voices and messages of Black professionals are being heard in Made to Lead, a podcast he produces and hosts. “I wanted to tell the stories of leaders of African descent from around the world who were under-the-radar and to highlight that these are some of the hidden gems that you may not even know,” he says. By connecting with each of these leaders on a personal level, he believes everyone can collaborate better, understand other life experiences, and appreciate diversity.
Aziz shared that these principles can also be applied to the workplace: “It is not that we need to recruit BIPOC people to fill this diversity situation, but it’s because they bring a whole different perspective that can help the bottom line.” Many Canadian corporations came to this sudden realization when the Black Lives Matter movement erupted in 2020, but Aziz agrees that a lot of progress is still needed.
Aziz’s suggestions to corporate organizations that seek to foster a more equitable and diverse workplace for Canadians: First, corporate leaders should acknowledge the gaps that still exist and recognize that a lot of great talent has been marginalized in the Black and Indigenous communities as a result of systemic issues. Second, he calls for more public transparency: “Companies should start collecting and reporting diversity and equity data instead of sharing information that suits their own needs.” Finally, he believes companies can collaborate with not-for-profit organizations that help bring in this diverse talent.
“Representation matters,” Aziz says, especially for our younger generations. “Young people may make a decision about the career choices just by the mere fact that they have seen someone that looks like them in that workspace,” he adds. Aziz continues to set an example through his passion for diversity in the corporate community and leads his inspiration podcast with conviction as he brings key stories of notable professionals to life.
Madison Shearer and LeShaun Bernett, both in their third-year of studies at the University of Ottawa, are two of the choreographers responsible for the success of this year’s amazing CASCO fundraising production. Despite the pandemic disrupting their usual annual gala plans, the team managed to raise an impressive $53,524 for CHEO (Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario), just $9,000 short of their last year’s donation.
A digital pivot for Telfer Nation’s biggest charity fundraiser
For the past 21 years, the Telfer student-run initiative, CASCO Charity Organization, has produced an annual gala show, putting the spotlight on the talents of students from various programs at the University of Ottawa. The much-anticipated soirée is an evening of song, dance and fashion, and succeeds in unifying students, business professionals and community members who share the common goal of providing support for the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO).
However, because of the restrictions brought on by the pandemic, the members of CASCO knew that hosting an in-person gala wasn’t going to be an option for the 2020 edition. They also knew that not doing anything at all for the children of CHEO was even less of an option, but trying to hold the 4-hour gala online was likely not going to capture the attention or produce the results they were after. So they went back to the drawing board, and with the creativity and dedication of their members, the organization completely re-invented the format of the 20 year-long tradition.
Meet Madison and LeShaun
Madison Shearer and LeShaun Bernett joined the CASCO Charity Organization three and two years ago, respectively, and have both played a vital role in the development and choreography of the this year’s adaptation of the CASCO Gala video series entitled “The Show Must Go On” that released a new performance each week between November 2nd and December 21st across all of their media platforms.
Madison, a third-year student at the University of Ottawa’s Faculty of Arts undertaking a joint Honours degree in Communication and Sociology, joined the Telfer Nation community when she became a member of the CASCO team in her very first year of studies at uOttawa. She enjoyed her first gala experience so much that in the following year she came back again, this time with her friend and dance teammate LeShaun Bernett, also a third-year student completing his Health Sciences Major with a Minor in Psychology at uOttawa.
While the pair had participated as dancers during the previous years’ galas, it is fair to say that their work as choreographers for the 2020 edition would come with unprecedented challenges. From video chat auditions to physical distancing rehearsal restrictions, there were a lot of trials and errors and just as many lessons learned. “At Gala, you would have the support of an entire technical team, but in our version, it was just us, so we were doing everything from the choreography, to the lighting and smoke machines, sometimes outside in freezing conditions, and many times over 6 consecutive hours”, explained Madison. Despite these challenges, the results were well worth it; Regardless of not being able to perform live and with the entire team together at the Gala like usual, the digital pivot made by CASCO was a monumental success resulting in thousands of views and some of the videos still being shared months after the event.
“While this will never replace the in-person magic and excitement that is a gala night”, said Madison who can’t wait to go back to an in-person event, “this allowed us to step out of our comfort zone and show that we can be innovative.” Echoing her comments about how special the in-person event is in comparison to the digital one, LeShaun also acknowledges the opportunities that a virtual-live hybrid model could mean for the future of CASCO. “For instance, the digital release of the videos gave us the opportunity to have a much broader audience, and for people back at home to be able to see what we actually do and why we do it - that felt very validating.”
Regardless of if the next edition of CASCO Gala will be a live one or not, we can be certain that it will be fuelled by the passion and dedication of amazing Telfer Nation members who just like Madison and LeShaun, will ensure the 22-year-old legacy keeps going strong. “This is the first time I felt that dancing was doing something for my community, doing something bigger than me”, shared Madison. “Dancing is a very competitive world”, added LeShaun, “but in CASCO, we get to showcase this talent in a different light where winning is not about winning a trophy, but making a difference instead.”
Congratulations to Telfer PhD graduate Vusal Babashov on the successful completion of his PhD in Management. He defended his thesis on practical problems in healthcare analytics just a few weeks ago.
First of many PhD graduates
The thesis defense was conducted on January 18th as Vusal presented a quick overview of his thesis followed by two rounds of questioning by the examiners. Satisfied with his answers, they unanimously agreed that he had successfully defended his thesis. He will be the first student to have officially completed his doctoral degree at the Telfer School of Management.
Vusal began his health systems research in 2016 when the Telfer PhD in Management was first created. Upon reflection of his time at Telfer, Vusal shared: “It has been an incredible four years of PhD that was challenging and somewhat stressful at times. It's a long, but unique experience you draw upon not only to become a domain expert in your area of research, but also to become a better person who is self-motivated and who develops problem-solving and leadership skills. There is certainly a lot to learn from this experience. I'm deeply grateful to everyone including my supervisors for the support and guidance along this journey. I'm glad that I've been able to reach the finish line in this marathon, and I wish the best of luck to other doctoral candidates.”
The Finish Line
Vusal worked closely with his supervisors, Dr. Jonathan Patrick, Telfer Full Professor and Vice-Dean of the Faculty, and Assistant Professor Dr. Antoine Sauré, throughout his thesis journey. Dr. Patrick, shared his thoughts about his collaboration with Vusal: “It was a source of great satisfaction to watch Vusal defend his thesis. The development of a thesis worthy of defense is a long, hard process. Every research endeavour has its roadblocks - promising avenues that go nowhere, puzzling components that take months to figure out - and I know that there were many times along the way where Vusal was tempted to call it quits. It is a testament to his character that he persevered and is now able to reap the benefits of that determination. So congratulations Vusal on becoming the first graduate of Telfer's PhD program!”
Dr. Sauré described his pride for Vusal’s accomplishment: “Vusal’s experience, dedication, and determination to master new concepts, and desire to make a positive difference with his work will make him an excellent professional in his chosen career path. I expect him to continue contributing to our field in many different and valuable ways.”
Vusal has until February 18th to complete the revisions he received at the thesis presentation, which will then be approved by his supervisors before official submission to the University of Ottawa’s Library.
Monday, January 18th from 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. (EST)
Vusal is the first of many PhD students that will be completing their doctoral studies starting this year at Telfer. We are extremely proud of all of our PhD candidates, and look forward to their continued success.
Stay tuned for more to come on this amazing milestone. Congratulations to all faculty, staff, and students who helped Vusal throughout his candidacy and made this journey possible.
Gaëlle Faye has been an integral staff member at the Telfer Career Centre since starting her role as Career Engagement Coordinator in early 2019. Her commitment to students shines through in her one-on-one discussion with students, her Instagram Live appearances on Telfer’s account, and in her many accomplishments both during her time as a student and as a staff member.
As a former Telfer student herself, she uses her personal experiences at Telfer to provide advice and share opportunities with current students, particularly those that come from marginalized groups like international students and francophones. As a francophone and woman of colour herself, she relates to several students with these elements in common, and she is passionate about making sure that they are not only aware of the many opportunities that are available at Telfer and at the University of Ottawa but that they also take advantage of them and get involved.
As a manager of the Connexions and Career Centre Ambassador programs at the Career Centre, Gaëlle has worked closely with several students, many of whom have chosen to come study in Canada from another country; these students are often facing challenges like looking for a job in a new country, learning how to network with prospective employers, finding an internship or other relevant job experience to add to their resumes. “I met with a student recently that was extremely nervous about networking and not sure where to start. I told her that I too was an international student once, and directed her to speak with one of our Relationship Managers and our Professional Development Coordinator who focuses on assisting international students to help point her in the right direction. You don’t have to be an ‘international student’ forever. You can gain experience to then become immersed in the Canadian job market and get involved in several opportunities at the school.”
During her time as a student, Gaëlle was highly involved, spending four years as part of the Telfer Finance Society, representing undergraduate students on the Telfer's School Council’s monthly meetings during her third year, a University of Ottawa Student Ambassador for three years, and a member of the University of Ottawa Model African Union for two years before becoming an advisor for the organization, and a member of President Fremont’s uOttawa’s Ad Hoc Committee for Equity & Diversity. She felt it was important for students of all backgrounds to be more involved in clubs, on organizing committees, and at school events. She took most of her classes in French, seeing as it is an important part of her identity, but also to provide her with an opportunity to passionately advocate for her fellow francophone classmates to get involved in activities on campus.
She is currently an advisor for the University of Ottawa International Model African Union. During her time as a delegate and Vice-Chair, she not only represented uOttawa on the world stage but she has also been active with uOttawa Student Life to ensure this program happens each year (in previous years it was not always available) as it promotes diversity on campus. She is also advocating for it to be opened up to more students at uOttawa, with the support of the University. Along with fellow advisors, she is collaborating with the University to include this opportunity as part of the newest African Studies minor at uOttawa.
In addition to all of these amazing accomplishments that have led her to become an exceptional role model for the students she interacts with at the Career Centre, one of her proudest accomplishments thus far was representing the University of Ottawa in Egypt at the World Youth Forum in December 2019. She was chosen by the Egyptian government, amongst 300,000 applicants. Gaëlle represented Canada, and her native country, Senegal, in this international forum of 7,000 people from 150 different countries. This opportunity, fully-funded by the Egyptian government, allowed her to travel to Egypt for two weeks where she networked with other attendees and attended sessions about the latest in world innovation, technology, development, and more.
Gaëlle continues to lead with passion, driven by her belief in Telfer’s mission for building a Better Canada. “Telfer really is a community where anyone who comes into it feels this sense of belonging. It is a smaller community within Canada that reflects Canadian culture of inclusiveness, and a place of equality that is open to everyone.”
By Dorra Jlouli, Ing, Agr, MBA
Part-Time Professor at the Telfer School of Management, uOttawa
Telfer School of management MBA’s students in the course Leadership & Management - MBA5636 – felt proud this semester about experiencing an interactive online simulation to acquire leadership skills preparing them to successfully lead change management process in their organisation!
« We are very proud to have been part of the first group in North America to complete Wallbreakers Leadership online simulation.! » said Vickie L. , Mireille N., Cherlande R and Charlotte K., candidates to MBA 2022, Telfer School of management. I warmly thank the University of Ottawa and Professor Dorra Jlouli for providing us with this rich experience as part of our MBA journey", added Mireille N.
Who had not faced challenges while managing one’s team resistance caused by a major process of organisation’s change ? Our recent context of COVID-19 is the best shared example.
Innovate in our way of teaching
The recent move to the online training in our Ottawa University was itself a significant change that had a major impact on the teaching methods we have been using. That said, this context was also a great opportunity forcing us to lead with innovative ways of teaching. The Funding Program for Pedagogical Innovation of Telfer School of Management supported our initiatives to innovate in our way of teaching. My certification for using and facilitating a workshop with Wallbreakers leadership simulation was supported by this innovation Fund. It’s an excellent example proving the efficiency of learning by action where the students enjoy the game while learning leadership skills.
"And honestly, I would r'ank this method at the top of the list for learning change management and leadership in general! ”, said Arlette G.
How does it work?
Prior to the two day simulation workshop, the students learnt the different theory related to leadership and change management that they need to practice during the simulation. We went especially through the Gauleman leadership styles, disc® 8 dimensions of leadership , Ungian-Inspired Personality Types, Rick Maurer approach to change management, Jand ohn Kotter’s Eight Accelerators.
During the workshop, the students are divided into 4 teams where every team represents the manager of one of the major four departments of the company who have to lead the change and overcome the resistance of their 10 employee who have recently heard about a fusion between their company and an unknown one. The buses, the game’s metaphor for the department, are presented with different colours (green, red, yellow and violet).
The students are competing and every team see simultaneously the way the other teams are managing their change process. What you see inside the buses are not pieces of Lego game, but the employee. The students have to move forward the buses from the first phase of the change process (The Start-up phase) to the last one (the anchoring one). They are challenged to keep as many employees as inside the bus during the hole process of change. That’s a continued challenge as the “virtual employee” resist all along the three phases of the change process.
The students have to manage both the gear they decide to use to move the buses forward (the speed of managing the change) and to take the suitable leadership action to manage their employee’s resistance. They immediately see the effect of their decision in terms of employee resistance as shown below.The only way to overcome their employee resistance is to choose the suitable leadership decision to bring their employee back to the bus “their department”.
“Through a practical case on managing a merger of two companies, I had fun using the Wallbreakers tool. This allowed our team to have real-time feedback from employees on our various decisions and to regularly adjust our actions in order to get everyone on board ” Said Pierre C.H.
The debriefing session following the simulation is as important, if not even more important than the simulation itself, as the students synthetize on their experience, share their lessons learned, realize and understand the consequences of their leadership decisions and comment on their own leadership style and how it affects the team dynamic. They make the connection between the theory and their active learning experience.
How does it benefit MBA students?
“The Wallbreakers simulation allowed us to exercise our different styles of leadership and to understand that the situational leadership was the one that best suited team mobilization and goal achievement. “ Said Charlotte K., candidate to MBA 2022.
For MBA Students, who have already an experience in management, the active learning methods such using simulations is suitable. Indeed, it offers them a similar environment of a real professional situation they might had experienced. This stimulates their learning capacity by helping them to make some connections with their own experience. They learn from their mistakes and capitalise on their success.
"The Wallbreakers experience allowed me to put the theoretical concepts I learned in the course into action immediately. We had the opportunity to have several important team discussions on change management and leadership that will be useful throughout my career path.", said Justin Thibault, candidate to MBA 2022.
“Wallbreaker simulation give us the opportunity to practice the concepts learned in class. We really experienced it as a real business situation, sometimes forgetting that it was just a simulation, so heated were the debates to reach a consensual decision within the group!”, said Arlette G.
To learn more about Wallbreakers simulation, the recording of one of the debriefing sessions following the simulation of the course MBA5636 is available here.
Telfer School of Management MBA alumni, Soumi Sarkar, Anjaney Agashe, and Arun Subramanian performed excellently at the 8th annual Schlesinger Global Family Enterprise Case Competition (SG-FECC), placing second on the podium in the Graduate Studies category. SG-FECC is a case competition hosted by the University of Vermont, in order to prepare participants for unique and troublesome issues related to Family Enterprise. Participants are expected to solve complex cases as well as present their solutions over the course of four rounds of competition. The competition was exceptionally held online this year.
According to the team’s coach and Telfer Full Professor of Family Business and Entrepreneurship, Peter Jaskiewicz, despite Telfer’s first time competing in the SG-FECC, they were held in very high regards by the organizers of the event, stating that “our team rocked although we lacked the experience of prior SG-FECC competitions and the track record of a long-standing family business curriculum at Telfer.”
Moreover, business owners and consultants who worked as judges at SG-FECC, highlighted on many occasions how well the Telfer former students performed, which Professor Jaskiewicz believes is a good indication that the MBA program is performing well.
“It has been very rewarding for me to coach them because they are smart, hard-working, and fun”, stated Jaskiewicz. “I enjoyed seeing them excel at analyzing complex family business problems and offering intriguing solutions to address these problems.”
“Moreover, they have shown a great team spirit from the time they took my class ‘Advising Family Business’ to their final presentation at the case competition: they always worked smoothly as a team, behaved very professionally, supported each other, and had lots of fun along the way. Well done & chapeau!”, added Professor Jaskiewicz.
See the full recording of the award ceremony here.
For more information on the Schlesinger Global Family Enterprise Case Competition click here.
Represented by 60 students from its BCom program, Telfer obtained outstanding results during the 33rd edition of Jeux Du Commerce (JDC), which took place earlier this month.
This multidisciplinary annual competition involving over a thousand students from 13 universities is the biggest inter-university competition of its kind in Eastern Canada.
The team excitedly competed online and shared their exciting results throughout the weekend across social media. Congratulations to each team for their remarkable work!
VIP Cards
VIP card holders are students who have distinguished themselves throughout the weekend:
Catherine Gingras
Alex Dalcourt
Ayaan Virani
Rosemary Ashlie
Charles Doray
Aman Sidhu
Marie-Madeleine Kabupu
Emily Chiazza
Emma Rankin
Competition results
Human Resources Management
First place: Emily Chiazza, Marie Madeleine Kabupu and Robyn Moke
Debate
First place: Ayaan Virani, Justin Abraham, Alex Dalcourt and Martina On
OPS (Operations Management)
Second place: Aadi Koundal, Vicky Laliberté and Emma Rankin
Entrepreneurship
Second place: Aman Sidhu, Kristelle Rivard and Daniela Diaz
Men’s formula 1 racing
Second place: Rajeev Chansingh and Abderrahmane El Bakkali
Marketing
Third place: Liz Tran, Charles Doray and Nicole Sauvé
Interactive
Third Place: Jean-Simon Lavoie-Albert, Clarissa Tremblay-Filion and Catherine Gingras
Accounting
Third place: Haya Alshaer, Ali Hassan and Rosemary Ashlie
The Telfer School of Management team also came in second place for the Academic Cup and first place for Best Improvement. Our Telfer Nation students have a lot to be proud of this year after representing their school with a presence on 10 podiums!
The Bachelor of Commerce fourth-year students completed their respective capstone courses this past Fall 2020 semester. As a team, students had to conduct and present a live case study on a specific issue related to a real company. This semester, finalists of each discipline presented their work virtually, using video conferences to present their work in front of a panel made of professionals and professors.
Michel Cloutier Marketing Competition
On December 8th , the Telfer School of Management hosted the Michel Cloutier Competition, a live case competition where fourth-year marketing students are required to present a marketing plan which aims to solve a real-life business issue for an existing company. This year's organization for the case was Rideau Canoe Club.
Congratulations to the winning team: Aleksandra Romanowski, Amanda Lanteigne, Laura Tran, Maria Sokolov, Marianne Couture-Benitez, and Reema Radia.
Finance Capstone
All Finance students must take the Equity Valuation course in which they will undertake a case analysis to estimate the value of a real-life company and elaborate an action plan to enhance the company’s economic performance. On December 9th, 5 teams had to virtually present their results regarding the valuation of Aritzia in front of a panel of judges from Fiera Capital and BMO Capital Markets, as well as a private investigator and former Professor Allan Riding, the founder of the course. The judges were extremely impressed by the quality of the students’ presentations: “The quality of the presentations was exceedingly impressive! I had a challenging time coming up with my rankings,” shared one of the judges.
Congratulations to the winning team of the Finance case competition: Justin Abraham, Julia Magahey, and Liam Woodside.
Accounting Capstone (French section)
On November 25th, the finalists of the French section of the Accounting capstone course presented their analysis of a company and report on accounting issues in front of a panel of professionals and their peers. This year the case was based on a fictitious company, and the competition was sponsored by CPA Ontario and Logan Katz.
Congratulations to the winning team of the French accounting section: Gabriel Baril-Lavoie, Guillaume Forget, Julien Lafleur, Mike Sirhan, and Kevin Wilson.
By Dorra Jlouli, Ing, Agr, MBA
Part-Time Professor at the Telfer School of Management, uOttawa
Innovation is not only about creating new products and services but especially when we innovate in our way of teaching our “Green mind” leaders!
I'm happy that my students enjoyed the World Climate Simulation we run in November; a great success! We are innovating at the Telfer School of Management at the University of Ottawa by using interactive tools to teach our students complex topics with simple simulations.
Climate change is a matter of all. It’s so efficient to explain a complex climate system within our current virtual e-learning environment by using innovative simulations such as En-Roads and World Climate simulations.
During my class of Leadership, Strategy and Sustainability, for the 4th year Business students, they got the memorable chance to have a roleplaying game where they play diplomats at a virtual urgent UN climate summit. After playing the World climate simulation a month ago (C-Road simulation) focusing on making strategies to define when and how much nations must reduce their emissions to reach the international climate goals (reducing the global warming to less than 2 degree Celsius), this week the students learnt how it’s possible to reach the target warming by playing En-Road simulation. They learnt how sectors of activity like energy supply, energy use, and land use affect climate change.
I believe in the power of learning by action. En-Roads simulation is an efficient interactive tool to engage my students by action to experience what do we mean when talking about the interconnectivity in the "Climate system".
Within a 3 hour workshop, the students had the opportunity to see what’s going on globally and how every action is important in contributing to reduce the climate change issues. Ultimately, this is to achieve the Paris United Nations Climate Change Conference's central goals.
The students were divided into six teams that represent different global stakeholders of the business, government, and civil society who can influence climate solutions: Clean Tech; Conventional Energy; Industry & Commerce; Land, Agriculture & Forestry; World Governments; and Climate Justice Hawks.
Their actions are analyzed in real-time with the En-Roads simulator to determine their effects on the climate.
Every team was asked to present their scenario from their Stakeholder-role’s perspective and give the arguments to the audience, where the Secretary-General of the UN takes notes and animate the debate.
While using interactive modes, like En-Roads simulation and world climate simulation, it’s easier to explain to “business students” who don’t have a scientific background in the climate system and environment, the environment’s issues of complex theory like climate system.
By acting, the students not only understood the correlation between the different factors of the climate system but also became climate ambassadors. This is with the conviction that it’s not too late to fix the issues of climate change as long as every stakeholder contributes to the global effort for reaching our common goal.
Big thanks to Climate interactive and MIT Sloan for their amazing job in creating such innovative tools.
As a fourth-year student in the Telfer BCom program, I remember vividly how each year at the University of Ottawa, more specifically at Telfer, was like for me. For most students coming into university, it is hard to picture what to expect in your first year, as university is much different than the scheduled routine of high school, regardless of which town, city, or country you graduated from.
Over the years, I realize I would have benefitted from key knowledge, advice and information in first year, where ambiguity, change, and confusion are typically high. Therefore, I have broken down three key tips in which first-year students may benefit from knowing in advance of starting their university career. I hope you may find them as useful as I would have found this information to be in my first year.
Tip #1: Be Prepared to Adjust your Study Strategy
Your first year is the most ambiguous, as it is usually different for most students. However, the majority of students can attest to feeling shocked, confused, and like they’re trying to relearn how to walk. Most of us have a clear idea of how to study thanks to our high school classes, however, the difference between university and high school is that you have a lot more content to study for your courses at a much faster rate.
Additionally, you will most likely notice that you may have to study differently for each course, or at least for each type of course, or even with various professors. For example, a course that is textbook heavy will require you to read your textbook on a weekly basis, and if you write your textbook notes using your laptop then you may also want to take your lecture notes using a laptop as well, so that you can easily merge your notes making it more efficient to study for exams. In comparison to your more practical courses such as Financial Accounting and Managerial Accounting, where you will most likely want to write your notes using pen and paper and instead of weekly textbook readings, you’re doing practice questions using paper as well. Therefore, expect to adjust your note-taking method and studying approach with each course you take. Keep in mind as well that your strategy may be completely different than your friends’, which is completely normal.
Ensure that you figure this out within the first week of new courses, if possible. The sooner you have a strategy for each of your courses, the easier studying for your midterms and finals will be. This may sound straightforward, but this is crucial as you can easily get overwhelmed during midterm season if you haven’t realized this early on; you may be cramming to organize your notes, when you should be studying the material instead. Bottom line: don’t skip “syllabus week”!
Tip #2: Be Aware of the Opportunities Around You
Aside from courses and studying, first year is all about exploring and learning more about yourself. You will be entering a brand new world, where opportunities are offered to you all the time, such as being a member or even a first-year representative for a Telfer club, volunteering with clubs outside of Telfer, getting a job on campus, or attending events and workshops hosted by Telfer’s Student Services such as the Peer Mentorship Office or the Telfer Career Centre.
Don’t be overwhelmed! Depending on the type of person you are, you may want to wait until another year to participate in extracurriculars, or you may want to join as many as you can the day you arrive. There is no wrong strategy, so long as you never limit yourself from exploring new opportunities for too long, whether it’s extracurriculars or simply attending campus events. You will learn rather quickly that Telfer has a lot of opportunities for you, and so in order to make the most out of your university experience by the time you graduate, attending events you’re interested in or engaging in extracurriculars will go a long way for your personal and professional growth.
Tip #3 Negative Stress is NOT Inevitable
It is no secret that university is stressful. Most of us will be taking four or five courses, each taking a lot of time and energy. It can be extremely difficult to maintain a balance between courses, extracurriculars, social life, house chores, cooking/meal prepping, fitness, commuting and everything else in between. It is important to realize that reaching that perfect balance is unrealistic, whether as a student, working adult, parent, etc. Therefore, instead of stressing about being imbalanced, dedicate more time to learning about a routine that works with your lifestyle and priorities. The more you are self-aware, the more likely you will be at a state close to balance (but remember, we will never be perfectly balanced and that is OK!).
Another important point to recognize is that although university is stressful, it doesn’t have to be taxing on your mental and physical health. University is infamous for accepting “stress culture”, where suffering is normal. You do not have to be suffering to be a good university student.
I like to categorize stress as negative stress and positive stress. Positive stress is inevitable, as university is a high-stress, fast-paced and heavy-loaded environment, and experiencing a stress where it pressures you to get work done efficiently, to be organized and make wise decisions about how you spend your time is GOOD. Negative stress, however, is taxing stress, where your mental and physical health are compromised. This type of stress happens when we don’t take corrective measures using our positive stress. Negative stress is NOT inevitable. You can go through university successfully without compromising your physical and mental health. You don’t have to take all-nighters, compromise your social life, or cram for exams to do well.
When we are in first year, we are still learning how to manage our time, to determine what routine works for us, and to become self-aware of our priorities and limits. Therefore, expect to experience stress, however, do not expect to suffer with negative stress. Be patient with yourself, invest in self-awareness, and make the most out of the positive stress you will experience.
When I was in first year, and even second year, I was constantly stressed, overwhelmed, and anxious, as I didn’t know what my study style was, what my priorities were, and how to manage my time. Those are expected reasons to feel overwhelmed when starting university for any student. However, I could have limited my negative stress by being realistic with myself, telling myself that I am still learning about who I am, what my priorities are, and what kind of student I am.
Other reasons that enhanced my stress was not knowing about the above three tips I broke down for you. I didn’t know until too late that I had to create a study strategy for each course within the first week of classes, I didn’t tell myself to not compare my methods and routine to my friends, and I definitely wasn’t aware about the difference between positive and negative stress. Therefore, I hope by reading through these tips that you are more mentally prepared and aware of what to expect and what to do for your first year in university.
Goodluck and don’t hesitate to reach out for additional tips, advice and support from myself, or from Telfer’s Student Services Centre!
As an international student, I have faced many challenges at uOttawa in my first year. When I first arrived in Canada, I was over the moon that my dream finally came true. However, the new life in Canada is totally different than what I imagined. It was much colder and more challenging than I thought. I lived in a new country, met new people from multicultural backgrounds, and dealt with a heavy school workload. However, being open-minded, developing strategic learning habits, and proactively seeking advice will help you overcome these challenges in your first year.
Challenge #1: Culture Shock
Culture shock is a feeling that most people experience within their first year in a new country. It is a common experience, and it also changes the way you behave in a new environment. There are some tips to overcome cultural shock:
Learn about Canadian culture before you arrive in Canada: I researched popular culture and learned how to adapt to Canadian culture. Canadians are very polite, and it’s important to remember your manners if you want to make a great first impression. Do make sure to say “thank you” and “please” in an appropriate and meaningful way, but do not overuse it.
Set realistic expectations: Accepting a culture shock is a part of adapting to a new country. Give yourself more time to experience and adjust to your new surroundings. Don’t push yourself too hard. Everything needs time, especially a new transition like this. Getting positive energy from other hobbies also helps you overcome your difficulties instead of mainly focusing on them.
Get involved in group activities, school events, and social festivals: community-based festivals grow over time to reflect the values, interests, and aspirations of residents. These activities will help grow your capacity to learn languages, familiarize yourself with cultures, and build new relationships. You can find some upcoming festivals from the Ottawa Festivals website.
Meet your international mentor: Telfer also supports us in adapting to a new environment. International students will have their own international mentor in their first year. Having a conversation with them and asking them questions will help guide you in improving your current experience. They are also international students like you, so they understand your problems and will have some helpful tips to improve them. Moreover, they are very friendly and willing to help, so don't be shy.
Challenge #2: New People
I have a lot of friends from high school and university back in my home country. However, I have fewer friends than before when studying in Canada. English and French are official languages in Canada. If language is a barrier when making friends, deal with it., and be proud of your accent because the accent is developed around our language, and Canadians are not experienced at speaking your native language. The University of Ottawa offers many language programs that can help enhance your communication. The English Intensive Program is available to help you build your confidence and acquire your new language skills.
Moreover, Conversations Workshops are also available to help you make new friends who have similar language problems and who make you feel more comfortable speaking English. I met so many friends from this workshop and ultimately improved my speaking skills. Most importantly, actively making friends and building relationships with your classmates will help you overcome your fear of speaking English. Your first year is the best time to make friends when most people haven't known each other for a while yet. Don't be shy at the beginning! If you lose this chance, it will be harder for you to find new friends when you go into your second or third year of studies.
Challenge #3: Heavy Workload
The third challenge is the heavy school workload that you take on when you are at university. I believe that many of you have faced so many assignments and deadlines when you were in high school. However, it's totally different when you get to university. University life is much more stressful than high school. Sometimes, you may feel tired and may want to give up. Here are some reasons why you are so stressed and how to overcome them:
Unfamiliar with a schedule: Most students find it more stressful when dealing with a ton of assignments and a hectic work schedule. Creating a detailed plan is the best way to manage your time and prioritize the most important things. You can't change your class hours or your working schedule, but you can work to make the most of your time. Setting aside a certain time for homework, assignments, and relaxation will help you create a routine that makes you feel less stressed.
Afraid to ask questions: This is probably the most common situation that international students face at uOttawa. They are scared to speak out about their problems and opinions. In my experience, language is a barrier for many non-native English speakers, and it prevents them from speaking their thoughts. People who have a lower level of English proficiency faced problems in class discussions, which naturally led to them being silent in the class. There are many different ways you could ask questions: meet your professor after class, send them an email about your questions, or even ask your classmates. Your language may not be proficient at the moment, but practice makes perfect.
Unhealthy lifestyle: Not drinking enough water, not getting enough exercise, skipping out on a good sleep schedule, and eating junk food are common lifestyle choices of students. International students find it harder to take care of themselves in their first year because they were more used to relying on their parents at home, leading to possible bad habits. Therefore, establishing a healthy routine, taking breaks, making time for habits, and working with friends is essential and useful for you to overcome stress and get enough positive energy to better cope with challenges. The University of Ottawa also offers wellness resources that will help you improve your mental health and wellness.
These are three challenges that international students at uOttawa face in their first year of studies. I hope you will find these tips to be useful for yourself and help you to manage any challenges you have in your first year at uOttawa. Once you overcome these challenges, your next semester will be more comfortable and more enjoyable. If you have any questions or problems, please feel free to contact me. I’m happy to help you with your first year! Thanks for reading!
Since the beginning of my undergraduate studies, I have been immersed in entrepreneurship activities at the University of Ottawa, and over the years, I have been excited to see startup culture growing on campus. After participating in Startup Garage’s 2018 summer cohort at the uOttawa Entrepreneurship Hub (eHub), I have been impressed by the number of innovative ideas produced on campus and have been further motivated to collaborate with uOttawa students and alumni.
The University of Ottawa’s eHub and Startup Garage programs have been a great tool that has helped me cultivate my entrepreneurial spirit and grow my previous and current startups. The Makerspace Lab and eHub in the STEM building offer a space where aspiring entrepreneurs can collaborate and network with fellow students on campus.
Throughout my undergraduate studies, I have been fortunate enough to have been given a wide array of startup opportunities including working at an artificial intelligence focused startup and launching an e-commerce platform.
My Most Recent Startup Experience
I am currently working on an education technology startup called The GlobalPass. The GlobalPass is a web application that allows students to discover and easily apply to universities all over the world. We assist students in finding schools that fit their needs, financial goals, and academic interests. Additionally, the GlobalPass matches students with hundreds of scholarship opportunities and provides marginalized students with access to funding options.
Coming to Canada (or any country for that matter) for school can be daunting, and The GlobalPass aims to make it easier by providing professional Visa support as well as discovering affordable student housing.
Overall, The GlobalPass connects students to international opportunities and gets them settled into the new country they are exploring with visa, community information, and mentorship.
The Opportunities on Campus
From my experience, I have found that entrepreneurs can greatly benefit from collaborating with peers in the startup community so if you are interested in starting a company, I strongly encourage you to explore and take advantage of all uOttawa resources during your degree. Telfer and the uOttawa eHub have plenty of mentors and founders willing to brainstorm ideas and help get you started.
If you are interested in The GlobalPass, education technology, or would like to see how your institution can benefit from working with our technology, feel free to reach out to me.
For many Canadian university students, the first fully-online fall semester is coming to an end, which means that it is time to write virtual exams. With exams right around the corner, I wanted to share my guide to writing online exams with my top five exam tips that have shaped my university exam career, which I think can also be valuable to you.
1. Eating Well
My number one tip is to eat well because it’s so important to be well-nourished come time for exam day. Personally, I like to start my day with a healthy breakfast that includes foods like oats and toast. Consuming oats provides you with lots of energy because your stomach takes more time to digest. Throughout the day I’m grabbing dried fruit bars or chopping up vegetables to keep me energized until supper. For supper, it’s important to have a complete meal along with a source of protein in order to stay fuelled while studying in the evening.
I’ve sourced plenty of delicious recipes this semester from The College Vegetarian Cookbook. For more recipes check out the Grateful Grazer blog!
2. Getting Enough Sleep
University students are notorious for being sleep deprived. More and more students nowadays suffer from poor sleep quality, and their success in school is oftentimes hindered because of it. In my opinion, university students should aim to sleep 8 hours per night, for at least 3 consecutive days, leading into a final exam; I call it “getting into the routine”. I have been successful in many courses because I had chosen to sleep over additional hours of studying. It has allowed me to feel better, be more focused, and be more productive every day leading into my final exams.
3. Taking Breaks
Especially now during the pandemic, taking breaks is so important because we all spend way too much time sitting down and glued to a screen. My breaks often consist of going for walks, playing video games, or listening to podcasts. Going for walks and listening to a podcast takes me away from the screens I spend so much time on. My eyes are able to rest and I can get out of the home office. I also enjoy playing video games because there are no rules, and an online experience is a great stress-free break activity. The duration of breaks should be considered prior to taking a break so that you can ensure that all of your studying gets done. I typically go for walks on bright sunny days and take plenty of photos, which you can find on my Instagram.
4. Having A Clean Workspace
For me, having an organized workspace means removing all dishes and drinkware by the end of the day. Dishes and glasses take up, what I like to call, “prime desk real-estate”. I can’t have that when I have lots of tasks to complete, plus, there is nothing better than starting your day with a clean workspace. For anyone other than me, having a clean workspace could mean making sure that all of your tools and your documents are organized. Not being able to find a tool or document can mean that you are not getting the most out of precious study time leading up to your exam.
5. Upgrading Your Office or Study Room
This semester my studies have been enhanced with the help of some office upgrades. Installing a secondary monitor was my first upgrade and has helped me to become more organized. I feel strongly about having an additional screen because it can truly enhance your efficiency when studying. It allows me to clearly display multiple documents and lectures at once. Another office upgrade that I have physically benefited from is my office chair. Seeing as I spend so much time sitting down and doing work on my computer, I thought that I should value my posture and purchase a comfortable office chair to get me through long hours of studying.
All-in-all, these are the five tips that I hope will bring you the most success for all of your exams this semester. Best of luck!
After writing several exams, I have developed three key methods for preparing my study notes for exams. Don’t you hate it when you have studied for hours upon hours, yet you still feel like you need more time to study? Let it be known that you’re not alone.
The first method we will discuss is a combination of taking your notes and making them into visual maps. Also, creating fill-in-the-blank sheets. The second method is the tools that can be used for taking your notes or modifying your notes for studying. The last method is using your notes to create flashcards through Quizlet and Anki.
Over the years of taking exams, I’ve come to realize that certain studying methods are good for certain types of exams. For example, when using the first method for studying I mentioned, you want to use this for multiple-choice exams or true-or-false exams. It helps to bring technology into your note-taking methods, as it could save you time and stress. There is nothing more annoying than having to sift through hundreds of papers with your notes on them. Even if you’re organized, having to go through each note on paper is very time-consuming. Now, let’s get into saving you time and stress with these three study tips!
1. Bring Your Notes to Life
While attending our lectures, many students might take their notes by writing down word-for-word what the professor is saying. This may not be the most effective method of note-taking. It may feel like you are being productive and like you’re going to do well on your exams, but the truth couldn’t be any further from this style of “studying”. First things first, start taking your notes from lectures and convert them into more visually-appealing pieces. For example, when you have to memorize or understand a diagram, you can make it easier by mapping out the diagram into smaller chunks. Each smaller chunk can be colour-coded to make certain information pop-out from the rest of the information. Along with bringing colour and design to your notes, you can create fill-in-the-blank (FIB) notes. As the Center for Teaching at Vanderbilt University shares, the repeated retrieval helps students to enhance long-term retention. The FIB method also helps you to get instant feedback from your wrong answers. In other words, when conducting your studying through this method, your memory of certain concepts becomes even stronger by getting feedback on what answers were wrong and what the correct answer is instead.
2. Make Technology Your Friend, Not Foe
Every student wants the latest laptop or tablet for their new classes. Some students swear by using paper and a pencil to take notes during their lectures. What if we could combine the best of both worlds? The first thing to do as a student is to buy yourself a device for taking notes. This can be a laptop or tablet. If you’re lucky, purchasing a tablet and laptop can be the best combination of tools for taking notes. Once you have at least one of the mentioned devices, start using OneNote or Notability. These two apps allow you to convert hand-written notes into text, organize all your notes by course, store all your notes in the cloud, and transfer notes between devices. The one benefit of using OneNote over Notability is having all your Word documents available for editing through OneNote. Building off the first point of bringing your notes to life, this is even easier to do when using a tablet. Long math equations are nothing to fear when your paper is endless on a tablet. Lastly, highlighting your notes with a colour, which makes polishing your notes fun and engaging. Remember, we’re trying to make your notes better while making it feel fun!
3. Flashcard Programs and Their Effectiveness
Flashcards have been used for years when it comes to public speaking, but how about as a tool for studying? There are two very useful flashcard programs that many students lack awareness of. The first program is called Quizlet. This program is free, and it allows you to create your own deck of flashcards or search for identical flashcard decks for your course. The set-up is simple, name your deck and start adding cards to start studying from. While you answer the flashcards, you can provide how well you knew a flashcard, which affects how frequently it shows up in your study deck. The advantage of using Quizlet is being able to create your deck on any device and being able to view the deck on any device.
The next program is called Anki. This program is free, but only for the computer version. Just like Quizlet, you can answer each flashcard with how well you knew the topic, and from there it will go back into the deck or a separate deck for studying later. The one disadvantage that Anki has is having to pay for the mobile version of Anki. There are many other flashcard programs for free that still share the same features as Anki, but with the ability to share decks across any device. The effectiveness of these programs is impactful for your grades. A recent study showed that students who used flashcards as their studying method ended up achieving much higher grades than the students who studied their notes.
By this point, you are either saying to yourself, “I love these tips!” or “I’m not going to try these.”, but let’s bring everything together. Start making your notes more visually appealing to you, not your professor. You are the one studying them, not your professor. Make sure the content you have in your notes makes sense to you, this way when you map your points you can connect the smaller ideas to the main idea. Don’t be afraid of technology, I promise it is here to make your life easier! The ability and luxury of having all your notes organized and in one place will make your exam preparation simple. Lastly, try different studying methods like the FIB method or using flashcard programs. Don’t leave your studying to the last minute, and make it a routine to keep your memory sharp and ready!
If I had a Telfer timemachine, here’s everything I would do differently and everything I would do the same in order to graduate from business school without regrets. If you’re reading this before entering your first year, you’re in a great position to make a plan. If you’ve partially completed your degree and don’t feel entirely fulfilled, I urge you to read on and explore some of the opportunities mentioned -- it’s never too late!
Regardlessof your program of study, making the most of your education goes beyond the classroom. It’s who you meet, whoyou talk to, and what you challenge yourself with. Now, it doesn’t need to be a point of stress; I have some strategies to help you enforce and enjoy balance throughout your business degree. Enough with the preamble, I’m going to show you how to graduate from business school without regrets.
Everything I Got Right
This isn’t a magic formula, but by taking good advice and seeking opportunities of my own, here’s what worked out well for me! First, let’s take a look at program-specific tips.
Use an Agenda or Planner
Simple and essential! If you’re doing this already, keep it up.
I was fortunate to receive one in my Telfer 101 week welcome kit, but if you didn’t get one, the UOSO sometimes offers complimentary agendas at the start of each new academic year.
Time management is the key to life. Write all your deadlines down. Section parts of your day around classes dedicated to studying and save time for yourself as well.
Smartphones and online calendars work great for many people, but if you’re prone to get carried away on your phone after a harmless notification check, I recommend entertaining the low-tech option of pencil and paper to minimize distractions and help with visualization.
I strongly recommend this QUO VADIS Textagenda - it has awesome features and it is reasonably priced at less than $20. This agenda is a perfect size, and you can recycle the paper once you are done with it, and reuse the cover. I picked mine up at the uOttawa Boutique Campus Store.
Join Clubs
You’ll hear the suggestion to join clubs no less than 416 times throughout your undergraduate career, so you might as well embrace it.
Joining clubs is often such a fulfilling experience. By joining the executive team, you organize and run events for your members, which looks great on your resume, but is also a ton of fun!
If you can’t handle the time commitment, then join clubs as a member for access to events for free or at a reduced rate for the premium ones.
Office hours are great for asking specific questions and getting one-on-one instruction from your professors, but aside from that, you should get to know them!
You could ask them about their passions and experiences. Some of the most impactful, meaningful conversations in my experience have taken place this way. Studying in an online environment doesn’t have to change this. I can safely say I’ve made some great connections over Zoom this past year! Professors can offer great career advice and potentially connect you with individuals from their network who can provide guidance in your particular area of interest if they cannot.
Case Competitions
Participating in extracurricular activities like case competitions, internally hosted through Telfer and externally through CABS, is one of the best things that you can do as a business student!
I joined JDCC in my third year and can say that with the right mentorship, your ability to work under pressure and deliver effective presentations will improve exponentially.
Aside from your own personal growth, there’s often the opportunity to win cash or other prizes, and if you still aren’t sold (you should be), employers love to see this involvement on a resume. It speaks to your ability to time-manage, collaborate, and overcome challenges. For more information, check out Three Reasons Why You Should Participate in a Telfer Case Competition.
Here's an example of how this will help you in job interviews:
Recruiter: Tell me about a time when you had to manage conflict.
You: JDCC.
Recruiter: Tell me about a time when you had to exhibit leadership.
You: JDCC
Recruiter: Wow! Okay, but aside from JDCC, tell me about a time…
You: (talk about how you seized every other opportunity I’ve described here that helped you learn/grow)
Attend Networking Events
The Telfer Career Centre organizes great opportunities to talk to recruiters from a multitude of companies. Sign in to Career Launch and look at the calendar of events, schedule time to attend, and research the companies you’re interested in before attending events that they will be at.
In this program, you can receive mentorship from an industry professional, benefit from career advice, ask questions, have your resume reviewed, tour their office, maybe even sit in on some meetings!
Keep your eye out for these special Administration (ADM) courses like ADM 4396, ADM 3396 or ADM 3313. These are unique opportunities that help you make the most of your ADM electives. I also highly recommend the Preparation for Business Case class (ADM 3994/4994).
Apply to be a Teaching Assistant
Apply, apply, apply! The University will email you in advance of the application window with the available teaching assistant and grader positions. Record this in your planner! If you’ve studied hard and earned exceptional grades, apply for all the positions you’re interested in. If you like to work with students directly, consider ADM 1300 (Introduction to Business) or ADM 2381 (Business Communication Skills).
Studying Outside of your Room
Sometimes taking a break from studying in your room, and changing up your location can help you get more schoolwork done. The uOttawa library has designated silent floors. Keep your phone on silent and out of sight, really get into the flow and be productive.
Intramurals
Physical activity is so beneficial! A great opportunity to socialize, make friends, and share some laughs is to sign up for intramural sports teams. This brings some structure into your week and ensures that you set time aside for yourself which can help you to refresh your focus. There are tons of intramural spots available on campus.
Work-Study Navigator
If you qualify for financial support and would like to work part-time during the semester, explore the Work-Study Program for jobs located on campus. Hours are usually very reasonable, allowing you to earn some money while managing your school workload.
Things I wish I could have done better
Apply to Specialized Telfer Practical Programs
If you enjoy the challenge of solving problems and presenting solutions through case competitions, a career in consulting may be for you. If I could go back, I would not have let this program pass by. The Profession of Management Consulting Program (PMCP) is a two-year development program for Telfer School of Management students who are interested in working on their consulting skills. You can participate in workshops and simulations facilitated by professionals in the industry.
I opted out in my second-year for personal reasons, planning to secure an internship on my own. I was offered one, but things fell through. It happens!
Co-op roles are more secure in that way (employers receive competitive incentives via education tax credits, so they benefit greatly from hiring students), and you’ll be guaranteed to graduate with some formal, work experience in your field. You may be skeptical about the fees or the workload involved, but it’s well worth it.
Some important tips:
Network with individuals from companies early on. If you get some facetime with recruiters after meeting them at a networking event, this will increase your chances of succeeding in your interview. Show interest and ask questions when you met the recruiter.
If you can, consider experimenting with both the public and private sector to figure out the work pace and environment that you most enjoy.
Meet People from Different Faculties and Programs
If case competitions appeal to you, monitor the engineering and science faculties. Explore the possibility of membership to their clubs, and attend their social events. Attend even if they’re online game nights, tournaments, and more! You can partner with other students within these specializations and bring your business understanding to create a highly functional team.
Loved the arts in high school? There’s a number of dance clubs practicing in UCU at any given time. Join an improv or theatre club!, or start your own club here!
Explore Ottawa
Grab a friend and take walks, prioritize some time for adventure and discovery in the city of Ottawa. If you don’t opt for the dining hall meal plan, consider supporting some local restaurants or cafés.
Soak up the full experience. Studies are important, but I encourage you to prioritize your time in a way that you are able to take personal excursions periodically. Make the most of the fall and spring, since winter treks can be difficult. Be sure to ice skate on the canal -- it’s a rite of passage.
I have never spent an entire summer living in Ottawa and I deeply regret it. I planned to spend summer 2020 exploring, but that didn’t quite go according to plan! Learn from my mistakes!
Apply for Scholarships
A large majority of scholarships offered through the uOttawa Online Scholarships and Bursaries portal have deadlines in early to mid-fall. Apply to as many as you’re eligible for, and keep a good record of the requirements for each. Keep copies of the applications you submit, and improve them.
Many scholarships require you to write an essay, but often it can be on a subject that matters to you! Pick something special and share the contents of your heart on paper. You can reuse this essay for multiple different opportunities, so submit them continually! Time spent on this early on will pay off if you stay diligent and continue to apply!
If you’re willing to commit hours to volunteer, I highly recommend this. No, actually, I BEG you to set time aside. Use the Community Engagement / Volunteering portal to find the best opportunities for you to get involved and build your co-curricular record. This will make you a phenomenally compelling candidate for scholarships, aside from the numerous standing benefits associated.
Become a Community Advisor or Student Mentor
If you’re a strong bilingual candidate and loved the convenience and atmosphere of residence life, considering becoming a Community Advisor or Student Mentor. A perk of employment is living in residence rent-free!
Summary of Key Takeaways
Ifyou’ve made it this far in the article, you’ve got what it takes to achieve great things.
Remember:
Relationships are huge! The current world environment in 2020 presents its challenges when it comes to building a connection, but your efforts are well worthwhile.
Challenge yourself! Stress can be harmful, but eustress is where growth comes from.
Enforce balance between your classes and your personal passions. Honour your commitments and do right by your group obligations, but make time for yourself.
Embrace diversity! Open your mind to new thoughts and activities. You’ll learn so much and make new friends.
One thing to know about me is that I am a big fan of case competitions. I have participated in over seven of them during my four years at Telfer, and I still think that's not enough.
I am especially biased towards the Jeux du Commerce (JDC) as that was the first competition in which I participated, and it is my favourite by far. I loved my experience so much that I decided to become one of the two coordinators for the 2021 edition, along with my good friend, Scott Dowell. Together, we have the goal of making sure that 2021 is Telfer's year!
For those of you who have not participated in a case competition, here's the elevator* pitch. You arrive at a hotel with 50 to 100 other students from Telfer, all wearing the same exclusive clothing to proudly represent your school. There's an opening ceremony, a celebration, and then you rest before the start of the competition the next day. There are three main disciplines in which you can compete:
Social: An opportunity for you to showcase your creativity and teamwork through various challenges;
Sports: Where you can compete in a sport chosen by the organizing committee;
Academics: Your team resolves a real-life case study presented by a sponsor.
Throughout the weekend, when you're not competing, you cheer on the other teams, network with sponsors, and make friends with students from the other participating schools. Finally, the weekend ends with a gala where the sponsors and organizers present the winners for each category.
Now that you have a good idea about what a case competition is like, why should you compete in one at Telfer? While there are countless reasons, I've summarized them into three:
1. To network:
Participating in a case competition is an opportunity to network like no other, and as business students, you should already be aware that networking is one of the most important things you can do at university. I truly believe that I would not have had the same success finding a job if it was not for the connections I made early on at Telfer, and many of those connections came from case competitions.
First, a delegation is like a family, and through your practices, social events, delegation meetings and the competition itself, you form a bond with the other students. These students can easily become your best friends and even a reference for a job opportunity.
Second, a lot of companies sponsor case competitions to network with students and recruit them for jobs. While you're there, whether you are part of the social, sports, or academic team, you have the chance to network with these recruiters and share your resume. If you're cracking an academic case, the sponsors will see you in action, and they may choose to invite you to a VIP cocktail event to get to know you better. There have been countless instances of students finding jobs at case competitions; you could be next!
2. To develop skills
When you participate in an academic case competition, you are often assigned a coach, and you conduct frequent practices to prepare with your team. These are great opportunities to improve your case-cracking skills, which are extremely important when trying to get a job in competitive fields such as consulting. Many firms such as Deloitte and Accenture have a case study as part of their interview process, so having weeks of practice with feedback from an experienced coach will provide you with an edge over your competition.
Other skills you will develop that are even more important, in my opinion, are presentation skills, time management, and teamwork. These three skills are crucial to have when applying for a job. This is yet another way that participating in a case competition can help you find your dream job.
3. To have fun
While the two reasons above are nice and crucial to be successful business students, I wouldn't have gone through 7 competitions if they weren't fun. Some of my best memories from my university career have been at these various case competitions. Whether it be watching the Telfer ultimate frisbee team win the bronze final at JDC 2019, leaving the presentation room with my teammates Josh and Nafim after having presented our solution at JDC 2020, or seeing my friend Bobby win the MVP award at HM 2019, these are all moments I'll cherish for a very long time.
However, my experiences at case competitions have not all been jolly. Unfortunately at JDC 2019, I dislocated my kneecap and tore my MCL within 30 minutes of the start of the first soccer game we played. That meant that my tournament was over, and that I had to spend the rest of the day at the hospital. I think that the fact that I still love case competitions that much after going through this proves how fun they are!
Overall, I have given you three good reasons why you should sign up for a case competition at Telfer. In my opinion, just the amazing “swag” items that you get should be enough to convince you, but if not, this article should do it.
I'm currently the VP Information Technology and Marketing on the organizing committee for JDC 2022 and, let me tell you, we're planning something big for everyone. After a very challenging year, we're going to light the fire within all the delegates, and you won't want to miss it!
From November 13th to 15th, our fourth-year BCom students participated in the Intopia Strategy Simulation, as part of their fourth-year Strategic Management class (ADM 4311). Students had to apply strategic management concepts in an online-simulated world, where they are required to make quick decisions in a determined period and negotiate with their peers in order to grow their business over the weekend.
This fall, the competition was held strictly in an online setting, which certainly came with some challenges. "My greatest challenge during the competition was having to do everything virtually. Instead of chatting face-to-face, you’re monitoring your inbox and trying to type back to people as quickly as possible. But, by the end of the weekend, you get into the groove of things, you feel more confident in your process, and it gets easier," shared Madison Woo, a member of the winning team.
A Final Challenge
The team was also challenged when the game administrator changed the market dynamics, forcing them to change, in just two days, a strategy that had taken 3 months to develop. "The challenge was to make all the correct changes proactively before it was too late. To accomplish this, we analyzed the strategic implications early on, determined how our models and strategies needed to pivot, and swiftly executed our action plan," said Howard Feng, another member of the winning team.
Congratulations to the overall winning team and Best Service Provider: Emily de Witte, Howard Feng, Nic Renaud, Rebecca Stiletto and Madison Woo.
Like many students, the graduating class of the Intensive MBA program at the Telfer School of Management are facing unprecedented challenges and opportunities as they make the re-entrance into the job market during a world pandemic. Being an alumnus of the Telfer EMBA program and an MBA Mentor, Brad Smith, Principal of 96 West Consulting, understands the transition that students are facing and therefore wanted to help the new MBA graduates and fellow alumni by creating and facilitating a post-MBA workshop.
As a career coach and mentor, Brad is a leader in guiding professionals through career transitions, self-reflection exercises, and the development of action plans. On October 6th, 2020, he brought his expertise back to Telfer through a virtual post-MBA workshop that was focused on two goals: recognizing and respecting transitions, and reflecting on career ambitions and the development of action plans to attain those goals.
During the workshop, Brad connected with participants by sharing his experience transitioning from the EMBA program. He emphasized the importance of maintaining an awareness and respect for the neutral zone between the end of the MBA program and the new beginnings to come. Participants are looking forward to following up with Brad in the coming weeks as they take the time to reflect on the workshop exercises and develop their personal action plans.
“The workshop with Brad was a great experience that helped to justify and normalize the emotions and feelings that I had been facing since finishing my MBA in August. Transitions are difficult at the best of times, let alone during a global pandemic, and Brad provided tools to help ease the transition from student to professional. I look forward to applying this knowledge for both my personal and professional growth.”, said a graduate who attended the workshop.
2020 has brought its challenges, but with the help of the Telfer Nation community, workshop participants are able to focus on their goals with increased agility and resilience, as they pioneer the new and ever-changing reality.
Brad Smith graduated from the Telfer EMBA program in 2004 and has been actively involved with Telfer as an alumnus of the school and as an MBA mentor. Following a successful career at Canada Post, Brad founded 96 West Consulting Inc. with the mission to share experiences to help businesses scale faster and leaders grow. His focus on professional development and career coaching have provided an invaluable experience to his mentees and to the recent Intensive MBA graduates.
As a university student, you can take advantage of many job opportunities around you. Students have a lot of plates to spin at once: obtaining an education, discovering their interests, making friends, and often, working part-time jobs. Working during school has the obvious benefit of providing students with income, but it also offers them the chance to learn valuable skills and build their CVs.
Are you interested in working during your studies? Why not consider the many amazing jobs available right on campus! They’re highly varied, so you’re bound to find something that suits your interests and may even complement your university program. These jobs are a good source of income and offer flexibility when it comes to students’ course and exam schedules.
They are also great for international students, who may have fewer options available for work off-campus.
My experience
I have held several on-campus positions during my studies. I have worked at the University of Ottawa’s Academic Writing Help Centre, helping students to improve their writing skills (a free service I really encourage all students to take advantage of). This job taught me a great deal about grammar and good writing structure, as well as how to find great resources and cite research correctly. I had the chance to tutor students from all kinds of backgrounds.
I have also worked as a teacher’s assistant, marker, and exam proctor for the Telfer School of Management. I learned a great deal from these positions. For example, as I helped lead discussion groups and explain material for an accounting course, I really improved my own understanding of the concepts and the course in general. I’m sure that these skills will help me in the future, as accounting is my chosen field.
I have also been an international coach for the Telfer Peer Mentoring Program, helping first-year students transition from high school to university. I have loved being a part of this program! The team is great, and the students we work with come from all around the world. It was also really nice to be able to help students and share my own university experiences.
Where to find these jobs
Work-Study Program: I found the Writing Advisor job through the Work-Study program, which has a portal in uoZone where all kinds of positions are listed, from library assistant to lab technician.
TA/Marker/Proctor Portal: These jobs are available in the online portal. The link is sent out by email to everyone shortly before the start of each semester (when applications open).
Telfer Career Centre Postings: The application for the Telfer Peer Mentoring Program is available on the Career Center website, along with many other applications.
When it comes to on-campus activities, people often think of volunteer activities or clubs and tend to overlook the many paid positions offered by the university. If you’d like to earn some money all while getting started in your career, I invite you to take advantage of the job opportunities all around you!
Looking for a fresh perspective on a new or special business project or simply interested in working with highly motivated and qualified MBA students? The Telfer School is seeking organizations to engage our MBA talent in hands-on business challenges.
Telfer's MBA students are equipped with an average of 6-7 years of full-time work experience. This ensures a quality base of theory and technical skills that our students can utilize for success in an internship. All of our MBA students are supervised by a faculty member, and they have access to cutting-edge data to resolve even the most complex of problems that your organization may encounter.
There is no doubt that the experience will be valuable for both your organization and our students. The MBA Internship Program provides businesses with the chance to find qualified individuals and evaluate potential fit within your workplace without going through the traditional lengthy hiring process.
The MBA Internship Program Experience
In previous years, our business partners who have hired MBA students on their team have been pleased with what they were able to gain.
“The MBA internship program helped successfully fulfill a niche project role in our Finance department. Ultimately, we hired our intern into a full-time role, which speaks volumes on the quality of the program and the students” - Paul Richards, Director of Business Development and Commercial at The Ottawa Hospital.
"Happy Goat Coffee Company is a big fan of Telfer's "MBA Consulting Project"! The project helps us to find answers to questions and solutions to problems that we usually don't have the time or staff - or both - to deal with. The high qualification of the participants and the quality of the results of the projects carried out so far is self-evident. Happy Goat Coffee Company can do nothing but highly recommend this project!" - Dr. Hans-Juergen Langenbahn, Head Roaster at Happy Goat Coffee Company.
"I would like to offer my entire support for the internship program offered by the Telfer School. It is a tremendous opportunity for students to obtain knowledge of a more practical nature that will assist in their job search. The organization itself also benefits, not only from a mentorship perspective, but also in acquiring additional expert advice and counsel." - Elizabeth Kingston, President of the Canadian International Council, National Capital Branch.
Here’s how you can benefit from our program:
What constitutes an acceptable internship?
A challenging project that provides meaningful results for you. For example, current internships include market development, process improvement, and strategy process review.
How many hours can interns work?
There are two delivery options: part-time or full-time internships. The part-time internship represents 15 to 20 hours per week for a period of 6 months, starting in January. The full-time internship consists of 40 hours per week of work from September to December. The exact number of hours depends on whether the internship is sponsored by Mitacs* or OCE** or if the internship is directly funded by the organization.
What will it cost my organization?
The average hourly salary paid to the MBA intern ranges from $20 to $25 per hour. The total salary paid depends on whether the internship is supported by Mitacs or OCE or if it is paid directly by your organization. It is possible to offer an unpaid internship opportunity, but offering a salary increases your chances of a student ultimately selecting your organization for their internship.
What do I have to provide to the intern?
A motivating and challenging project.
Organizational and technical orientation as required.
Time to discuss issues with the student, and to provide feedback on progress reports.
Find the Right Telfer MBA Intern For Your Organization
Contact the Telfer Academic Success and Student Experience Team:
Telfer MBA Internship Program
Phone: (613) 562-5884
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Visit the MBA Internship Program page on our website.
* Mitacs is a not-for-profit organization that provides matching funding to companies that hire full-time student interns.
** The Ontario Centres of Excellence Talent Edge program provides matching funding for companies who hire graduate students.
Curious, motivated, and creative, Joy Xu is a brilliant student in Telfer’s B.Com. program specializing in accounting. Passionate about mental health in the workplace, Joy is inspired by leaders and organizations that promote and prioritize the culture of employee well-being.
Understanding the crucial importance of community engagement, she decided to get involved with the School by engaging in the highly competitive Capital Markets Program. This led her to an investment banking internship with RBC Capital Markets during the Summer of 2020 as well as being the Portfolio Manager Leader for the program this year. Further, she has competed in several case competitions over the last couple of years including first place wins at the Jeux de Commerce Central Competition (for the Human Resources Management team) as well as the national Diversity and Inclusion competition hosted by the Telfer School.
Joy is also a member of the Telfer Accounting Club, of which she was the President during 2019-2020. Within this role, she led the team in organizing their annual September networking event with accounting companies, and created an initiative that focused on mental health within the accounting field.
According to Joy, the many extracurricular activities offered by the School have opened up countless opportunities and allowed her to become more involved while applying her knowledge acquired in the classroom. She states, “Overall, I had the chance to explore new interests, attend conferences from inspiring leaders, and develop my skills both professionally and personally. " While Joy will be graduating soon, she plans to stay active within the Telfer community.
Whether it's an experience with the student clubs, the quality of teaching, the personal and professional development, studying at the Telfer School of Management is a unique experience.
Students talk about it with pride and it is obvious that being a member of the Telfer Nation means first and foremost being part of an exceptional community within the University of Ottawa family.
Here are the 3 reasons that I think make Telfer such a special faculty:
1. Studying in English, French, or both languages
That's right! The University of Ottawa is considered the largest bilingual university in the world, which means that you can study in both French and English, or in one of these languages. Since I am an international student from a Francophone country, I felt that attending the Telfer School was the best way for me to improve my English, while studying in French. Indeed, in addition to being able to practice in the city of Ottawa, most courses are also offered in both languages, which is a considerable advantage in terms of bilingualism.
2. Personal and Professional Development
Beyond a university education, I believe that a university must be able to contribute to the personal and professional development of its students, and this was a criterion I considered when I was in high school exploring my options for university.
Moreover, thanks to the Telfer Career Centre, which organizes a multitude of events with employers and accommodates Telfer students in all aspects of professional development (CV, cover letter, interviewing, etc.), we feel well prepared to enter the workforce and make the most of our academic knowledge.
Last but not least, associations and student clubs are the elements that stand out to me regarding the identity of the Telfer School of Management. With more than ten student clubs, the students involved at Telfer organize several social activities, networking events, and case competitions each year, as well as participate in competitions and contribute to the influence of our faculty on a national level. Participating in student clubs is also a good way for students to meet other students with or without common interests and to build a network for the future.
3. Work-Study Program
Although not exclusive to the Telfer School of Management, the University of Ottawa's Work-Study Program (WSP) is, in my opinion, one of the best opportunities available to students. As students, it is often difficult to manage our studies and our personal life, but it becomes even more difficult when it comes to finding a job. As a result, it allows students to find paid administrative or non-administrative jobs on campus, that are only minutes away from their classes.
When you are in high school, it is difficult for everyone, and especially for international students, to find the university program that best suits you. Faced with the multitude of possibilities available to us, both in terms of the program and the choice of city and university, it is a stressful and difficult decision. I am from Côte d'Ivoire in West Africa, and I decided to come to Canada in 2017 for my university studies.
At that time - and I think a lot of students feel the same way - I had no idea what I wanted to do in the future, either for my future career or for my university studies. I was happy to have good grades, and did not fully realize that only a few years were separating me from university. By my senior year in high school, I started to feel the pressure to choose a university and a program of study, and it was not easy.
Finding my program
Initially, choosing which university I wanted to attend was fairly easy. My brother was already a student at the University of Ottawa, so it was the obvious choice for me as well. However, the biggest challenge was finding a program of study that was best for me. During my research, I realized that one of the things I liked to do in my spare time was to read and learn about companies and their founders, not for the activities and services they offered, but mostly for their history and what led to the success of those companies.
The only option that I felt came close to this interest was to study management. So I enrolled in the Telfer School of Management with a Specialization in Management with the idea of one day being my own boss. After one year at the school, I learned that there was a Complementary Option in Entrepreneurship offered at Telfer. It was a perfect option for me, especially since the course choices were related to my interests and allowed me to finish my bachelor's degree still within four years. So I completed my registration, and took this additional step on in my academic path towards the career I want to build.
Today, in my third-year, after starting my elective courses, I can say that my entrepreneurial ambition is confirmed day after day. The practical aspect of these courses was what I was missing in most of my theoretical courses. I had the opportunity, for example, to analyze a film about the life of an entrepreneur, to participate in a conference on entrepreneurship, and even to meet an entrepreneur with whom I discussed his career path in order to write a report.
From a passion to a career
All of these activities I am doing now, I either used to do already or always wanted to do. I believe what I am learning now will allow me to develop important skills such as teamwork, creativity, or initiative that will be very useful to me when I go into business.
For now, although I haven't discovered my business idea yet, I am determined to, and I know that one day I will reach my goals. We'll talk about it one day!
This year marks the 10th anniversary of the Executive Mentorship Program at the Telfer School, a program connecting our alumni and senior undergraduate students.
Third and fourth-year Bachelor of Commerce students have the opportunity to hear advice from industry executives and entrepreneurs in the program meetings, and gain a mentor during their studies. Students establish a relationship with a professional who provides informal guidance, networking opportunities, and shared ideas. It provides students a chance to learn on a one-on-one basis from a professional, who has also attended the Telfer School before launching their career.
For the mentors, the Executive Mentorship Program is a wonderful opportunity to meet students interested in their field of work, have a great conversation with the next generation of business professionals, and also learn about the exciting events and opportunities happening year-round at Telfer.
After applications came in this summer, 38 students are participating in the program during the 10th anniversary year. On October 1st, the 2020-2021 group gathered together online on Zoom, allowing each of them to see as many faces on the screen as possible during social distancing measures. One of the alumni mentors, Mark Farrell, shared what he is looking forward to this year after five years of participating in the program. He feels it is a “breath of fresh air” hearing from the newest generation of business students.
To learn more about the program and application deadlines for next year, reach out to Isabelle Décarie, the Student Experience Manager at the Telfer undergraduate office.
The Dean’s Philos Award recognized individuals who have demonstrated outstanding philanthropic achievement and social commitment. This award was established in 2004 on the Telfer School of Management’s 35th Anniversary.
We’re both grateful to have grown up in, been educated in and live in a bilingual and multicultural country that has a deep Indigenous heritage. Because of our good fortune, we’ve long believed we have an obligation to give back to our community. When Dan was a student at the Telfer School in the early 1980s, the concept of corporate social responsibility made a lifelong impression on him. Later on, the Jewish principle of tikkun olam, which in Hebrew means repairing the world, became a beacon to guide our life together.
The idea behind tikkun olam is to do something small every day to mend the damage you see around you. While we’re fortunate to be able to contribute financially to causes we value, we believe our society sometimes pays too much attention to big donations. A million-dollar gift may get the headlines, but Canadians should also be excited by the idea of a million working people parting with some of their hard-earned money to fund causes and charities important to them.
Here’s what we mean. The Royal Ottawa Centre for Mental Health gives out Inspiration Awards each year. One winner a few years ago was a woman who had been treated at the Royal and decided to give back. A new Canadian who worked as a cleaner, she managed to volunteer her time and contribute $500 a year to the organization. Her shining example shows us that the truest measure of giving is not size but giving in a manner that is most meaningful and appropriate to the giver at that stage in their life.
This way of looking at giving is especially relevant to Telfer School students and recent graduates. Yes, you’re just starting out on your business careers and, yes, the coronavirus pandemic is playing havoc with the economy; yet you still can give even though you don't have much, if any, extra money. At the same time, the pandemic has laid bare many breaks in our worlds—small and large, figurative and literal—that cry out for repair.
Start simply, and start now, by finding time in your day for acts of kindness. And if you have options about how to handle a difficult situation, choose the kindest one. Adopt this attitude as you enter and rise in the business world. Show your best personal qualities—fairness, generosity and empathy—in your workplaces. Use them to make your organization more inclusive, your company’s relationships with customers and partners more rewarding, and your business’s operations more sustainable and responsible socially. Tikkun olam.
This is a summary of the interview conducted on September 16th, 2020 with Dan Greenberg and Barbara Crook.
Since 2010, Project F.L.Y. (Future Leaders in Youth) has been run by Enactus uOttawa as a leadership program with the dedicated mission to empower youth. These university students strive to teach youth some of life’s most important skills through engaging workshops that will benefit them with the opportunity to grow personally and professionally.
Last week, Project F.L.Y. was mentioned in an article posted by The Star in Toronto, which highlighted the team’s ability to help students navigate through mental wellness: a topic that is becoming increasingly important especially with the COVID-19 restrictions put in place.
With the help of Jack.org, ambassadors of Project F.L.Y. have created a mental health curriculum across local schools, community groups, and rural communities in order to educate youth of all ages about mental wellness, while also increasing their ability to seek for help and support when needed. Content topics within the elementary curriculum includes positive self-talk, care activities, and mindfulness instruction.
Enactus uOttawa has grown tremendously over the past year, collaborating with 8 new partners, and attracting 500 attendees to their workshops.
Learn more about the various initiatives prepared under Project F.L.Y. shared in the Star.
The most dreaded term of the management school community. Everyone talks about it, all your professors bring it up in class, every event includes a portion of it. But really, what is networking?
What is Networking?
I disliked the idea of networking for the first two years of management school. I thought it was intimidating, ingenuine and simply not worth the social anxiety that came with it.
But what is it? Technically you know the answer. You are told that it is the act of meeting people like friends, professionals, and other adults because that is the best way to get job opportunities when you graduate, or something along those lines. The truth is, networking is so much more than that.
You think networking is more like this:
Realistically, however, it’s more like this:
Opportunities Are Everywhere
Networking is random, constant, and a part of our everyday life. Networking is simply making a connection with someone. Anyone. It is saying “Hi” to the person next to you in class. It is your group mates for your course projects. It is going to see your professor at their office hours. It is that simple. So, what’s the fuss?
I see it as a learning opportunity, whether through networking events, casual encounters or online conversation. I network with people that I want to learn something from: how they got their current job, what their career path was like, how they feel about the student association they are a part of, or what tools they use for getting so much done while being a full-time student. As you can see, there’s a lot to learn from people, and most people are always willing to help, share their experiences, and provide you with the opportunity to learn from them.
Just Be Yourself
The best part is, it doesn’t have to be intimidating or ingenuine. The key is having a genuine interest to connect with a particular person, and to be honest about why you want to connect with them. When you’re genuine, then your conversation with that person is honest, interesting and effortless. You will end your conversation with that person feeling like you just learned something new, made a connection, and better yet, you didn’t even realize you were networking the whole time.
Connections For Your Future
So, how do you network? I network by reaching out to people on LinkedIn who currently have my dream job, or work at a company I hope to work at one day, or are currently pursuing studies I am considering for myself in the future etc. I connect with that particular individual, but ensure that I am sending a note with my request, saying who I am, and why I want to connect with them. They almost always accept my connection, and are happy to meet with me over coffee or a simple call.
Therefore, networking isn’t as intimidating as it seems. Be yourself, go into conversations with people you don’t know by trying to learn something new, and the result is that you have expanded your network. It’s magic!
You never know what those connections will lead to. One day when you need a job, or want to participate in an activity or event, you can reach out to someone you already know from your network, and more often than not, they will be happy to help you reach your goals.
Everyone networks whether they know it or not. The difference, however, is that when people take every chance they can get to learn and connect with new people, they can then manifest opportunities that come their way.
Job interviews are often nerve-wracking, especially as a CO-OP student who is hoping to stand out. The interview question we often dread is: “Tell me about yourself?” During my last round of CO-OP interviews, I decided to ask employers what made students memorable, and the underlying theme was personality.
One employer stated, “grades are necessary to establish competence, but we are looking for a connection. That sometimes means sacrificing CGPA for personality and extracurricular involvement.” Easier said than done, right? I have often found myself trying to be the perfect candidate for the job, and forgetting that it is the other way around. Here’s a list of tips to help you loosen up, to be yourself:
1. Listen to the Question and Answer Without a Rehearsed Script
Let’s start off with how we answer questions. According to several employers, students often miss answering the actual question because they are too focused on reciting a script they memorized. Instead, listen attentively to exactly what the interviewer is asking (jot it down if you can). Take a moment to formulate a concrete answer with a relevant example. It is suggested to have a list of various professional stories in your pocket. Doing so will provide you with the flexibility to answer questions candidly.
2. Add Relevant Personal Anecdotes When You Can
Gathering your thoughts to prepare a response may trigger a related memory. For instance, you may mention that during your trip abroad to France, you forced yourself to only speak French with locals, even though it made you uncomfortable. Not only will it highlight your bilingualism, but it may also spark a conversation revealing potential common interests. However, don’t forget to redirect the conversation if you and your employer ramble on about France. Remember, use your time wisely to build a memorable connection with the employer.
3. Conduct Research About the Company
To demonstrate your passion for the job, research the company. Subtly demonstrate how your values match the company’s values, and how you can add to their vision or goals. Of course, if it doesn’t come up naturally, don’t force it! However, if the employer mentions company objectives that you’ve read about, jump in with: “Oh, when I was researching your departmental plans, I read a little bit about that project. Would you be able to tell me more?”. Small additions to the conversation show the employer that you are interested. It ultimately demonstrates your desire to be a part of the team!
Remember, interviewers are just people who are trying to find a candidate whose personality and ability will add to their team. Toss out the idea of trying to be what they are looking for, and instead be genuine. Either way, your true personality will surface; better that happens during the interview and not on the first day of the job.
Unsure of what you want out of your business degree, but know you have an interest in the field? Those are some shoes I think many people wear well through their undergraduate studies. That is exactly where I was in my first year. In my own experience, an early internship helped me better understand the world of business I was getting into and narrow down my own career path.
So, how did I get an internship out of my first year in university? In all honesty, I believe it was a perfect mix of initiative and luck. Here are the three main factors I believe allowed me to get an early internship:
1. Educating Myself
Before the start of my first semester, I knew that I wanted to make the most out of my experience at the Telfer School of Management. This could be fulfilled in a few different ways, whether through utilising school resources for entrepreneur-related ventures or in the search for new opportunities such as getting a well-paying job.
I had previously taken business courses in high school, but I further educated myself by reading books on business and human psychology. This knowledge gave me confidence for when I would start meeting people in university and in the business world.
2. Getting Involved
In my first semester, in my search for opportunities, I began to look at the Telfer student clubs. I met the Telfer Entrepreneurs’ Club (TECDE) President at the time, Ned Tighe, and VP Marketing, Aveen Habib, at a Telfer networking event, who introduced me to the club. I was later lucky enough to be chosen as their first-year representative as part of the club’s executive team.
Joining TECDE allowed me to gain a better understanding of the variety of events that are open to students at Telfer, as well as get closer to students with more experience than me. I believe that it also played an important role in establishing my credibility when later applying for jobs.
3. Networking
Throughout the school year, I networked. Actually, I got to know people. I enjoyed meeting new people at several events throughout the school year. These included school-hosted job fairs, Telfer Career Centre workshops, and club events such as downtown office tours.
It was at one of these office tours at an Ottawa-based technology company called Klipfolio that I met Robert Shapiro, their head of Human Resources. After the tour was over, I asked if we could meet for lunch sometime, and he agreed. I was thrilled that he let me take up a bit of his time to learn more about him and the company. He soon told me about an opening that had not yet been posted on their website. After preparing a data analytics-related project, I was granted an interview and soon achieved what I longed for: an internship position.
So, there's my take: if you make sure to educate yourself ahead of time, get involved with the university and take advantage of networking opportunities, you too could be on your way into an internship position. With these steps, you’re giving yourself an excellent shot and will get a head start on determining your desired career path.
Procrastination can be a fairly recurring problem in many aspects of our lives. Whether it is in our professional or academic environment, many of us are confronted with it. You may have already read articles or watched videos on how to resist procrastination, but unfortunately you are still at the same stage.
Procrastination is essentially the habit of putting important tasks off caused by a mental block. It holds you back from achieving emotional freedom, greater mental strength, better self-management and professional and/or academic success.
Here are 3 key tips I learned about procrastination during my university years:
1. Apologies are catalysts:
As Serita Jakes used to say, "apologies are tools of incompetence used to build bridges to nowhere and monuments of nothingness." Take a minute to digest this quote.
Apologies are statements that trigger nonchalance and complacency in effort in many of us. Ultimately, they have an effect on our willingness to work and achieve our goals.
As I like to repeat to myself, opening ourselves up to the possibility of putting off a task removes the sense of priority and leads to laziness and procrastination. Therefore, we need to develop self-control and discipline our brains to exclude excuses. From the outset, excuses are not an option.
2. Procrastination is a consequence:
When we think about the causes of our failures, our inability to manage our time well, our professional and academic status quo, we often link them to procrastination. In other words, procrastination is the reason why we fail to achieve our goals. Thus, by getting rid of this defect, we are on the right track to success.
We base our battle against procrastination on personal discipline without really looking for the causes. However, going deeper into this aspect from my experiences, we see that procrastination in itself is the consequence of our emotional state, of a combination of circumstances sometimes unpredictable that predisposes us to close ourselves to any kind of productivity. The first thing to do, therefore, is to identify the causes of our procrastination.
3. Mental health and procrastination:
Our mental, emotional and physical state has an impact on our daily activities. A desire to accomplish nothing may have a root other than the physical laziness we seek to overcome. Some situations may affect us in different ways, depending on the individual.
For example, procrastination could be the consequence of an existential malaise or a psychological malaise. In all cases, a diagnosis is not always easy to make. It can, therefore, be important to learn about mental health and seek help. Several resources are available on campus for this purpose:
In conclusion, I believe you can overcome procrastination if, from the outset, the causes are identified, catalysts or triggers are avoided, and available resources are used. It takes time and space to grow and develop healthy habits. So be patient with yourself and the process.
There is a lot to learn as a new Telfer student when it comes to program features and courses. If you are interested in learning more about setting up your course schedules, choosing your program option(s), studying in French and English, and international exchange, check out this discussion from fellow University of Ottawa students from an Instagram Live session.
Instagram Live Discussion
This spring, uOttawa Future hosted live Q&A sessions on Instagram Live with current students from each of the University of Ottawa’s undergraduate faculties.
Fourth-year Marketing student, Fiona Doomasia, chatted with uOttawa Future ambassador and third-year Social Sciences student, Narimane Ait Hamou, about student experience both inside and outside of the classroom. This included anything from how to set up your course schedule and making changes to your program, to student clubs and jobs on campus.
Here are some of the key topics they discussed:
Courses
1. Course Selection
Some questions were sent in asking about what courses to register for in first year, and how best to choose courses. Nari and Fiona shared their advice for finding the best schedule of courses to set up: essentially, whatever works best for you!
Fiona suggested writing down the courses and time slots available on the uoCampus class search tool in order to see what choices you have, and to then select the courses that best fit your schedule. Classes take place anytime from 8:30 a.m. to 10:00 p.m., and are usually 1.5 hours or 3 hours in duration. She added that if you are fine with a full-day of around six hours of classes and you are commuting to downtown Ottawa, you can schedule a number of classes in one day. This can help in arranging your schedule to have one day off or to create one shorter day with plenty of available time for homework, group projects, student club work, or other commitments.
Nari also recommended meeting with an academic advisor who can help you set up your course schedule, ensure you are following the course sequence you need to graduate, choose electives, and more. Our academic advisors are available at any point during your undergraduate degree, so if you need help beyond first year, you are still welcome to get in touch with them.
View your program course sequence for your entire undergraduate degree here, by clicking on your program option, then click “Course Sequence” under “Useful Information”.
2. Class Sizes
Fiona and Nari also discussed typical class sizes to expect in first-year courses and beyond. In first year, many of your classes can range from 150 to 400 students depending on the course. A course like Introduction to Microeconomics (ECO 1104) is required in several programs, and therefore, will be filled with students from a variety of different faculties, leading to a larger class size of up to around 400 students. You may also choose to take an elective course in the Faculty of Social Sciences for example, which would be closer to 250 students if it is at a first- or second-year level course (beginning with 1000 or 2000 in the course code).
A course like Introduction to Business Management (ADM 1300) would be closer to 150-200 students in a classroom as all first-year Telfer students are required to complete this course. As you proceed through the years, you will notice that class sizes will decrease to as small as 60-80 students, common in fourth-year. This is because those classes are more specific to your program specialization, such as Digital Marketing Technologies (ADM 4326).
Program Changes and Languages
1. Switching Program Options/Specializations
At the Telfer School, you choose which program option you would like from the options offered, but all Bachelor of Commerce students take the same courses in first and second year. This gives you time in your first couple of years to determine which area of business you are most interested in, and you can switch into a different Telfer program if need be.
Perhaps if you started out in Marketing, but realized your interest in Accounting, you can switch into Accounting before you start third-year, where courses become more specific. You can switch in third- or fourth-year, but you will likely require further schooling as not all classes will transfer over. You will need to complete all required courses identified in the new course sequence in order to obtain your desired degree. For questions about this, you can contact your academic advisor at Telfer’s Student Services Centre.
2. Studying in your language of choice
You can choose to study in your language(s) of choice: entirely in French, entirely in English, or a mix of French and English. You can enrol in the French Immersion program, which requires a certain number of courses to be taken in French.
International Exchange Program
Any Telfer student is eligible to go on an international exchange during their degree. If you are either in International Management with a mandatory exchange, or you are in another Telfer program, you can set a meeting with one of our academic advisors to discuss your options.
If you are planning on going on an exchange, they can help you determine which semester is best for you to go on exchange based on which classes you need to take while at the University of Ottawa, and which classes you can take abroad. If you are in co-op, they can also help you figure out how to ensure you meet all requirements for co-op and your courses.
It is with great sadness that the family of Professor William (Bill) Rentz announces his recent passing.
Esteemed professor and member of the Telfer family since July 1st, 1975, Bill has influenced 3 different generations of young minds mainly through Financial & Portfolio Management classes and acted as Coordinator for the Accounting and Finance section at the School. Over the years, he has welcomed and helped numerous finance faculty members as they joined Telfer, and he was considered a mentor to his students.
"Bill contributed so much to the University and especially to the Accounting and Finance section. He sat on the University’s pension committee for many years and we enjoyed the benefits of his expertise. He would always ask the tough questions at committee level or School Council. He had a wonderful sense of humour that will be sadly missed. When I arrived at Telfer, Bill was always there with a smile to give me advice whether I wanted it or not. His door was always open if you just wanted to shoot the breeze or discuss a more pressing topic. Office 7106 will seem very empty in the months to come. The Telfer community has lost a beloved colleague whose compassionate and endearing manner will be greatly missed."
- Professor Philip McIlkenny
"Bill was a respectful and supportive colleague, always ready to provide his time, input, and ideas. His research insights and teaching expertise provided many of us with novel ways to approach our own work. While Bill would not always agree with you, he would always listen, and end the conversation on a positive note. We will dearly miss his counsel and advice."
- Professor Samir Saadi
"Sharing the 7th-floor hallway with Bill encouraged many late-afternoon chats. His door was always open to seek his opinion, trade news on research and teaching, debate politics, and to learn about his vibrant love of family. Bill's students raved about his classes; the long lines outside his door were a testament to his rapport with them. Working with Bill on the School Council and the APUO offered us the opportunity to observe his enviable skill for saying little and much at the same time. Bill was a kind and dear colleague, who understood and fostered community and collegiality. We were blessed to have known him."
- Professor Cheryl S. McWatters
Bill will be missed by all of us. Given the current public health measures, his family has announced that there will be no public funeral. A private ceremony with close relatives will be held in his memory.
Any additional details about the condolences will be communicated in time.
This year is a new experience for everyone due to the “new normal” we have been adapting to over the last six months since the COVID-19 pandemic began. These changes have brought about many new learnings, challenges, and even opportunities.
After having to postpone their usual in-person event in March, The Legacy Conference team is committed to delivering another memorable conference experience this year, even if it means going virtual. As the largest student-run conference in Canada, this year is extra special for the team as they celebrate 10 years of The Legacy Conference in Ottawa. In 2010, a University of Ottawa student saw an opportunity to inspire the next generation of student leaders through entrepreneurship, and thus, the Legacy Conference was born.
The Legacy Conference is designed for the learners and doers of this world. Speakers have a laid-back attitude and provide a personal experience, often wearing casual attire like t-shirts & jeans. “Legacy is all about sharing those genuine, real-life moments of entrepreneurship. We are empowering the future generation of leaders at our workshops, mentorship sessions, career fairs and more,” as their website states.
Legacy Conference 2020
As always, the conference is open to all University of Ottawa students with an interest in leadership and entrepreneurship intended to “provide the next line of leaders with the necessary resources to help them cultivate new ideas, kickstart business endeavours or build onto current ones.” This year's Director, Sally Adam, and the rest of the Legacy team is excited to present their first-ever virtual edition of the event, as they have made it clear it will be the same phenomenal experience, but “now all in your sweatpants.”
Sally her motivations for joining, and leading, the Legacy Conference movement this year: “I found out about Legacy randomly and since then, I've been hooked on our mission. We're focused on sharing the powerful moments of passion, failure, and perseverance that often define entrepreneurship. University is sadly when students let fear drive life-altering decisions about the paths worth travelling. Legacy is changing that for a lot of young people, including myself."
Interested in joining the fun and learning from this line of leaders to cultivate new ideas, kickstart business endeavours or elevate existing ones? Grab your tickets to attend this year’s virtual Legacy Conference on Friday, October 2nd, 2020.
Pouya Safi (MBA 2013), Associate Director - uOttawa Professional Development Institute, 2020 Young Achiever's Award Recipient.
The Young Achiever's award was created to honour the individuals (under 40) who have been able to achieve greatness in their lives within an exceptional period of time.
I’m being recognized as a young achiever, and I’m grateful for the honour. Yet I must admit that all I’ve accomplished has come about as a result of the opportunities presented to me. The Telfer School has provided many such openings. I’m astounded by the confidence it has placed in me.
Shortly after I graduated from the Telfer MBA, a school official asked me to help enhance the experiential learning component of the Telfer BCom finance curriculum, so that graduates are better prepared to take on any role in the financial world. Then the school offered me the chance to become a lecturer and part-time professor. I leveraged that learning and experience to become the associate director at uOttawa’s Professional Development Institute.
The undergraduate courses I teach focus on ethics, sustainability and social responsibility. They are vital to finance and to innovation. Innovation is as much a product of equality of opportunity as it is a function of technological acumen and scientific excellence. I believe Canada can have excellence and equality of opportunity, building on our country’s multicultural foundation.
In fact, our country can become a leader in innovation by ensuring new Canadians have opportunities to integrate successfully; by ensuring all Canadians have opportunities to re-skill and up-skill through continuing education; and by ensuring young Canadians have opportunities to stay in Canada to pursue their professional and business goals.
The coronavirus pandemic is an opening of a different kind. We didn't ask for it and yet it’s forcing change upon us rapidly and profoundly, especially in how we work. Many outlets for improvement will soon present themselves. Canada must seize them to become fairer, more equal and more sustainable. I encourage Telfer School students to do their part.
As you do so, follow five lessons I’ve learned. First, chase happiness and not money. Happiness will bring out your best qualities, and the money will come. Second, don’t compare yourself to others; you’ll be more successful if you follow your own path. Third, when the world opens up again, broaden your perspective by travelling. Fourth, keep learning after your undergraduate education is done. And fifth, find a charitable cause you believe in that could profit from your knowledge. Your opportunity is out there. Grab it.
This is a summary of the interview conducted on August 28th, 2020 with Pouya Safi, Associate Director - uOttawa Professional Development Institute
Lloyd Koch (MHA 1973), Former CEO, Pembroke Regional Hospital, 2020 Trudeau Award Medal Recipient.
Established in honour of Reverend Father Roland Trudeau, OMI, former director of the University's Commerce department from 1950 to 1965, the Trudeau Medal is the highest honour given by the Telfer School of Management to its alumni. It was first awarded in 1989 to recognize leadership, initiative and contributions to the business world, the community and their alma mater.
Sharing our country’s resources more equitably among our own people and with those in
poorer countries is the path to a better Canada. Sharing at home is an attitude. It involves
being inclusive and tolerant. It's also an action—supporting peaceful responses to our
disagreements and bringing the contributions of all kinds of people together to solve
problems.
Sharing abroad presents limitless opportunities. Following my retirement from administering
hospitals in Thunder Bay, Hamilton, Wingham and Pembroke, my wife and I began leading
teams of Canadian volunteers to improve the infrastructure of hospitals in Tanzania. Over
the past 15 years, in cooperation with Canada Africa Community Health Alliance (an affiliate
of the University of Ottawa), we’ve supervised 16 missions made up of 120 Canadian
volunteers. They have put in 500 weeks of work to complete 25 hospital improvement
projects worth more than $300,000 in donated money.
I’ve found helping others brings personal and professional satisfaction. You feel good as a
Canadian to be able to do this kind of work. It makes for a better Canada, too. People
abroad see us as a peace-seeking country that brings a non-partisan attitude to solving
problems. Our nation’s unbiased outlook—focused on sharing our knowledge with the most
affected and vulnerable—is a rare commodity these days.
The need for this approach is greater now than perhaps ever before. The coronavirus
pandemic has revealed how close-knit the world has become and therefore how vulnerable
we all are and how reliant on each other we must be. As Canadians, we have built a
healthcare system designed to serve all people’s needs and enable them to live healthier lives.
We must continue to support and improve that system.
The Telfer MHA was a leader in elevating the profession of health management when I
graduated from the program in 1973. It remains so to this day. Some of the tools and
methods I’ve used in my 50-year healthcare career have changed over time, but the bedrock
principles have endured—data use and strategic planning, leadership and teamwork, caring
and sharing.
The Telfer School also connected me to classmates who I’ve called on for advice and
support. I urge today’s Telfer MHA students to keep their classmates close. As you become
healthcare leaders, you’ll recognize you can't do it all yourself—neither personally nor
organizationally. As a leader, you must put yourself at the centre of a sharing environment
within your organization, between your organization and others, and between the healthcare
system and the people it serves.
This is a summary of the interview conducted by Telfer School of Management on August 21st, 2020 with Lloyd Koch, Former CEO, Pembroke Regional Hospital, 2020 Trudeau Award Medal Recipient.
Caroline Xavier (BAdm 1990), Associate Deputy Minister Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada, 2020 Trudeau Award Medal Recipient.
Established in honour of Reverend Father Roland Trudeau, OMI, former director of the University's Commerce department from 1950 to 1965, the Trudeau Medal is the highest honour given by the Telfer School of Management to its alumni. It was first awarded in 1989 to recognize leadership, initiative and contributions to the business world, the community and their alma mater.
Canada is increasingly diverse. People come to our country from a wide range of places and with a variety of backgrounds, experiences and knowledge—wider and richer than ever before. That’s great to see and something we need to continue. Yet diversity is just half the equation.
We also must be a more inclusive country. A truly equitable Canada is a place in which our businesses, organizations and public institutions have an array of faces, and the people behind them are in positions at every level and play fundamental roles in decisions and actions.
A more inclusive public service is imperative. A public service that reflects the people it serves makes more informed policies, does a better job of delivering services and, because it’s smart and efficient, earns and keeps the trust of Canadians. Diversity and inclusion make for good business, period. Any workplace that’s diverse and inclusive is likely to be successful and resilient.
A more inclusive public service is also personal. I’m the child of Haitian immigrants and the first Black person—male or female—to reach the deputy-minister rank in the federal public service. I started as a student in an HR role over 30 years ago and just recently assumed the duties of Associate Deputy Minister at Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada. It’s an achievement I’m extremely proud of. Yet this milestone also raises the question: What took us so long?
We’re all asking similar questions these days. The coronavirus pandemic—which has affected so many, especially vulnerable populations disproportionately—and the urgent call for social justice are forcing a reckoning in Canada and in its public service. My colleagues and I are committed to make sure federal representation, policies, programs, services and organizations accurately reflect the changing makeup of our country and respond to its most pressing needs. It is my duty and privilege to ensure the door stays wide open for others who look like me to join.
The Telfer BCom taught me to look for opportunities in good times and especially in crisis. While on parental leave in 1995, I used my entrepreneurial knowledge and skills to co-found The Bagel Run, Inc.—the first Montreal-style, wood-burning oven bagel shop in Orleans, Ontario, which is still going strong 25 years later. Now, more than ever, it is important that all Telfer students apply their knowledge and skills in their communities. Assess the new reality. Spot opportunities. Then make a plan and take action to build a better Canada.
This is a summary of the interview conducted on August 14th, 2020 with Caroline Xavier, Associate Deputy Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Canada.
Dan Moorcroft (EMBA 1997), Co-Founder, President/ CEO QMR Consulting & Professional Staffing, 2020 Trudeau Award Medal Recipient.
Established in honour of Reverend Father Roland Trudeau, OMI, former director of the University's Commerce department from 1950 to 1965, the Trudeau Medal is the highest honour given by the Telfer School of Management to its alumni. It was first awarded in 1989 to recognize leadership, initiative and contributions to the business world, the community and their alma mater.
A better Canada is a more empathetic Canada. At my business, QMR Consulting and
Professional Staffing, we bring empathy to life to create an upbeat workplace for our team
and to nurture successful relationships with our clients. First, we hire for empathy. When
considering new people, we value candidates who show willingness to listen to and learn
from the views and experiences of others.
Then we practice it daily. Empathy in everyday action starts with slowing down and paying
attention to colleagues and customers to understand their problems, situations and
circumstances. I’ve found when you listen to comprehend rather than merely to react, you
show respect, caring and kindness—all of which are hallmarks of empathy.
We also encourage employees to savour the positive moments of their days. When they
achieve something meaningful for clients, colleagues or themselves, we urge them to pause
awhile and soak in the feeling. Don't feel the need to rush on to the next task. On the flip
side, show gratitude to others when they’ve accomplished something big or small.
Expressing emotions effectively is another empathetic skill we stress. In our workplace, we
take the tone down: No problem is so severe we can't correct it. We ask each other to be
accountable and learn from mistakes, yet it’s amazing how conversations and relationships in
any organization improve when you make it possible for employees to channel their
emotions constructively.
The coronavirus pandemic has reinforced my appreciation of empathy. It’s revealed our
shared obligation to listen to and learn from the most vulnerable among us if we are to build
a better normal in Canada and not merely return to the old one.
My relationship with the Telfer School has also given me a fuller understanding of this vital
quality. The school has not only enabled me to gain essential knowledge through the Telfer
MBA, but also enhanced my life through my tenures as CEO-in-Residence and Dean’s
Advisory Board chair, and especially as executive mentor to students. I encourage them to
reap the personal and professional returns that come from slowing down and listening
closely, from being grateful and making kindness a habit, from emphasizing empathy to
build a better Canada.
This is a summary of the interview conducted by Telfer School of Management on August 7th, 2020 with Dan Moorcroft, Co-Founder, President/ CEO QMR Consulting & Professional Staffing.
This year’s CEO of the Year breakfast was hosted as a webinar, with Dan Goldberg, CEO of Telesat, as the guest speaker. The panel consisted of Catherine Elliott, Paul Marshall, and Michael Curran.
Explaining Telesat’s current state since the pandemic, Dan Goldbers says that Telesat, being a communication service, has remained steady.
The company has taken a hit in terms of providing telecoms to airplanes and cruise ships, but since employees have been working from home, there has been a huge increase in Broadband demands. He discusses the ways the internet has been a massive disruptor in the satellite industry, but how that can also be seen as a growth opportunity.
Telesat is embracing a new multibillion-dollar technological innovation of launching a constellation of satellites which communicate other through lasers, providing more affordable broadband connectivity all over the globe.
The Telfer School of Management held a webinar discussing the Future of IT Strategy Telfer Webinar. Moderating the webinar is Assistant Professor Lysanne Lessard, along with guest speakers Elizabeth Rhodenizer, Chief Information Officer at the Public Service Commission of Canada, and Paul Vallée, Founder and Chief Executive Officer of Tehama.
Elizabeth discusses how the public and private sectors have responded to the pandemic within the Government of Canada. Her presentation focuses on accessibility, security, and privacy in the new age of technology. Paul discusses the resources needed in order to send employees to work from home.
He also explains the advantages and disadvantages of enterprises issuing out personal laptops in comparison to allowing employees to gain access to work information through their own devices. Both speakers answered questions about data analytics, how they overcame COVID issues, and the importance of de-soiling data.
Telfer Talks hosted a webinar on opportunities and changes in consumer behaviors with professor Steven Daze as the moderator. Speakers on this webinar include Telfer Alumni Anie Rouleau, Founder of the Unscented Company; Dipalli Bhatt, Director of Marketing at Incognito Software; Professor Michael Mulvey at the Telfer school of Management; Moktar Yusuf, Cofounder and CEO of Relmogeo; and Karla Briones, Founder of Karla Briones Consulting and Immigrant Entrepreneur Academy.
These speakers all have different and unique outlooks into the current changing consumer market. They discuss the pivots in each of their respective fields, as well as trends in consumerism as a whole. Questions are answered about business opportunities during a pandemic, privacy concerns in a virtual world, adaptability, and hiring new employees in this environment.
On June 3rd, the Telfer School of Management hosted a webinar titled MHA CEO in Residence with Matthew Anderson, President and CEO of Ontario Health. The webinar discussed the reconstruction of the Ontario Government’s healthcare system in terms of management and delivery.
This transformation will occur based on the Peoples Health Care Act, and the new delivery system will be centered around Ontario Health Teams. The transformation will also include several provincial agencies who merged into Ontario Health, which will conduct their plans and operations similarly. Matthew Anderson, leader of this transformation, discusses this transition and the next key deliverables to be in the early evolution of the organization.
On May 29th, the Telfer School of Management held a webinar discussing Compensation Strategy and Performance Management: Dramatic Changes and Implications in Response to COVID-19. The Speakers, Ian Cullwick, Partner at Mercer Canada and Telfer EMBA Faculty member, and Manon Laliberté, HR manager at the Ottawa Hospital discussed strategic context, board compensation, executive and workforce compensation, and workforce support.
They also gave insight to an applied perspective approach using communication, collaboration, as well as agility and flexibility as guiding principles. They tackled issues from a practitioner’s point of view, emphasizing the phrases social responsibility vs survival know your workforce, and beware of the ripple effect. The speakers also analyzed performance management trends up to vs post-February 2020. Finally, they gave advice on making performance management work, and finished the webinar by emphasizing that one size does not fit all.
It is time for another fall semester at the Telfer School, but this one will be like no other as we are going 100% virtual. We want to make this new semester as seamless and stress-free as possible for you, so we have put together a list of needed tools and key resources for distance learning.
Online School Essentials List
You will need all of the following in order to begin your online fall semester.
Computer and Operating System: Working personal computer with Windows 7 or a more recent version of software, or an Apple MacBook computer with MacOS 10.12 or a more recent version.
Memory Space: You will need at least 2GB of RAM (random access memory) available on your computer.
Internet Connection: You will need access to Wi-Fi with a signal strength of at least 2 Mbit/s, although 5 Mbit/s or more is recommended. You can test your connection strength by running an Internet Connectivity Test here.
Microphone and Camera: You will need a working microphone and camera on your computer in order to speak and be seen in teleconferencing and in online classes.
Microsoft Office Suite: The Office 365 software program is available to all students at the university as part of student fees. This includes Microsoft Word, PowerPoint, Excel, and Teams. Download information and access can be found here. You can find a full list of available software offered to students here.
Microsoft Teams (MS Teams) is a digital hub that brings conversations, content, and apps together in one place. Within MS Teams, students can quickly converse with professors and other students, share files, create a OneNote class notebook, view their assignments and grade amongst other possibilities. The service integrates with Office 365 office suite and features extensions that can integrate with non-Microsoft products
Adobe Connect: Adobe Connect allows invitees to easily attend meetings from their desktop without requiring a client download, and offers complete mobile-to-mobile collaboration capabilities. This may be used for some of your courses. There is even a mobile version that you can download to your phone or tablet. Learn more and access it through the university here.
Adobe Acrobat Reader: This software program allows you to open, view, comment, and print PDF documents, and it is offered by Adobe for free here.
Antivirus Software: Sophos Endpoint Protection is antivirus software that is recommended and offered for free by the university, which you can access here.
Access to uoZone: You can easily access the university’s student portal and more online tools through uOZone. You are able to view your personal information, financials, academic information, key dates and updates and more through this portal.
Access to Brightspace: Brightspace is your access to our Virtual Campus that you can access through uOZone. This portal provides access to each of your courses where professors can share updates, class notes, syllabi, and other important files.
If you have any questions or need technical assistance setting up these features, you can contact uOttawa IT support here or Telfer IT support here.
Additional Free Tools
In addition, here are a few useful tools that can help you increase your productivity, manage schoolwork, facilitate group projects, and organize class notes that we recommend.
Mural:Mural is an online visualization tool that can be used for brainstorming and collaborating within your group, prioritizing tasks, or visualizing a project. You can start with a blank canvas and drag and drop the icons and available visualization tools, or you can start working from one of their many templates.
Canva: Canva is an easy-to use design platform that can be used to create presentations, MS Teams backgrounds, mock advertisements, logos, and so much more. It’s easy drag-and-drop functionality, free photos and icons, and countless templates can save you time and inspire creativity.
Otter: Otter is an application that can be used individually or in teams to transcribe and save meeting notes, transcribe your class discussions into notes, and set up calendar reminders. It is also integratable with other platforms like Dropbox, Google, and Microsoft.
With all of these tools and resources, you will be on track for a productive and efficient remote learning experience.
Tired of visiting the same old study spots on campus? Looking for some cool, new scenery to put in some long study hours? Seeking a place to enjoy either a smooth espresso, fresh bagel, vegetarian buffet or even a homemade pie while you are at it? Your search ends now.
Listed below are the definitive nine best places to study in Ottawa, perfectly crafted to inspire even the least motivated student. Let us begin.
The Green Door
198 Main Street
The Green Door is a great place to eat quality vegetarian food while you buckle down and study. There is only one location in Ottawa, and it is right beside Sandy Hill, so it is easily accessible for most uOttawa students. Although it is primarily a pay-by-weight style buffet consisting of mostly gluten-free, vegan, and organic foods, it is also a very relaxed and spacious environment to study in. It does get quite loud and busy at peak times, so in order to avoid distraction, bring some headphones, and listen to some of your favourite study music to get locked in.
Les Moulins Lafayette is a relatively new bakery to the city, which came to Hintonburg in just 2018. Albeit it is one of the best bakeries/cafés I’ve been to in Ottawa. Not only do they play great music and offer an aesthetic environment to work in, but they have some of the highest quality coffee and pastries I have had. As a bakery first, they sell a much better variety of croissants, muffins, and cookies than a typical café and they also happen to be directly in front of a craft brewery and LCBO for when the studying is over.
912 Bank St, 1365 Woodroffe Ave, 6-197 Trainyards Dr
This bagel shop is extremely well-known as it has been in business in the same location, the Glebe, for the last 25 years. It is on this list not because it is a quiet and chill spot to study in but since it is open 24/7 and offers free coffee refills. It is for these two reasons that it is one of the best options for a hardcore, long-lasting study session. It has windows all around with natural sunlight and a choice of viewing the bagel creation process or the hustle and bustle of Bank Street. They also have friendly staff. The only downside is they do play their music at an exceptionally high level, so just be sure to bring some quality headphones in order to get locked in.
229 Armstrong St, 538 Rochester St, 219 Laurier Ave W. and others
Morning Owl is a locally-based coffee chain here in Ottawa. They have 7 locations across Ottawa, and they have delicious and unique drinks and bites, such as the white rabbit latte. I can always count on Morning Owl for a great study environment, with its chic and comfortable interior design. Another thing that makes Morning Owl interesting to study in is that they each have a different vibe that matches the area it is in, so make sure to visit the different locations across the city.
Instead of settling with the super-loud, non-stop influx of people at the Desmarais Starbucks or any of the other cafés on campus, treat yourself with some coffee and a homemade pie. Life of Pie is an adorable, family-run place that offers housemade pies (that are to die for) in many flavours as well as quiches, soups, and salads. I recommend studying here because although it is small, it is very cozy, the staff are friendly, and the fantastic smell of freshly made pies makes you want to stay there all day.
The Art House Café is a cool, art-filled coffeehouse that offers espresso drinks, light fare and pastries, plus outdoor seating. It will give you a sense of inspiration and culture while you are at your most stressed. Exam season really taking its toll? Relax and gaze at some local art. If you are feeling particularly burnt out (this is a common occurrence) Art House Café offers $5.00 pints all day every day. Their menu also has an enticing variety of hot coffee cocktails such as their spiked Chai, Amaretto Latte, and Bourbon Hot Chocolate.
377 Rideau St, 120 Metcalfe St, 1049 Bank St, and others
Need more absolute silence in order to study? The Ottawa Public Library is a no-funny-business place go. They offer free Wi-Fi and numerous locations across the city. If really focused thinking and comprehension is required, as opposed to copying down slides, this is a great choice because there will be absolutely nothing to distract you.
Equator Coffee
1 Elgin St.
Need a spot to work other than the traditional cramped café? Equator Coffee at The National Arts Centre is the place for you. The café has very friendly staff, a cozy, but bright atmosphere, and great drinks and treats. They close at 4:00 p.m., but the NAC has an enormous amount of space open to the public from 6:00 a.m. to midnight with free Wi-Fi! Located in one of the prettiest and most aesthetically pleasing locations in downtown Ottawa, you really feel like you are studying with a purpose. The café and the NAC have a large variety of seats so if you get uncomfortable, there are tons of options to help you stay on your study grind.
This place is one of my all-time favourites. Although it is well-known, the recommendation to study amongst the tantalizing smell of freshly made doughnuts has to be made. I find that Suzy Q's Doughnuts is warm, both in temperature and temperament from the staff, their food and drink selection is fantastic, and their self-serve water makes it a little less awkward if you plan to stay there for a long time. It is definitely a busy location, but it is comfortable and makes a great place to study if you can tolerate indistinct chatter or have some headphones.
The locations listed above are some of my most cherished study spots, and I hope you get the chance to experience one of them like I have. Now that you have a list of the nine best places to study in Ottawa, go check them out, soak them in, and finish your degree in style!
If you’re a Commerce student or a student at the University of Ottawa, at some point, you are likely to have heard about JDCC (Jeux du Commerce Central).
Some of your friends have probably mentioned how much fun they had at the sports games, competitions, or dance ceremony on their JDCC trip.
But, what is JDCC?
Jeux Du Commerce Central (JDCC) is a regional business case competition where students from business schools across Canada compete to win. JDCC is organized by the Canadian Association of Business Schools (CABS), a parent organization that works with the business student associations at each Canadian business school.
At these competitions, member schools of CABS select students at their prospective schools to coordinate a delegation. At JDCC, the Telfer School of Management competes alongside 11 other Ontarian schools including Lazaridis School of Business and Economis from Wilfrid Laurier University, Lang School of Business and Economis from the University of Guelph, Sprott School of Business from Carleton University, and more. Every year, one of these member schools hosts the competition, allowing competing students to visit campuses across Canada. Students can compete in either the academics, sports, or social categories.
How the Competiton Works
In the academic competitions, every school sends a team of three students to compete against others in specific business categories such as marketing, accounting, strategy, human resources, entrepreneurship, and more. To compete, the teams of three have three hours to conduct a case resolution, which they then present to a panel of judges. The presentation component is 20 minutes, and the question period is another 15 minutes.
When all teams have presented, the judges (usually acquired through sponsorship) decide which schools will place first, second, and third for each category. During the awards ceremony, CABS announces the winners for each category, and also gives out individual and full-delegation awards.
In the sports competitions, teams of eight compete in an assortment of sports such as basketball and spikeball. In these competitions, points are awarded to delegates for performance and for delegations whose non-sport delegates watch the game and cheer on their fellow teammates.
In the social competitions, teams of four participate in random challenges at different points in the day. These challenges include improvisation, dances, debates, surprise case resolutions, and more. In these challenges, points are awarded for enthusiasm, sportsmanship, and quality of makeshift costumes.
This competition takes place annually in January over four days. The last two locations were the University of Guelph (Guelph, Ontario), and Brock University (St. Catharines, Ontario). At the last competition, Telfer brought a team of 46 students, and won three podium awards: Human Resources, Debate, and Wildcard.
VIP cards are individual recognition awards that are awarded to the best presenters. The recipients of these cards are often selected by the judges, and those who possess a VIP card participate in an exclusive networking event.
Outside of competitions, schools also participate in other recreational activities such as social events and dances.
At the Telfer School of Management, the JDCC delegation is organized by the Telfer Competitions Committee (TCCT). TCCT recruits the students, facilitates practices and coaching, and orders merchandise for the team. TCCT also hosts the annual Telfer Internal Case Competition, which is a good opportunity to search for new Telfer JDCC academic members into our regional competitions.
If you are interested in developing your presentation skills, making new friends, and competing to win, JDCC is an opportunity you do not want to miss!
Read more about how Telfer performed at the last JDCC here.
The University of Ottawa is known for being the largest bilingual university in the world. Telfer’s French Immersion program will provide you with countless opportunities. My journey at Telfer in the French Immersion stream provided me with an experience like no other.
The first reason to study in the French Immersion program at Telfer is due to the various scholarships that are offered. Secondly, there are a variety of unique courses offered in the French Immersion stream. Lastly, studying in Telfer’s French Immersion program unlocks doors to future employment opportunities worldwide.
Scholarships and contests
Imagine getting paid to study! Not only do you get to expand your French knowledge through the French Immersion program, but you also can receive scholarships of $1,000 yearly. This scholarship is provided to all who fulfill the minimum requirements. Furthermore, the University of Ottawa hosts various contests to encourage high school students to participate, who have the chance to win a scholarship to study inFrench Immersion. In Grade 10, I had the opportunity to enter the French Immersion Video Clip competition “Comment le français a changé ma vie” hosted by the University of Ottawa. I was fortunate enough to rank second place in Canada and was awarded an $8,000 scholarship. This scholarship influenced my decision to enter the French Immersion Bachelor of Commerce/Juris Doctor program. I am very proud to be bilingual. Below is a flashback of my Grade 10 award-winning video clip!
Unique courses
Unique Courses
A second advantage of being in the French Immersion stream is the opportunity to take an additional course which compliments a mandatory ADM (business) course. Students who are registered in a mandatory ADM course may opt to take a corresponding French course to assist them in building strong French language skills. This additional French Immersion course provides 3 credits which count as an out-of-faculty elective. This is a great way for Telfer students to complete some elective courses while improving their French language skills.
Future career opportunities
The third benefit of studying in the French Immersion stream at Telfer is the various future career opportunities available to students. The National Capital Region provides an abundance of employment possibilities with the Government of Canada. Potential employers often seek students with French language skills. Students who are fluent in French are more marketable and have endless career options. Fluency in the French language also offers the possibility to work worldwide and build business connections around the globe.
Summary
Investing in the French Immersion Program at Telfer is a valuable asset which inspires endless possibilities for students. Pursuing studies in the French language presents students with various alternatives in today’s business world. Engaging in French language learning brings numerous advantages such as various bursary options, unique courses selection, and lastly, students will make themselves more attractive to potential employers. Now that you've learned the benefits of studying in the French Immersion stream, take the next step to better your career and join the French Immersion program at Telfer. Canada is a bilingual country, so why not pave your path to success by strengthening your French language education?
Whether you are planning for Intopia or looking for information on how to work better with a team online, this blog should be more than helpful. Originally, I was going to write a blog about how to survive Intopia Online. My team did a great job, and we finished in 1st place as a wholesalers team. In March 2020, Sam Sutherland wrote 7 Tips and Tricks to Winning the Intopia Business Simulation, so considering how recent and similar it would be to mine, I instead wrote about the online Intopia experience and how you can use that to your advantage.
Before we move on from the topic of how to do well within Intopia, I would like to add in four more tips that should be considered but are not covered within Sam’s blog;
When you have extra cash laying around, invest it within Home Office securities.
Know your inventory and how much you can sell. Do note that some numbers vary and seem to come from a distribution, so follow what you learned in your statistics class and take a sample size of more than 5 (our team ended with 30 samples every few periods).
Do not get a line of credit, it can break teams easily.
Green production really helps when you need to stand out amongst the other teams.
1. How to Prepare Your Team
Similar to a well-oiled machine, your team should also be able to work smoothly. Although, breaking that initial barrier and becoming comfortable with each other can be difficult, try to discreetly create a few icebreakers to make the meetings more organic, comfortable, and fun. Meetings happened at least once a week thanks to the group discussions during every class.
Talking to each other and asking questions such as how our week is going, or asking if something interesting has happened since seeing them last breaks down the professional barrier and allows everyone to feel relaxed. You have more than six weeks to get to know your team, and you’ll be spending countless hours under high-stress, and with little sleep, but also having a great time.
As you get to know everyone, you’ll start to understand their strengths, interests, and weaknesses. With this knowledge, you should be able to break people into groups; we had one person for Management (inventory included), one person for Marketing, and three people for Finance and Accounting. To be honest, our team was built around this distribution of work. We then loosely set up seconds-in-command and thirds-in-command for Marketing and Management. "Loosely" as in they should know how things work and are able to answer questions when the expert is busy or away. This splits up the amount of work when one section has a higher demand and even more importantly allows everyone to know what the other sections are able to do and are doing. It is forced communication, but in a smooth, organized way and less stressful way.
2. How to Work as a Team Online
Within the trials, we practiced as many key elements from Intopia that we could. The trials are where your team learns how to work together like the gears within a machine, for online Intopia simulation. Soon your team members will find where another cog might be needed and do their best to fill in there. As more questions are answered, your team becomes more comfortable, the cogs turn smoothly, and you’ll find yourself similar to a well-oiled machine with little bits of sand that the oil will eventually get rid of.
As for the other things that we worked on, we constantly changed and updated the Excel sheets to work more efficiently so that each team member could read what was needed, highlight expected demand, easily find needed information and more.
We made sure that each of us were familiar with more than one “job”, or needed role in the simulation. We tried out different theories, some that worked better than others. When we worked together, it was always on mini-teams so that we can find what is need, and we can freely communicate as if we were in-person. In other words, we video called each other as much as possible, to the extent of more than 28 hours between all 9 periods of the Online Intopia Simulation.
Anytime you are doing something for such a long time, it is possible that the team is bound to make some mistakes. If you can, fix them as soon as possible, and next, tell your team. In video calls, you can tell your team while you find and fix the mistake, and if you can’t fix it, share this with your team. They can sometimes adjust for the mistake or find ways to soften the negative effects on the team as a whole.
Lastly, mistakes are made, and miscommunication can occur. For instance, believing that you built two more sales offices for the last period at the end of the game, ordering for that amount, and finding out that this is not the case, and now your team has an excess of $300,000 of each product, the team can find out where the extra product will likely be sold above the expected amount within minutes of the deadline, of course securing your team first place.
In addition, you are likely to end a call tired and knowing that in 6-8 hours you’re going to have to wake up and continue with the work and video call, but morale is key. Try your best to get along with your team, because if your team is discouraged or feeling down, they are also likely stressed. We always tried to break up the work with downtime, laughs, and jokes. This can also allow the mind to unravel and ease tensions.
When the going gets tough, call your professor. Our professor worked wonders by giving us confidence with our own plan and easing tensions. Lastly, have all your meals planned in advance so you can eat quickly, if needed.
3. How to Build Relationships and Secure Better Deals with Other Teams
One of the biggest qualities that our team was very proud of ourselves for was for being ethical and fair to the other teams. This goes a long way in such a short simulation. Phone calls and video calls work wonders as well; you are able to secure a deal with another team much faster, and, at least for us, make more favourable deals than the ones we text or email to the other teams. Calls can also add a sense of urgency to the deal, as they are under more pressure to respond. Silence is good sometimes to help add pressure to the other team, so you can use that to your advantage as well. If you can keep up, use it. In addition, teams with a bigger network are more likely to perform better.
I hope that this blog helps your team work well together for the Online Intopia simulation. Even if you don’t have the Intopia simulation just yet, hopefully it was helpful in provide ideas for maintaining your teams’ relationship. If you have any further questions, feel free to contact me on LinkedIn.
Here are some additional resources for working online:
Is the Telfer CO-OP program for you? If so, what company should you work for? What type of job should you get? What should you do to make the most out of your work experience?
Although there is no right or wrong answer to any of these questions, what you choose to answer could have a big impact on your future. As a result, making decisions related to your work experience in business studies can be very overwhelming and stressful.
As a marketing student entering my third CO-OP term, I have had to answer all of these questions three times. Each time, being unsure what to do, I sought out help from friends, the CO-OP office, my parents, and others who have taken or are currently in the CO-OP program. With the help of these experiences and advice from others, I have been able to put together a list of six do’s and don’ts that have helped me, and can also help you make the right decisions when it comes to the Telfer CO-OP program.
1. Do apply to the CO-OP program
Getting meaningful work experience while completing your business studies is not always easy, especially when you consider that most students have very few things that they can put on their resume. Considering the uOttawa CO-OP program’s 97% placement rate in 2018, taking part in the program provides you with a very good chance of finding a placement in your field. A placement would not only help you pay the bills, but also help to set you apart in the competitive world of business. Are you still not convinced the CO-OP program at Telfer is for you? Check out this blog outlining even more reasons why Telfer students should apply to the CO-OP program.
2. Don’t be afraid to try something new
When it comes to trying new things and figuring out what you want to do in the future, there is no better time to do so then while you’re in CO-OP. With most CO-OP schedules in Telfer consisting of four work terms that last 4 months each, you have the luxury to experiment without having to make the same commitments that you would with typical jobs outside of CO-OP. The worst that can happen is that you realize a certain placement is not for you. In this case, you can move on quickly as the work term is short, and you still have 3 more terms left to find the right fit for you. On the other hand, while trying new things, you could discover an amazing job that previously you may not have considered. To add to this, from my experience, I have never met anyone who has not benefitted from any of their work terms. Therefore, if you want to try something new in CO-OP, just do it!
3. Do take advantage of the Telfer Career Centre and CO-OP services
Both the Career Centre at Telfer and the CO-OP office provide several services and workshops that help to give you an edge when applying to placements. They offer help for resume building, interview skills training, tips for how to dress to impress, career advice, and much more. Even if you think your resume or skills are pretty good, it never hurts to get a second opinion. I personally have used their services to refine my resume and for help on picking a placement. Taking advantage of these services could mean the difference between getting your first placement choice instead of your second.
4. Don’t apply to everything
Applying to everything could either mean you likely end up with way too many interviews or you get placed in a position you aren’t too interested in. As a result, you could miss out on a second-round placement that you potentially may have preferred. I get it, not knowing whether you will get a placement is stressful and striking a balance between applying to too many places versus too little can be very difficult, especially the first time around. However, before applying to everything, take a deep breath and consider the following: the CO-OP office has a 97% placement rating (the odds are in your favour); so if you don’t get placed in the first round there is always a second-round, and the CO-OP office is there to help you through the process.
5. Do consider multiple opinions
When you are making decisions and trying to answer the questions listed at the beginning of this blog, it is important to consider multiple points-of-view, and take everything with a grain of salt. At the end of the day, there are people that swear working in the government is the best while others swear by working in start-ups or large companies. There are multiple opinions out there, but there is no solution that fits all. When making decisions, keep other opinions and experiences in mind, compare them to your own career goals and don’t be afraid to test an idea out.
6. Don’t forget to make the most out of your work experience
Whether you end up with a great CO-OP experience or you’re unlucky and pick something that wasn’t exactly what you were looking for, you should always try to make the best out of your situation. Take advantage of every opportunity presented, and if you don’t feel the opportunities are there, create your own. The CO-OP office helps you find a placement, but it is up to you to learn new skills, take on new challenges, and make your mark.
All in all, when it comes to decisions related to your work experience in business, it can get stressful. However, if you take your time and take advantage of the resources, opportunities, and advice available to you, your Telfer CO-OP experience will go well!
In our last year of high school, at just 17 or 18 years old, we have big decisions to make that could definitely change our lives. It's hard to weigh all of our options and really trust that we will make the best decisions for our future. For myself, there were many reasons why I could have chosen to study elsewhere. Ultimately, there were even more reasons that drew me to study business law in Canada at the University of Ottawa. To simplify your own research on universities, here are the 7 reasons why I chose business law at uOttawa.
1. Has anyone heard of Telfer?
The Telfer School of Management is one of the best business schools in Canada, and provides a great atmosphere for the students' transition from high school to university. Telfer has a variety of clubs specific for its students that allow you to really get invested in the specific types of business you are interested in. I got involved with the Telfer Law Society, which hosts activities and conferences with lawyers to get a sense of the business world and open students to networking opportunities. Also, Telfer 101 Week is a great way to make new friendships that will last you throughout university, and the group work assigned in class allows you to socialize as well as really broaden your horizons. This was perfect for a student like me coming from out of town!
2. Finding a Unique Program
There are very few schools that offer this program, not only in Canada, but in the entire world. Once you graduate, you will receive a Bachelor of Commerce at the Telfer School of Management AND a Juris Doctor at the Faculty of Law at the University of Ottawa. After completing your first two years of commerce at Telfer while maintaining your grades, you will then law school in third year. If you realize that you prefer the business portion after your first two years, then you can simply opt-out of the J.D. portion and continue your studies in a business option whether it is in finance, accounting, marketing or another option.
3. 6 years vs. 7 years
Most students complete a four-year Bachelor degree before starting their studies in law, which means that they will need to complete seven years of post-secondary education. However, this program allows you to save a year by completing both degrees in the span of 6 years. This may not seem like much at the time, but right now I just finished my 4th year, and I am so thankful that I only have two years left! The time and stress that you can save by not having to take that one extra year of school is definitely worth it.
4. Being bilingual is an asset
The BCom/JD program at uOttawa is a French program available entirely in French or in French immersion. About 20% of the Canadian population speaks French and about 30% of uOttawa students speak French. That being said, having the ability to practice both business and law in French and in English enables you to apply to a diverse pool of job opportunities after graduating. Just because it is a French program, it doesn't actually mean you need to take 100% of your classes in French. You only need to take 60% of your classes in French in this program. I actually took a few classes in English in both law and business to be able to understand the different notions and terminology in both languages.
5. The heart of Ottawa
If you've never been to the University of Ottawa campus, I definitely recommend coming to the next available Open House! You will instantly fall in love with the uOttawa campus location. Being at the centre of the city allows students to have easy access to Centretown for different government job opportunities, to the ByWard Market which is great for food lovers like me, and to Sandy Hill which is a residential neighbourhood that offers plenty of living arrangements for students. Everything is within walking distance which is great if you have no knowledge about Ottawa before moving there for school, just like me!
6. No LSAT needed
Say goodbye to LSAT memes because a huge advantage of studying business law in Canada at the University of Ottawa is not having to write an LSAT. This had a big impact on my decision to choose uOttawa because I knew that if I chose to study my Bachelor elsewhere, I would have to take my LSAT in order to get into law school. For those that don't know what the LSAT is, it's the standardized law school admission test where your logical skills are graded, and the score you receive will be evaluated in your admission application to law schools. Not having to do this obviously saves a lot of time and stress!
7. Law in the Capital of Canada?
Ottawa - the home of the Supreme Court of Canada and the Federal government of Canada - is an astonishing place to study law. Big names have passed through the halls of the Fauteux building, and it is not uncommon to see guest speaker events or panels with an interesting array of lawyers, judges and political figures. The uOttawa Faculty of Law offers programs in Common Law and Civil Law. After completing my BCom/JD, I could add an extra year to my degree in order to practice Civil Law. This is a great advantage of studying business law at uOttawa because many countries operate under civil law, and so I would have access to a broader job market when completing my studies.
These are my 7 reasons for choosing to study at the University of Ottawa. Hopefully, they can help you to establish if the BCom/JD program is right for you. If you have any questions about this program, feel free to reach out to me.
Otherwise, there is plenty of useful information about the program itself and the course sequence that is available from the Telfer website, as well as the Common Law website.
On June 24th, Telfer's Annual Excellence Recognition Assembly was held. Hosted by Dean François Julien, this annual summer meeting is an opportunity to highlight the efforts and exceptional work of the professors and administrative staff with awards assigned through votes by their peers.
Telfer Awards
Awarded to administrative staff and faculty members who have distinguished themselves through excellence in service and dedication to their work, the 2020 Telfer Awards winners are (from left to right in the top image):
Administrative staff:
Alexandre Bélanger
Geneviève Séguin
Tina Albert
Faculty members:
Daina Mazutis
Jonathan Patrick
Mirou Jaana
Muriel Mignerat
Patricia Ann O’Rourke Award for Excellence in Service
Created in 2014, it honours Patricia Ann O’Rourke, an individual who, over the course of her remarkable career, provided exceptional service to one and all, for the greater benefit of the Telfer School and its stakeholders. She personified “service excellence” and was an inspiration to all of her colleagues, faculty and support staff alike. Patricia retired the same year after 32 years of service.
This annual award will recognize those employees (either faculty or administrative staff) who demonstrate a strong desire and ability to help others, and in so doing, advance the interests of the School and contribute to the development of a culture of service excellence.
This year the Patricia Ann O’Rourke Award winners are:
Abdul Kane (picture not available)
Dean François Julien, as a recognition of his legacy as outgoing Dean
It is with profound regret and sorrow that we have learned recently of the passing of our former professor Tom Brzustowski following a brief illness.
Following a brilliant career as a professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Waterloo and as a public servant, as deputy minister in the Government of Ontario from 1987 to 1995, first in the Ministry of Colleges and Universities, and later in the Premier’s Council. He was appointed President of the Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC) in October 1995, where he would spend the next 10 years.
Tom completed his professional journey at the Telfer School of Management at the University of Ottawa, where he was the inaugural RBC Professor in Commercialization of Innovation. Author and lecturer, he advocated tirelessly for innovation in Canada and received Honorary Doctorates from several universities across Canada.
His life’s work to build a better Canada was nationally recognized, as he received the Order of Canada in 2002 and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada the year prior. In 2006, he was awarded the Gold Medal of the Professional Engineers of Ontario.
On behalf of the Telfer School of Management, we wish to offer our most sincere condolences to his entire family.
We invite you to send your message of sympathy to the family. Please visit his obituary page here.
After two mandates and ten years as the Dean of the Telfer School of Management, François Julien is stepping down on June 30th, 2020. In his time as Dean, he oversaw the creation of the PHD in Management Program, the expansion of our research capabilities, the development and expansion of the Financial Research and Learning Laboratory, the growth of the Centre for Executive Leadership, including the move to larger and more modern facilities in the Ottawa downtown core, the celebration of the 50th anniversary of the School, and he hired a new generation of diverse faculty and staff to lead the School into the future. He also leaves the School with a lasting legacy for a vision of a Better Canada. A vision for the School to work towards making Canada a greener, happier, healthier, and wealthier place for all.
Current Vice-Dean Research Wojtek Michalowski will take over the role of Interim Dean on July 1st, 2020. Wojtek is a Full Professor of Health Informatics and he has spent over 20 years at the School. He will serve in the interim dean capacity until June 30th, 2021, or until such time as a new Dean of the Telfer School is installed. During Wojtek’s tenure as Vice-Dean Research, he has been a strong advocate for research excellence, led the creation of the School’s four Areas of Strategic Impact, the expansion of the SMRG funding program (Telfer Funding) for research support, and oversaw increasing success rates for tri-council competition grants.
A search committee chaired by President Jacques Frémont has been formed and the anticipated date for having the next Dean of the Telfer School of Management in place is on or before July 1st, 2021.
“Every year, over 300 million tonnes of plastic are produced globally, with only 9% of it ever being recycled,” says Carter Barrett in the Enactus uOttawa team’s video submission for Regionals. After taking home three of the four titles at Enactus Central Canada Regionals competition, they moved on to compete at the National Competition.
With projects to eliminate global plastic waste and create sustainable businesses that use the abundance of plastic available in the world, Enactus uOttawa placed as the National Runner Up at the 2020 Enactus National Competition. They competed against 47 teams across Canada, showcasing the impact they have created with their sustainable and innovative entrepreneurship projects this year.
During the first-ever virtual edition of the national competition, the uOttawa team also received the following awards:
Best Project Awards for Poly and Project F.L.Y. (mental health and wellness project)
National Winner of the Youth Empowerment Challenge (Poly and Evolve Eyewear)
Second Place in the National Entrepreneurship Competition
National Runner up for the Entrepreneurship Challenge (Poly)
The team also received $2,000 each in grant funding for 3 of the 4 new project ideas they submitted.
How Poly Tackles Global Waste
Poly is a social enterprise that aims to tackle the massive environmental implications of plastic waste through the manufacturing of small scale machines that can melt down plastic and mould it into new products. The plastic is first cleaned, and then shredded, melted, and moulded in the Poly machines. The variety of products are limitless with the ability to create custom furniture, school supplies, kitchenware, and even small household products such as tiles.
They have been able to reduce plastic waste by working with organizations like Lush and Old Navy to repurpose the plastic items like hangers they would usually just throw away. These recycled products are then purchased by individuals, business owners, firms, and municipalities. Some businesses have even added their partnership with Poly as an extension to an existing business model.
Enactus currently plans to launch eight systems annually around the world. They already have a Poly workshop in Ottawa, and have expanded to locations like Saint John, New Brunswick; Aamjiwnaang First Nation, Ontario; Iqaluit, Nunavut; and Malone, New York. The Poly team works closely with the system operators to ensure they make their Poly business successful.
Evolve Eyewear Encourages Eco-Friendly Practices
Evolve Eyewear is an innovative social venture that creates environmentally-friendly eyewear using 100% locally recycled plastic, using the Poly machines to turn the plastic into glasses. The project encourages making more sustainable purchases and living a more eco-friendly lifestyle. With this business, the Enactus team has created job opportunities for Canadians, including employing 12 individuals with a disability to help them process their plastic and 4 at risk youth to operate their machines and produce the frames.
Project F.L.Y. Provides Entrepreneurial Skills to Youth
Project F.L.Y. is a program that works to empower and guide youth with hands-on workshops where they can learn practical skills. The team hosts an annual Perfect Pitch competition at the end of the year, a bilingual competition for high school students that introduces core business functions with a focus on entrepreneurship, creative thinking, and initiative. The students who compete are then offered the opportunity to attend The Legacy Conference hosted by Enactus uOttawa.
Another Great Year
The team has generated over $80,000 in revenue this year, and diverted over 150,000 water bottles worth of plastic waste.
“I’m incredibly proud of all the work our team has done throughout the year to make Ottawa, and Canada, a better place through sustainable impact,” shared Parker Selman, the president of Enactus uOttawa.
“Despite the challenging times, and the need for a virtual competition, we were still able to showcase our innovative projects and gain national recognition as a top team in the Enactus network,” Parker continued.
Congratulations to the Enactus uOttawa team for another highly successful year, and for your amazing work on your leading sustainable and innovative businesses!
As the COVID-19 pandemic spread around the globe during the past few months, the stock market plummeted to new lows creating havoc for investors and financial planners. During this unprecedented time, a team of students at Telfer School competed against 37 teams from 20 different universities and colleges on an international stage in an investment competition.
Sponsored by The Vanguard Group, an investment management company based in the state of Pennsylvania, and hosted by Temple University’s Fox School of Business, the annual Vanguard Exchange Traded Funds (ETF) Challenge requires teams of four students to manage a portfolio of $1 million for three months. They analysed ETF from both a fundamental and technical point of view, evaluated risks, performed an economic analysis using micro and macro trends, and finally set up a strategy about a new ETF at Vanguard. The top 15 finalists were chosen based upon the overall performance of their portfolio. Given the exceptional circumstances this year, each team had to present its investment strategy online before a combined panel of Vanguard and Temple representatives, who selected the top two teams, one for each division (undergraduate and graduate).
Four students represented the University of Ottawa at the competition, including three Telfer students: Anh Nguyen Nguyen (Finance), Abdul Shunbuli (Finance), Daniel Tian (BCom/JD), and Jad Izgua (Financial Mathematics and Economics). The team won in the undergraduate division.
“There were many uncertain days, as we were afraid that the market would go wild. So we had to pay attention to the market and news everyday,” shared Anh. “A lot of emotions were involved. We sometimes freak out when the market drops, rush selling and we end up buying high, selling low, but there were days of enjoyment as our portfolio gained more than we expected.”
As the market was highly volatile, the uOttawa team sometimes prioritized patience, but it sometimes meant having to take big losses. “We forgot to liquidate one time before the weekend and lost 8% on Monday,” remembered Anh. “Timing the market was extremely difficult. Although we had the correct expectation for the market movement, it sometimes took time for the market to correct itself.”
Overall, Anh and his team enjoyed the three-month competition, and personally grew throughout this competition. “Not only have [we] learned a lot about ETF management and trading strategy, but we have also learned that emotional involvement might destroy a portfolio, and that the news has a huge impact on a stock movement. Good earnings coming out might not make the stock go up if people front-run already based on anticipation,” added Anh.
Congratulations to the 2020 Vanguard ETF Challenge winners and for representing Telfer Nation on an international level!
During their final year of undergraduate studies, the Telfer Bachelor of Commerce students must complete their respective capstone courses. A capstone project is an academic experience where students conduct a live case study on a subject that targets a specific issue. The students in Finance, Accounting, and Marketing participate in these final presentations at the end of their studies. The students must present their conclusions in front of a panel of judges and peers, but due to the Covid-19 pandemic, this year's Capstone projects were not presented in front of a live audience, but they had the opportunity to still showcase their final presentations online to a panel of judges.
Finance Capstone
All Finance students must take the Equity Valuation course in which they will undertake a case analysis to estimate the value of a real-life company and elaborate an action plan to enhance the company’s economic performance.
In the last few weeks, the Finance 4th year students completed their capstone courses. As a team, students conducted a live case study on specific issue related to a real company.
This winter 2020 Capstone Live Case involved valuing NFI Industries, North America's largest bus (transit & coaches) manufacturer. NFI Industries is head quartered in Winnipeg (Manitoba), and has manufacturing facilities throughout North America and Europe.
Both groups delivered outstanding videos which were forwarded to a panelist of three judges. Abul Kane, Telfer's Instructional Designer, was able provide the groups presenting with "best practices" regarding creating videos and submitting the videos to the judges.
The School would like to show its appreciation for all of the work done by Professor Mike Reynolds as the Finance Capstones final presentations would not have been possible without his hard work and flexible accomodation to the current coronavirus situation. Thanks to him, our Finance 4th year students are able to conclude their journey at Telfer with a sense of accomplishment.
Congratulations to the first-place winners of the case competition: Philip Kaczmarczyk and Joy Xu.
"Although it was challenging to work remotely, my group was able to take advantage of the various collaboration platforms available and the Management Library's research tools. The current circumstances made the analysis of the company more complex and dynamic, which challenged my group to reconsider many factors as the situation continuously evolved. Participating in the competition allowed us to apply our learnings from class, while developing many skills along the way" - Joy Xu
Congratulations to the second-place winners: Yacine Amalou, Liam Blevins, Bashir Hussen and Jared Sullivan.
Intopia Strategy Simulation
From March 13 to 15, 4th year students from the Bachelor of Commerce participated in the Intopia Strategy Simulation, as part of their 4th year Strategic Management class (ADM 4311). The aim of the simulation is for students to apply strategic management concepts in an online-simulated world, where they are required to make quick decisions in a determined period and negotiate with their peers in order to grow their business over the weekend.
Congratulations to the following teams for their respective titles:
Team 62, Best Component Producer: Chris Gent, Eshmam Khan, Benjamin Ottenhof, Phoebe Sipa and Sam Sutherland.
Team 7, Best Service Provider: Hamza Benzakour, Badr Ghilani, Mehdi Lahchimi, Annalisa Lemieux Barsetti, Ali Rais and Juliette Libersan
Team 37, Best Finished Goods Producer: Feyisope Adedotun, Tanya Frlan, Eric Methot and Joshua Powers.
Finally, congratulations to the members of the overall winning team and Best Integrated Producer: Liam Blevins, Marina Bossio, Garrett Galvin, Heather Officer and Christoforos Pietrobon.
Every year, the Enactus Canada Regional Exposition brings together student, academic, and industry leaders to celebrate the achievements of Canada’s future leaders and entrepreneurs. Typically, each school presents their live pitches to a panel of judges who decide which Enactus teams and student entrepreneurs will be named Regional Champions and move on to the final rounds of the competition held at the Enactus Canada National Exposition.
This year, due to COVID-19’s campus shutdowns and national lockdowns, the competition had to cancel its in-person event and hold it online instead. Enactus teams across Central and Atlantic Canada had to quickly pivot and find ways to showcase how they are solving social, economic, and environmental challenges through entrepreneurial action.
Through the creative use of video, storytelling, and narration, our Enactus uOttawa team submitted their “virtual showings” that won three of the four categories, securing their place at Nationals, which will also be held online in a couple of weeks.
The team was crowned champion during a Facebook Live event in their respective leagues in the following challenges:
Here is one of their submissions for the Entrepreneurship Challenge, about the sustainable plastic recycling company, Poly:
Congratulations to Parker Selman (President of Enactus uOttawa) as well as Julia Raseta and Carter Barrett, the presenters in the video (voices behind the scenes) and the rest of the team on this amazing accomplishment.
From all of Telfer Nation, we wish our Enactus uOttawa team best of luck putting together their virtual submissions for Nationals!
Like many high school students in Quebec, I believed that my post-secondary education should start at cégep. In order to be well supported in this decision, I met with my school's guidance counsellor. I then discovered another interesting, possible and advantageous option: going directly to the University of Ottawa.
Choosing the right program
I learned from the uOttawa programs brochure that I could apply to more than 30 different programs in the faculties of arts, engineering, management, science and social sciences. For most of these programs, an average of 84% or higher is required. To calculate the average, the university uses the top five marks in selected courses at the Secondary V level, including the prerequisite courses for the respective program in question.
After researching and discussing this with my family, I decided to take a program from the Telfer School of Management: the Bachelor of Commerce/Juris Doctor (J.D./BCom). This program allows me to obtain two degrees within six years of university studies, in the two areas that interest me the most, management and law.
Making the Transition Successful
If you decide to make the leap from high school in Quebec to the University of Ottawa, here are three tips that will help you:
1. Manage your time well
It is important, from the outset, to develop good study and time management techniques. Several resources are available to you early in your first-year to help you develop these skills. Make the most of it!
2. Take advantage of the mentoring program
I strongly encourage you to participate in the various activities organized by your faculty and, above all, to get involved. For example, at the Telfer School of Management, all students in first-year are paired with a mentor. This is a great service where a mentor will always be available to guide you and to organize activities and workshops specifically for you and other first-year students!
3. Make connections
From the first week, even though it may seem intimidating, try to speak with your professors. I strongly recommend that you take advantage of their office hours and take an interest in their classes to develop a real connection with them. The professor will be happy to see your involvement and, who knows, maybe they can write you a letter of recommendation!
As for your classmates, you'll spend four years with them and develop friendships with some of them. Take an interest in them from the first week, and they will do the same for you. You'll be able to broaden your network of friends.
An advantageous choice
There are many advantages to being a student at the University of Ottawa:
1. Graduate faster
By removing cégep from your schooling if you are coming from Quebec, you can accelerate entry into the workplace by two years. This is appealing and impressive in the eyes of many employers.
2. Study in the field you are passionate about
If you are motivated, committed and want to develop your knowledge, the university will certainly satisfy your thirst for learning! In addition, at the end of your university studies, you'll obtain an internationally recognized diploma that will allow you to have a successful and prosperous career in the field you're passionate about.
3. Take advantage of an automatic scholarship
As soon as you are admitted with an average of 84% or higher, you will receive an automatic admission scholarship based on your average from high school. This scholarship varies from $1,000 to $4,000 depending on your average. Following this, the university also awards merit scholarships based on your performance in university.
4. Study in the language of your choice
The University of Ottawa is a bilingual university. Therefore, you are able to take courses and submit assignments in the official language of your choice (English or French) throughout the bachelor's degree program. You can combine English and French classes in your schedule, or simply choose to study entirely in one language.
5. Experience efficient service
The application process was very clear and easy to access through the uOttawa website. On several occasions, I contacted the liaison office, which has a representative dedicated to answering questions from Secondary V students in Quebec, a service that was very helpful to me.
An Important Decision
The direct transition from high school to the University of Ottawa was an enriching experience that allowed me to grow both personally and professionally, and to meet new people with similar interests to mine. I am now in my third-year of university, and I can say that I am a proud Gee-Gee who loves her program!
That being said, choosing a university is a big and serious decision, so I encourage you to get informed and discuss it with your guidance counselor and your family. It has helped me tremendously in making an informed choice that meets my needs. The University of Ottawa is a dynamic, bilingual university full of resources and services that will certainly enrich your post-secondary experience!
The escalation of the COVID-19 pandemic is putting unprecedented financial burdens on many uOttawa students, and lower income students are especially vulnerable. A special emergency fund has been established by the University to provide critical support now. We are asking alumni - if you can - to support uOttawa’s student emergency fund, or one of two Telfer-specific funds also set up to support our efforts in dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic.
University of Ottawa COVID-19 Student Emergency Aid Fund
Created to help students who are experiencing emotional and financial hardship due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Students are dealing with unprecedented disruptions to their academic lives as they transition to remote learning, see local and summer jobs eliminated, and most had to leave their campus residence to minimise public health risks. Your emergency financial contributions help students University-wide to overcome distressing financial situations and help mitigate mental health issues. Students urgently need your support to remain focused on academic success now and in preparation for the Fall semester.
Our students physical well-being, emotional intelligence, and mental health are top priorities for the Telfer School. Students today are having to manage stressful situations in their lives that affect their physical and mental well-being. From raising awareness to providing counselling service and training, your support of this fund will help Telfer students cope successfully during their time of need to help them during the university career and beyond.
Immediate, accessible funds that our Dean can rapidly draw upon and meet crises like COVID-19 head-on. At Telfer, this means equipping our researchers to develop analytic models that will support the healthcare system to better plan and manage their capacity. It also means supporting research that will help us navigate the unchartered waters of our new work-life reality; working from home, coping with new job tasks or lack of childcare, and the impact it can have on employees’ mental health as well as the ways in which organizations can support their employees during these difficult times.
Interested in supporting a fund that you dont see here? click here.
To make your donation by phone, we invite you to communicate with Joella Gencher, Development Officer, Leadership Giving at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
After high school in the Greater Toronto Area, I chose to attend the Telfer School of Management here in Ottawa. Now, I am a third-year Bachelor of Commerce student specializing in Business Technology Management and Marketing. As a student in the Greater Toronto Area, in Markham, there were plenty of schools to pick from in central Ontario.
At the Telfer School, one of the things I value most is the sense of community, and, I didn't realize just how strong it would be. The community here recognizes high-achieving students and supports them by continuing to engage them, whereas friends from other schools feel like a number in a system.
I am so glad with the choice I made, but how did I end up at uOttawa studying business?
Simply, three reasons contributed to why I chose to leave the comfort of my home and venture off to our nation’s capital:
1. Experiencing a New City
Initially, when applying to programs and schools, my heart was set on a science program, and ideally somewhere far from home, like schools in the U.K. or in British Columbia. After more research, I realized that science programs outside of Ontario were too expensive to be feasible, so I pivoted my focus to more cost-effective options for schooling in Ontario.
So then the question became, where exactly in Ontario should I go, knowing that I didn’t want to stay at home?
2. Recommendations from Friends, Teachers, and Coaches
One of my friends who was my role model, was accepted to Ivy league schools like Stanford and Wharton, but he ended up choosing to attend the Telfer School. He told me about Telfer’s BCom program, and that the school was located in a medium-sized city with plenty of employment opportunities, and he very much vouched for the affordable cost.
At this point, Telfer was on my radar.
After asking a few friends, family members, and teachers for their opinion in this pivotal moment in my life, the key takeaway I received from those whom I asked, was that business was more suited for my personality. Business also felt like a safer option for me, since in science, academic performance is everything. Only the top 3% would actually surpass the bottleneck and make it into medical school.
Although I was confident in my academic performance with a strong average, I learned that business takes into consideration more of the values I had to offer. In business, it's never just marks, it's your network as a business individual, it's your extra-curricular involvement that demonstrates leadership skills, and it's your motivation to achieve more.
At the time being, I had already taken two accounting courses and a course on financial securities. In addition, I was an executive on several community organizations and president for an in-house organization at my school.
From all of these experiences, I had refined skills in marketing, relationship management, photography, videography, graphic design, and entrepreneurship. Taking all of these into consideration, going into science would mean I would receive no return on these investments, but if I went into business, at least half of these commitments would be deemed fruitful. At this point, I was sure I wanted to go into business, and uOttawa’s Telfer School of Management was one of the top choices.
3.Affordability and Benefits
To find a school that was in a different city, yet affordable was not easy. I sat through a few podcasts and read a few articles, and realized it's not the school that makes your career, but what you, as an individual, choose to do to make your career.
The University of Ottawa was affordable and the program was competitive. I was sold at this point, until my friend also brought up the bilingualism presence in Ottawa. He explained how I could be learning business in the next four years, but I could also be learning a new language just based on the environment alone.
When it finally came to the choice, uOttawa was my pick because it was in a different city, it was affordable, I could learn French, and because someone I respected vouched for it.
When I started looking into Ottawa more, I looked at the student life and that was a key selling point. I knew the Enactus team was very good, and that I had access to case competitions because of the school’s participation in events by both RÉFAEC and CABS.
At the end of the day, I believe I made the best choice, and interestingly enough, it was not one that I had initially seen coming. Business ended up being the best program for me, Ottawa is an incredible city with such a personality, and the relationships I’ve built within Telfer have made my university experience more grand. After many reflections with my hometown friends, I am glad to call uOttawa my team.
Throughout my studies, I have improved on my resume through workshops with the Telfer Career Centre, I have sparked an interest in consulting from the Profession of Management Consulting Program, and more importantly, the Telfer clubs have allowed me to make some of my closest friends I have today. I am fortunate enough to be studying at, working with, and working for a community where everyone is communal striving.
If you are reading this right now, and you are like me, indecisive, multi-faceted, and have no clue what to do in the next 5 years, I would say business is a good place to start. If you want to have all of the experience I have had, the first step is to click accept on your OUAC uOttawa acceptance to Telfer for the BCom program.
With physical distancing in place during the COVID-19 pandemic, students are faced with the new challenge of writing online exams. Although this change may be frightening for some, with enough preparation, students can learn to make the most of this new reality.
With this in mind, here are four tips to prepare for online exams:
1. Strategize What to Study
When it comes to studying for finals, making a to-do list of major topics from the course and key textbook chapters you need to review can help set you on the right path. Pay attention to what professors say the format and topics of the exam will be. They may hint at a higher focus on some chapters versus others, so make sure those are high on your priority list when allocating study time.
You can break down this list further into tasks like “read chapter 8”, “do chapter 11 practice problems”, or “review chapter 5 class notes”, which you can then check off once you’ve completed that task. It can help you to feel productive when you can visually see on a list what you’ve been able to check off, and what comes next.
2. Create a Workstation at Home
When writing your exams, it may be helpful to set up a work environment that puts you in the right mindset, and that provides a workstation that is free of distractions. Small tactics like having a clear desk and a clean room can help reduce exam stress.
Also, you need to ensure that you have all of the required necessities for online exams with a strong Internet connection and log-in credentials. Make sure that you check your Internet connection before your exam. Think about restarting it so your network doesn't drop right in the middle of the exam. In addition, you may want to make sure your workstation has paper and writing utensils for any quick brainstorm ideas you may need to write down.
3. Prepare for the Exam Format
Exams can consist of multiple choice, short-answer, and long-answer questions. The difference between writing an exam in person versus online is the added benefit that you can write and edit faster digitally. This means that you may have more time to formulate your answers if you type faster than you write on paper.
Moreover, for those of you who may have open book exams, another good tactic is to become very familiar with your textbooks and notes. You could be even more efficient by using an online-textbook or your digital notes, as you would be able to use the CTRL-F function to quickly search for a specific topic. You could also copy all of your lecture slides into one single file so that it makes it easier to navigate.
4. Use Online Videos to Understand Difficult Concepts
If you find that there are specific concepts that are difficult to understand, online video explanations can be a great way to find an additional explanation for a confusing topic. The Internet is full of educational videos that can explain theories from a different perspective.
An example of a useful online source includes KhanAcademy, which provides further understanding for complex topics such as statistics and mathematics. Instead of usually attending discussion groups on campus, these online videos can help explore a specific topic further or find more clarity.
Check out a few more tips from second-year BCom student, Camély Gendron, on the Telfer Career Centre blog. Good luck on exams, Telfer Nation!
I will walk you through the exact study tips that I used to earn thousands of dollars in scholarships at Telfer.
If you make the Dean’s List at Telfer, our school will pay you $1,000 per semester that you complete. There are only two things you need to be to get on our Dean’s List.
You need to be organized
You need to be efficient
To serve you best, I have broken this blog down into two sections.
Section A: I will give you the best organization tips so you can be efficient.
Section B: I will give you the best efficiency tips to help you get scholarships.
SECTION A: ORGANIZATIONAL STUDY TIPS
Study Tip #1: Organization is Paramount
Let’s get the ultimate advice out there first; this is the most important of any study tips I could offer. Getting yourself organized is over half of the battle. Sure, you can get by without preparation, but no one ever excelled at anything worthwhile by simply showing up. Remember that for everything you wish to excel at in life.
Study Tip #2: Know Your Course Deliverables (A.K.A. What You Need to Complete to Pass the Course)
If you only accomplish one thing in your first week of the semester, it’s most important that you download and read your course outlines. Take a look at how your professors will be grading you. When are your deliverables due? How much is each deliverable worth? Time is limited. Spend your time according to the weight of the deliverable.
Study Tip #3: Write Down Your Deliverable Due Dates Somewhere You Regularly Look
Now that you know what you have to do and when you have to do it, write it down somewhere that you check on a regular basis. I prefer to see my entire semester at a glance. I created a basic Excel spreadsheet with all of my important due dates and project weights. Here is an example of what that might look like:
Study Tip #4: Set Your Own Deadlines to Minimize Your Future Stress Load
Just because the course outline says it’s due November 5th, doesn’t mean you should be finishing it at 11:00 p.m. on November 5th. It’s the beginning of the semester right now. You’ve planned your semester like a boss, and you know exactly what you need to deliver and when to deliver it. For example, if you see that you have two midterms and an assignment due on the same weekend, you should finish your assignment weeks ahead of time. Doing so will allow you to focus that week preparing for your midterm exams.
Study Tip #5: Set Goals and Plan Your Time Accordingly
Every Sunday, you should write down all of your goals for what you would like to accomplish for the week ahead. What due dates are coming up? Set an expectation of what you will complete on each day of the week. Your expectations will change, so you should update tomorrow’s objectives every night to ensure you can achieve your weekly goals.
Study Tip #6: Create a Facebook Group and Invite Your Classmates
The worst feeling in university is feeling alone – like you’re the only one that has been battling with question 5-C for the last 3 hours…this is avoidable. I wrote an article on How to Start a Conversation in 4 Steps on my personal blog. Here’s a perfect way to break the ice and get to know your classmates. “Hey! What’s your name? I’m starting a Facebook group for our class where we can all help each other with challenging problems. Would you like me to add you? You can add your friends too.” Boom… just like that, you have your first friend in the class!
SECTION B: EFFICIENCY STUDY TIPS
Study Tip #7: Pay Attention to How Your Professor Allocates Time in Class
If your professor spends a significant amount of time on one chapter or sub-section of a chapter, it’s usually not a coincidence. It’s because it’s more important. You should focus more time on those components when preparing for your exams.
Study Tip #8: Find Old Midterm/Final Exams A.S.A.P.
The best thing you can do is (ethically) get your hands on some old exams to see what past students were tested on. In my experience, a significant number of exams I’ve written have been similar to past exams. These old exams may help you distinguish early in the semester the content that is nice to know versus the content that you need to know.
Study Tip #9: Create Practice Exams Based on Your Estimations
Create a practice exam with all of the questions that you estimate will be on the real exam. What types of questions did they ask on the past exams you found? What format does the course outline say the exam will follow? What has your professor spent a lot of time discussing in class? These are the types of questions you can use to form your own mock exam. Don’t be afraid to ask your professor what’s on the exam as they may provide tips. Build this exam throughout the semester. This way you can focus on understanding the answers during the exam-study period.
Study Tip #10: Create an Ever-Growing Cheat Sheet
Even if the exam doesn’t permit a cheat sheet, this will immensely help you shape your practice exams as per study tip #9. Record what you find to be essential information on this sheet. What are the key formulas? What are the steps needed to solve challenging problems? What are the key definitions you need to memorize? These are perfect items to put on your cheat sheet.
Study Tip #11: Choose PowerPoint Slides Over Detailed Textbook Reading
I have wasted countless hours reading the textbook. Depending on the course, it is not always an efficient use of your time. The PowerPoints provided by your professor cover the majority of the content you need to know for your exams. For most classes, you should still buy a copy of the textbook though. Use the textbook and Google search to fill in any blanks that the PowerPoint doesn’t cover.
Study Tip #12: You Get Twice the Value from Class if You Work Through the Slides Beforehand
Professors usually post slide content before each lecture. Work through this content before class to stimulate great questions and gain more value from attending each lecture. You’ll gain a better grasp on what’s going on and you will receive a deeper, more memorable learning experience.
Study Tip #13: Write Down Your Micro-Goals
When you’re studying it often requires you to search for answers online. As we all know, it’s very easy to get sidetracked on the Internet and forget what you came for in the first place. Every time you turn to the Internet for an answer, write down the question you’re trying to solve. Keep the question written out on a piece of paper in front of you. Ask yourself every 10 minutes or so if what you’re doing is related to what you’re trying to find. If not, then get back to work. If it is, cross your question off your list when you find the answer.
Study Tip #14: Your Focus Has Capacity
This is my most favourite tip from all of my study tips that you need to understand. Your brain is only capable of letting you focus for a fixed amount of time before you lose efficiency. Let’s call that time 40 minutes. Let’s say you just started studying and your brain is fresh. If you spend your first 15 minutes looking at videos online, then you only have 25 minutes of quality focus left before losing efficiency.
Study Tip #15: Study in Intervals and Don’t Sit for Too Long
These study tips go hand-in-hand, so I included them together. You’ll be amazed at how much longer you can be productive if you take more frequent, shorter breaks. Work for 30-40 minutes (depends on your preference), and then take a 5-10-minute break. Building on Tip #14, it’s important that you get up and move around during your break. Do some squats, wall pushups, or anything to get your blood flowing. Staring at your phone is not a good way to take a break because it still requires focus, and you aren’t giving your brain a chance to refresh.
Study Tip #16: Track Your Time
Just because you’re sitting at a work desk on your work computer does not mean you’re doing quality work. There are lots of great time tracker apps available, but all you need is the stopwatch on your phone and a piece of paper. Start the timer when you start working. When you’re done, record the time you focused. Start the timer for your break and record that number too when you’re done. Do this all day and add up the amount of time you spent being productive versus slacking. I guarantee this will hold you more accountable!
Study Tip #17: Ditch Your Cell Phone and Any Other Distractions While Studying
Have you heard of the “flow state”? The flow state is also known as “being in the zone”. To achieve this state of mind, you need to rid yourself of any potential distractions and completely immerse yourself in what you’re focused on. After staying immersed for a short period of time, you will forget your surroundings and only see what your focus allows you to. The flow state can be difficult to achieve and impossible with continuous disruptions. Ensure you put your cell phone out of sight and preferably on silent mode if possible. Every time your phone goes off, it will disrupt your flow state and you will need to restart the process.
Study Tip #18: Maintain of Positive State of Mind
Are you fully present with your task at hand? If your mind is preoccupied with negative emotions, it will hinder your ability to focus and hit your goals. Check out my other article on 3 Proven Steps to Instantly Get Out of a Bad Mood to maintain a positive mindset at the worst of times.
Study Tip #19: Engage as Many Senses as Possible
I saved one of my best study tips for last to reward your commitment to making it this far. The more senses you engage in your learning experience, the more likely you will remember it later. Ideally, you should find a way to read, write, hear, say, feel, taste, teach, and apply what you’re learning. Of course, that’s not viable in most instances, so absorb the knowledge in as many forms as it makes sense to.
Congratulations! You’ve reached the end of my extensive list of study tips that I used during my time at Telfer. I believe in you that you have the discipline and the will to use these tips! I’m convinced that when you do, you will receive thousands in scholarships and skyrocket your GPA!
If you’re interested in learning about emotional intelligence, communicating more effectively, or improving your mindset, hop over to my personal blog at jdsterne.com.
Need a break from studying on campus? Want a new, fresh environment to study in? Searching for either a good latté, snack, lunch or even a healthy smoothie while you’re at it? Look no further.
Here are the 9 best places to study in Ottawa, perfect to get your workflow on. Let’s get started.
Happy Goat Coffee Co.
229 Rideau St, 317 Wilbrod St, 326 Elgin St, 1091 Bank St, 35 Laurel St, 145 Main St.
You can always count on Happy Goat Coffee Co. for a cozy spot when you need to get a good study grind on. Not only are there several locations across Ottawa, but two of them are right near campus, for those who are looking for a nice café nearby that is easy to get to. It can get pretty loud and busy at times, so make sure to bring your headphones, and listen to some of your favourite study music to concentrate; my favorites are rain sounds, café jazz and tropical house.
The Ministry of Coffee
274 Elgin St, 18 Beechwood Ave, 200 Tremblay Rd, 1013 Wellington St. W
The Ministry of Coffee is one of the best cafés I’ve been to in Ottawa. Not only is it great for an aesthetic picture or Instagram post, but they have some of the highest quality coffee and drinks I’ve had. They also have a Nutella latté… which we both know you deserve.
This café is extremely lowkey and is the perfect quiet and chill spot for either a solo study session or with friends. It has windows all around with natural sunlight and an absolutely incredible view of Downtown Ottawa. This tiny café is hidden on the fourth floor of Simons in the Rideau Centre, and they have really friendly staff. The only downside is they don’t have electrical plugs, so just be sure to charge your laptop and phone before going.
Bridgehead
50 Rideau St, 224 Dalhousie St, 265 Laurier Ave W, 96 Sparks St, 109 Bank St, and more
Bridgehead is a fair trade, locally-based coffee chain here in Ottawa. They have about 20 locations across Ottawa, and they have delicious drinks and bites. I can always count on Bridgehead for a great study vibe and an exquisite chai latte and energy bite to get my study groove on.
The National Arts Centre
1 Elgin St.
Want a place to study other than at a café or campus? The National Arts Centre has got you covered. They have a public space open from 6:00 a.m. to midnight with free Wi-Fi, located in the heart of downtown. You can feel free to make yourself at home and use your device in the open areas, for when you need a long study grind. They also have a café inside if you’d like some caffeine or a bite to eat.
Lollo Salads recently opened and has quickly become one of my go-to spots to study. Located in the Byward Market, this comfy café has fantastic salads and a great ambiance. This spot is also great to take a break from campus and grab a healthy lunch with a friend.
This fancy café is located in the Ottawa Art Gallery, right across from the Desmarais building. Jackson Café hits all the notes for quality, service and atmosphere and will not disappoint, trust me. Want to treat yourself to a fancy café with good vibes right near campus for a midday study session? This one’s for you.
Ottawa Public Library
377 Rideau St, 120 Metcalfe St, 1049 Bank St, and more
If you’re looking for a very quiet place to study to really focus, the Ottawa Public Library is the place to go. They have free wifi and various locations across the city, this is a solid choice.
Pure Kitchen
340 Elgin St, 345A Preston St, 357 Richmond Rd, 499 Terry Fox Dr
We both know you could use a break from getting an iced cappuccino and studying at the noisy CRX Tim Hortons to get yourself a healthy smoothie instead. Pure Kitchen is a vegan and vegetarian restaurant with healthy and comfort food. They have incredible smoothies, juices and health elixir shots. I recommend going to the Elgin location and going to the bar section of the restaurant for a quiet spot to study. I go here when I have some readings to get done and need a health boost. Oh, and they play really good music.
These are some of my favourite study spots, and I hope one of them becomes yours too. Now that you know the nine best places to study in Ottawa, check out these spots and get your study groove on!
As defined by Co-operative Education and Work-Integrated Learning Canada (CEWIL Canada), “cooperative education (CO-OP) are work terms which provide paid experience in a workplace setting related to the student’s field of study”. With a placement rate of 97%, the CO-OP office at the University of Ottawa offers a wide range of work experience with thousands of employers inside and outside of Canada to thousands of students.
I have had the opportunity to experience three work terms as a CO-OP student at the Telfer School of Management. I can confidently say that the experience has been beyond what I had ever hoped for.
CO-OP is the greatest way not only to smoothen your way from school to work, gain the knowledge and experience you need, determine what career option works best for you, enhance your network and get a competitive edge when entering the workforce, but it is also a great opportunity to make money you can invest later, or put towards your student loans.
Here are the reasons why I feel that being a CO-OP student can ease your transition into the workforce after graduating.
1.Obtain Knowledge and Experience in your Field of Study
CO-OP at Telfer is a great way to gain up to 16 months of experience in your field of study.
As a Telfer student, these work terms will enable you to:
Practice what you learn in classes
Increase your skill set
Set learning, performance and leadership development objectives at the start of your term, which your employer and the CO-OP office will mentor and guide you to achieve throughout your placement;
Get a glimpse at the different career options available to you in the market,
Experience several types of organizations (governmental, private sector, NGO, etc.); and
Determine which career path inspires and fits you the most.
2. Enhance Your Network and Build Meaningful Relationships
Some of the employers that Telfer students get to work with include, but are not limited to, the Government of Canada, Nokia, Fintrac, The Growcer, and PwC.
By doing CO-OP at Telfer, you will get the opportunity to:
Engage with inspiring people in your field of study; and
Connect with mentors and advisors from different backgrounds, and learn from their experiences.
3. Gain a Competitive Edge and Differentiate Yourself from Others
If you want to give your future employer a great reason as to why they should hire you, then CO-OP is the answer. Even for entry-level positions nowadays, employers require that job seekers have at least a few months of experience within their industry.
CO-OP at Telfer also gives you the opportunity to:
Get more than a year worth of full-time experience in your field of study by the end of your bachelor program;
Discover different part-time opportunities you can choose to enlarge your horizons; and further exposure to the workforce.
4. Acquire Valuable Paid Work Experience
Either if it is to pay off your student loans, pay for your study terms, or even save money that you can later invest in your own business, the CO-OP option at Telfer will give you the chance to do all of this. You will be gaining the exposure you need, and developing yourself both on a personal and professional level. CO-OP employers are required to pay students at least the minimum wage during their work terms, however, salaries for Telfer students could go as high as $30 an hour, which adds up to over $15,000 for your four-month work term, and $60,000 in total for your four work terms.
All in all, I can tell you from personal experience, during each one of my CO-OP work terms, that each of my supervisors went out of their way to help me achieve my learning, performance, and leadership objectives. I have had the chance to get out of my comfort zone, help organize a TEDx event, learn coding, make connections that helped me get other co-op opportunities, practice my public-speaking skills, work for the Government of Canada, which as an international student never seemed possible, but most importantly, do what I love most: Human Resources Management.
If you haven’t already applied to CO-OP, then this is your chance to do it. If you already are a CO-OP student, then make the best out of your work terms, and share the best advice an employer has given you.
Choosing which university to attend can be a daunting experience. For some, it may be as simple as looking at university rankings and choosing what is best academically. For others, proximity to home and cost may be a deciding factor. After choosing to attend the Telfer School of Management, I found that there was so much more about Telfer that could have gone into my decision making, beyond Telfer being recognized as a top business school worldwide.
During my four-year degree at the Telfer School of Management, there were 7 reasons that stood out for me as to what made the Telfer experience so unique and rewarding.
Here’s what I’ve come to value as the top 7 reasons to go to Telfer:
1. High Value of the Degree
As a high school student at the time, while researching the various possible universities to attend, one of the first things I personally looked at is what will it cost me financially, and what is the value of a degree from each university in question.
The Telfer School of Management is in the top 1% of business schools worldwide based on completing three levels of accreditation. This worldwide reputation of excellence was a very important factor in consideration if I would go to Telfer. In addition to this, Telfer also offers reasonable tuition for the value you receive from a degree at a top university. This combination for me meant that Telfer had the best value for the monetary cost, the “best bang for your buck” if you will.
2. Location, Location, Location
Telfer is conveniently located in the heart of downtown Ottawa. You get the feel of being in a big city, but without all of the commotion and noise (and price) that you find at other big city universities. What’s nice about being located downtown is that everything is in close proximity to you. Whether it’s museums, historical sites like Parliament Hill and the Rideau Canal, grocery stores, restaurants, shopping, nightlife and just about everything you can think of, it’s all within a 10 to 15 minute walk if you go to Telfer.
3. Co-op Program
Ottawa has a reputation for being a government city, and I will not dispute that reputation. However, Ottawa also has an ever-growing private sector that provides a lot of different job opportunities. What is nice about doing the co-op program at Telfer is that it’s really easy to apply to different jobs and you can pick and choose from the public sector or the private sector to get a feel for what you would like in a future career. The job I had throughout university was through the co-op program, which is a job I never would have gotten without co-op and making the decision to go to Telfer.
4. French Immersion
Although I personally did not choose to be part of the French Immersion program, I do, however, know a lot of people who did, and I was able to speak with them about their experiences. French immersion at Telfer provides students with the opportunity to complete a portion of their courses in French. If you are an anglophone and you would like to strengthen your French, or if you are a francophone and you would like to strengthen your English, then you have the unique opportunity of attending one of few universities to have a French immersion program at Telfer. You also receive a $1,000 scholarship just for being in the French immersion program!
5. Collaboration
At Telfer you get the opportunity to work with a lot of different people from all sorts of backgrounds and learn from them. If you go to Telfer, approximately 20% of the students are international, and in my own experience, I had the opportunity to work with students from Germany, India, China, South Korea, Kenya, and more. Having such a diverse community allows you to make new friends and connections in so many different places. I can honestly say that all of my group projects at Telfer have been a positive experience.
6. Unique Projects
During my experience at Telfer I had the opportunity to participate in many unique class projects that I never expected. The fourth-year Strategic Management course at Telfer runs something called the Intopia Business Simulation, where students immerse themselves in an action-filled weekend running their own company by negotiating, making decisions, and trying to maximize their bottom line and, ultimately, win the competition. Intopia is recognized as a top business strategy simulation, and Telfer is one of the only schools that offers it.
As well, students are able to gain real world experience by working with companies as part of class projects. For myself, I had the opportunity to work with Badminton Canada and the Canadian Museum of Nature to help develop marketing campaigns and promotional strategies. This experience was not only self-rewarding, but it was also excellent to include on a resume and it’s all part of your program at Telfer.
7. Career Centre
The Telfer Career Centre offers various workshops for students such as how to build a resume, do well in an interview, and many more types of workshops. As well, you can speak with career advisors who can help set you on the path to your goal. Having a resource that is committed to both your personal and career development is very helpful as you enter the workplace.
The Career Centre also holds a variety of networking events at Telfer. The networking events attract an array of companies that you can speak with and in turn make connections that can turn into potential job opportunities. Also, the networking events and the aforementioned workshops go hand-in-hand if you go to Telfer by allowing you to apply the knowledge you learned in these workshops at these networking events.
Paying for university… what comes to mind? Maybe it’s your parents who generously support you, or maybe it’s OSAP payments, or even a bank loan. Generally, the associations are not particularly positive. For me, they happen to be.
When it comes to university education, parents and students are often concerned about the cost. University is more expensive than college and students graduating high school often wonder if the benefits are worth it. As a fourth-year graduating student from the Telfer School of Management, today I am here to tell you that you can afford it all on your own, even without OSAP, and what benefits come of it.
Working Part-Time
So, here is what I did. When I had just turned seventeen and was in Grade 11, I started working at McDonald’s in my hometown. I would work afternoons after school, Saturday mornings and sometimes overnight, working about 15 hours a week. Honestly, it was really fun to be around many of my high school friends who also worked there, and I got free food. It also taught me how to deal with any kind of customer; those that yelled at me for not having drink trays and ketchup packets, and also those that were really sweet and patiently waited for their fresh pot of coffee. I actually wrote an entire blog post about working at McDonald’s and how it prepared me for the real world here. I definitely would recommend it to any student in high school. I even worked there when I moved to Ottawa for school and also in the summer after my first year, working full-time when I lived at home. Working at McDonald’s both part-time through high school and university, then full-time during the summer allowed me to save up enough money to pay for the first two years of my university education.
Getting Scholarships
To this day, I haven’t applied for OSAP. Starting from first-year, I started applying for scholarships as well as working. I got good grades because I wanted more scholarships and because I care about school (and have a crippling fear of failure), and I got involved since I heard it’s a good thing to do. I was one of the founding members of the Women in Management Network, a Career Centre ambassador, and then the Business Dinner Project Manager on TECDE (The Entrepreneurs’ Club). Both good grades and involvement in the school are great for receiving scholarships. I would get a couple per school year, which would cover most of the semester, and were immensely helpful. It’s easy to apply on uOzone and although they take a while to be reviewed, it’s very worth it. There are also many scholarships in the community that take a bit more research to find and complete since some require essays, but committing a week of time for scholarships and for them to pay off with thousands of dollars is a very good investment. I am a business student, so you can trust me!
Investing
Okay, so you know how I said I didn’t get OSAP and all of that. In my fourth year, I *accidentally* got them to pay my tuition because I forgot to check the “don’t need a loan” box on my grant application and they automatically paid for it. Since I had the money in my bank account for that semester already, I invested it into a Guaranteed Investment Certificate (GIC) with my bank and once I receive that money at the end of the year and pay off OSAP, at least I will have made interest too. I am not saying you should do this, but that’s what I did to remedy my situation since there was no way to cancel the OSAP payment of my tuition immediately. Remember to check that box if you don’t want the loan! Do apply for the grant though.
Why I Pay for University Myself
If your parents are willing to pay for your tuition, that’s great. But I actually found it extremely rewarding to pay for my own education because it made me appreciate it more. When I considered skipping class (and obviously never have…), I always thought about how much that class was costing me. It motivated me to keep going even when school got really tough because I know I am investing in my future (hopefully). It’s also nice to be independent and know I don’t have any real debt. So my only real advice to you is to work. I know it’s basic and obvious, but honestly, it’s really the only thing you can do, especially if you are on your own. And if you are worried about working part-time while studying, let me tell you, it’s totally possible. I wouldn’t even know what to do with my time if I was studying full-time and not working. Obviously, everyone has different learning styles and you might need the extra time, that’s understandable. I found it better for my time management to be busy, work, and study so I had clear windows when I would have to get things done, and less opportunity for procrastination (still do it though). Plus living on your own and being independent is kind of cool. You can eat cake for dinner and no one can tell you otherwise!
How Do I Pay for University?
In conclusion, I paid for my entire university education through working part- and full-time, receiving scholarships, and investing. It made me a better person and continues to do so. I learned how to balance a lot of things on my plate, get good grades, and still find time for relaxing, having fun, and having a social life. If I can do it, you can absolutely do it too.
Occurring each semester, the Intopia Business Simulation allows for Strategic Management (ADM4311) students to compete in a simulated marketplace with two specified products. Teams must make hundreds of decisions which require expertise in accounting, finance, marketing, and management. The goal of this blog is to provide you with some helpful tips and tricks to help you in both your preparation for the simulation and your strategy during the game.
PREPARATION
1. Read the Manual & Watch ALL of the Preparation Videos
This may seem self-explanatory, but the best teams have a very deep understanding of how the simulation works, as well as how their decisions will impact their outputs each period. The manual details how different numbers on your balance sheet and income statement are calculated, which becomes extremely important when you begin calculating your cash flows each period.
2. Treat the Practice Round Like the Real Game
There are two different ways to approach what the simulation calls the “Market Trials” (A fancy way to say practice round). The first is to try as many different strategies as possible to see what your team may excel at, and to learn about all parts of the game. The second is to decide what your team’s real strategy is, and to use the Market Trials as practice for the actual simulation. Both approaches are valid, but no matter which one you choose, it is important to take the trials seriously. You should meet with your team before every decision, as you would during the simulation, and try to finish near the top of the leaderboard. Having a good reputation heading into the game can help your team secure loans and long-term contracts as teams are more confident in your ability to be profitable.
THE REAL GAME
3. Make Relationships Early
One of the most important tips to winning the Intopia Business Simulation has to do with how you interact with other teams. Whichever strategy you decide on, you are going to need to work with all different types of companies (teams). Having contracts signed for multiple periods not only eases your team’s stress, but also puts you in a much better position for the later periods as you start needing to either buy or sell more inventory due to increases in production capacity and demand.
4. Think About Leveraging Your Position to Start the Game
This strategy doesn’t necessarily apply to all company types, but if you are a producer looking to expand your operations as fast as possible, taking out a loan from another team to start the game can be a great idea. My team was an X producer that had the capital to build 4 plants in period 1. We decided to leverage ourselves, allowing us to build a fifth plant which gave us more inventory than all other X producers for a large portion of the game. In the Intopia Business Simulation, aggressive teams are rewarded as all teams are profitable, for the most part. Therefore, the teams that expand the quickest get a leg up on the competition strictly due to their higher inventory volume.
5. Start Paying Dividends as Early as Possible
The majority of your grade for the Intopia component of ADM4311 comes from your “Value Added” compared to other teams within your chosen strategy. Paying dividends directly increases your “Value Added”, and it can lead to money being reinvested into your company. You should become profitable by period 4, which is when you should begin repatriating your earnings from your areas of operation in order to pay dividends. This is another key tip to winning Intopia, and you should be paying higher dividends each period until you reach the maximum amount ($99,999,999). However, be sure you never decrease your dividends paid from period to period as it can lead to a lack of confidence from your shareholders.
6. Know your Numbers
This goes back to your preparation, but it is super important that you understand exactly how your cash flows work. Once you have a solid grasp on how much cash you have each period, you can start planning ahead to build plants or sales offices. Your team should have detailed spreadsheets that calculate your break-even point, projected cash flows and projected earnings, among other things. Receiving outputs each period that match your projections not only eases your stress, but also puts you in a great position for the upcoming rounds.
7. Be Aware of Tax Implications
Different Areas have different tax rates, and moving money around can help limit the amount of earnings you lose to taxes. Also, it can be beneficial to determine how you sell inventory based on tax rates (higher priced products get sold in areas with lower tax rates), in order to send more income to retained earnings each period.
I hope this blog helps you in completing, and hopefully winning, the Intopia Business Simulation. If you have any other questions feel free to connect with me on LinkedIn.
Deciding whether or not to attend a business school can be a challenging decision for high school graduates or business enthusiasts who aspire to start a business of their own. Given the many popular stories of college dropouts who later emerged to become business tycoons, decision-making becomes even more difficult.
So, you may be asking yourself, should I attend business school before starting my own business?
I can confidently say that business school did indeed help me start my own business.
In 2019, after years of freelancing and consultation, I founded a digital marketing agency named myMarketing.io. It is an Ottawa-based company focused on providing startups, small and medium-sized businesses with high-quality digital marketing at an affordable price.
The business was started during my studies. Today, six months later, myMarketing is a team of three individuals providing services to multiple clients. Although other factors played a role in the success of the company, such as professional experience, a strong network, and sufficient resources, attending business school was undoubtedly very useful.
Here are the top 10 ways business school helped me start my business:
1. Vast Connection and Networking
The greatest benefit of attending a business school is its vast and connected networks. In the context of running a business, networking is one of the most powerful tools when it comes to determining your business’ success. In some cases, the difference between a successful and failed business can be determined by a single valuable connection.
Attending business school allows you to build a network and make connections with like-minded people who have similar business interests. These connections can be a gateway to lucrative business opportunities for your future business. Having these connections is a valuable asset that belongs to you for the rest of your career. It might be difficult to imagine, but the connections you make in university may turn into your future client, partner, co-worker, mentor or investor.
Here’s a simple example from when I started my own business. When I began looking for employees for my newly launched company, the first people that came to mind were my university connections. Since I already knew them and had worked with them in the past, I was able to hire people that were the best fit for my business.
No matter which industry you are in, having quality employees is essential for your business growth. Investing your time in network building helps you identify qualified candidates. It is a very effective method to learn about their skills required to do the job as well.
2. Valuable Co-op Experience
Another benefit of enrollment in a business school is the opportunity to experience a co-op program. In this co-op program, a company hires students temporarily through schools. It is a mutually beneficial agreement between the student, employer and educational institute.
Students participating in co-op placements from business schools gain valuable, hands-on experience. While it is important to study and attend classes, the co-op program immensely helps you to expand your professional skills. It allows you to ‘put your foot in the door’ and begin your career in your field of study.
My co-op experience helped me learn about my interests, develop skills in my field and, most importantly, make valuable business connections.
Discovering my interest: My experience in co-op allowed me to expand my passion in my field and discover which areas were of interest to me and which weren’t. It also gave me the opportunity to test my own strengths and weaknesses and excel in certain areas of my field.
Developing my skills: Business school courses concentrate on the theoretical aspect of business, but lack practical business teaching. Fortunately, co-op provided practical experience that allowed me to develop my skills and start my business.
Expanding my network: My co-op experience played a crucial role in guiding my professional career. The connections I made during my co-op placements are still very relevant to my career today. Some connections have become my co-workers, others are my clients, and others are business promoters.
Whether you realize it or not, a co-op program that provides you with professional experience in your field is very important for your career.
3. General Business Know-How
Many startups fail due to the founder’s lack of basic professional knowledge. This is where a business school can make a big difference. They give students the opportunity to understand the basic functioning of a startup and give an overview of each major business field.
As an entrepreneur, you may be in charge of many aspects of your company. Due to this, it is essential to understand the basics of each business field such as managing finances, monitoring operations, marketing your products and many other general administrative tasks. Business graduates are much more likely to successfully manage these operations than those who have no theoretical background.
It is unquestionable that the general business knowledge I gained during my studies has been of extreme value when starting my company. Though I was always most interested in marketing, studying business allowed me to become knowledgeable in essential day-to-day activities for my business.
4. Communication and Presentation Skills
For business owners, communication can be a major key to success. From conducting meetings to public speaking, strong communication and presentation skills are very important. The better you become at communicating, the greater the chances that your message will influence the target audience.
During your studies in business, you will be exposed to several communication practices such as public speaking, formal presentations, networking, and so on. For people that are not experienced or comfortable communicating or presenting, attending business school gives them the much-needed practice to improve these skills.
During my studies, I presented dozens of times and communicated professionally with hundreds of people. This has helped me improve my communication skills and my body language, but most importantly, it has helped me boost my confidence. As a business owner, I am required to present to small groups and speak to other business professionals on a daily basis. I can confidently say that I would not be nearly as comfortable and knowledgeable in public speaking as I am now if it weren’t for my business classes.
5. Inspiration and Guidance
Attending a business school played a major role in inspiring and guiding me to launch my business. During your time in business school, you get to know many professors and classmates who can become a big source of inspiration for your professional development.
Guidance from mentors and encouragement from peers can act as a strong catalyst in an entrepreneur’s life. They are people that can teach you valuable lessons and provide you with insight on the rights and wrongs of running your own business.
During my studies, many students and professors have inspired me to bring me where I am today. From professors who had become successful business owners to students with side businesses, I can confidently say that these people have had an impact on my business.
6. Extracurricular Activities
A business school lets you explore more than just educational knowledge. It allows you to discover other areas of interest by participating in extracurricular activities beyond the classroom. These activities help you create more connections, develop new skills and give you more professional experience.
By joining university clubs, you work alongside other students to fulfill a common goal. You learn to manage responsibility, work in groups and develop many other important skills that prove to be useful when running your own business.
At my university, I was a part of the Telfer Marketing Association. In this club, I worked on different projects and made truly great connections. Apart from participating in activities at Telfer, I took part in different competitions that allowed me to gain business experience and improve my overall professional performance.
7. Access to Resources
Most business schools offer additional support both during and after your graduation. The foundation of a successful business is its valuable resources, and a business school gives access to many of these to its students. From finding suitable mentors to opportunities for funding, a university gives you access to resources that might otherwise be difficult to attain.
In order to launch and grow a business, funding is important. Fortunately, business schools give you access to various grants and funding opportunities. Many business schools have a special fund for aspiring entrepreneurs as well as strong networks which provide opportunities for you to pitch your business ideas to investors. For example, to foster and support entrepreneurship, the University of Ottawa’s Entrepreneurship Hub has a four-month pre-accelerator program named Startup Garage. The mission of this program is to provide young entrepreneurs with the right mentorship, environment and funding to launch a new venture.
Business school also gives you access to experienced entrepreneurs and mentors. In entrepreneurship, experience is considered to be one of the most important assets. Finding the right mentor to help you guide your business is one of the best ways of gaining experience. They can provide you with the knowledge you need to improve business decisions and increase your chances of business success.
During my studies, the University of Ottawa gave me access to valuable resources like a strong network, mentors, databases and so on. These resources will be an asset to my business for years to come. I have already been able to profit from the resources offered at university, and I plan to continue capitalizing on them to grow my business.
8. Teamwork and Leadership Skills
Becoming an adept leader is not easy; it takes experience, knowledge and a series of important traits. However, the one thing that will help anyone improve their leadership skills is practice. In business school, students have the opportunity to practice these skills when participating in team projects and presentations. Having the opportunity to work in many different groups during your studies allows you to develop and sharpen your overall leadership skills.
Apart from academics, involvement in extracurricular activities can help you to develop leadership skills and improve teamwork abilities. Managing the day-to-day activities of your university clubs and working with teammates to achieve a common goal is an excellent way of developing your leadership capabilities.
During my time in business school, I participated in many activities that required teamwork. The valuable teamwork and leadership lessons I learned through academics, the co-op program, and extracurricular activities have become valuable skills for my career. These are skills that I use daily when managing my business and that are invaluable to my business’ success.
9. Work on your Business
For students who have recently started or would like to start a business during their studies, business school may offer them the opportunity to work on their business as assignments. Many classes may have project mandates that are relevant to your business and for which you will be able to implement in your business. This can be a great opportunity as it allows the student to receive relevant feedback from their professors and apply theoretical learnings to their business.
During my studies, some of my classes were able to contribute to what I was trying to build. For example, some of the services my company offers were thought of during my "New Venture Creation" class. I also had school projects that allowed me to work on launching my business. For example, the myMarketing.io website was designed during a project in my "Digital Marketing Technolgies" class.
10. Enhanced Credibility
It is undeniable that a business school degree helps strengthen the credibility of your business. As you already know, a degree helps candidates find a job, but what you may not realize is that a degree will also help a business owner attract prospects, clients, investors and partners to their business.
For business success, credibility is paramount; it is linked to client acquisition, investor trust, supplier confidence, business reputation and much more. A student that succeeds to build a strong reputation during their time in business school is likely to have much more success in their business ventures.
Throughout my time at university, I worked hard to try to stand out in each of my classes. My hard work allowed me to complete my program with one of the highest grades at Telfer. By doing this, I was able to prove myself as a credible connection to those in my network. The credibility I earned during my time in business school will be an asset to me for the rest of my career. Above all, the degree that I will receive at graduation will certify my credibility as a professional and the credibility of my business.
My Final Thoughts
After all, business school played a great role in starting my own digital marketing company. Today, with so many competitors in the industry, I consider my experience in business school a very valuable asset to my business.
I am thankful for having invested valuable time and effort in my university studies. They have truly paid off and will undoubtedly benefit my career and myMarketing.io for years to come.
Choosing a university may seem like an easy task – those who have gone through the process know that it can be extremely difficult. Choosing a school based on academics is important, but you should consider non-academic factors in your decision as well. This ensures you choose a school that best suits your personality and lifestyle.
Since choosing a university is such an important decision, you must take time to do your research and compare the options. Luckily, I have made a checklist to give you advice on how to choose a university. While researching, remember to consider not just your short-term (first-year) needs, but also consider the long-term (second, third and fourth-year) goals.
1. Research the Program
The most important thing when choosing a university is the program. After narrowing down your program, it is important to compare between different universities. For example, the Telfer School of Management at the University of Ottawa offers a different course sequence in their Bachelor of Commerce program than the University of Guelph. Along with this, you must consider the internship opportunities that schools may offer you, and whether a co-op option is available, if that is something you are interested in. Ensuring that you are educated on the differences between your program of choice across all of the universities you are considering is crucial in your decision-making process.
2. Use the University Rankings to Guide You
After you research the program, it is important to educate yourself on the reputation of the universities you have shortlisted. To do this, you first need to choose the factors that are the most important to you. Whether it is based on its national reputation, student life or extracurriculars, the Build Your Own Ranking tool by Maclean’s is the best way to compare university rankings.
3. Research About the Lifestyle
Another important factor to consider when choosing a university is the lifestyle. This includes extracurricularssuch as sports, clubs and activities offered on campus. For some students, these extracurriculars shape their university experience. If this is you, it is extremely important to research this topic before deciding. Most universities have a page dedicated to theextracurricularsoffered on their campus. The lifestyle also includes the “vibe” of the off-campus life. Accessing information regarding the off-campus life can be difficult. The best way to get accurate information on this topic is to consult a friend or someone who you may be connected with who attends or has attended the university.
4. Research the Campus and the Facilities/Resources Offered
The campus “feel” is something that is extremely important as you are going to be spending the next, at least, four years there. The first thing you should do is decide if you want to attend a university with asmall campus feel, or a larger university. Once you have decided, you should conduct research on each campus. Your research should include the buildings (especially the one specific to your faculty) along with facilities such as gyms, libraries, residences, food services, and more. Along with this, it is important to familiarize yourself with the resources offered on campus. This includes counselling services, academic help services, health services, and many others.
All of this may seem overwhelming, but familiarizing yourself with the campus will aid you in making the right decision for you. The best way to gain research first-hand is to experience the campus and go on a tour held by the university. If you are unable to do this, then make sure you research thoroughly. Many universities even offervirtual campus tours as well!
5. Research the City Where the University is Located
Once you choose a university, you will be living in that city for at least four years, so it’s important to inform yourself about what the city offers! Yes, this includes things to do with friends, such as places to eat. Although, it also includes necessities such as grocery stores, public transit, and other important services. Consider what your needs are, and evaluate if the city meets your needs. Two websites that may help with your research are TripAdvisor and Yelp.
6. Research Scholarships and Bursaries Offered by Your Top Choices
Securing financial assistance for post secondary can be time consuming, so start your research early. Read six tips to winning scholarships – it's worth your time. There are several available paths where funding may be available, those include grants, bursaries and student loans to name a few. Generally speaking, grants and bursaries do not need to be paid back as long as you satisfy the requirements for those awards. Student loans do need to be paid back. Financial aid tools for Canadian students can be found at the Smart Student Guide to Financial Aid; this source includes provincially-funded aid programs. Scholarships Canada is a searchable database of thousands of scholarships, prizes and bursaries for students entering their first year of post-secondary studies in Canada.
Choosing a university is extremely overwhelming and can be difficult. By researching everything on my checklist above, you will be informed enough when it comes time to decide. Taking all of these factors into account, I have no doubt that you will find the university that best suits you.
Now that you have read this post, I expect you will begin your research with a little more guidance than before. If you don’t know where to start, I suggest you begin by consulting the Maclean’s Education Hub where you can find an array of information regarding academics, money, student living, and rankings.
Hobbies are an excellent way to spend your spare time and unwind from a day of classes and studying. Spending time doing a hobby you enjoy can improve mental health and lower stress levels.
The following hobbies will encourage you to get out of your regular routine and focus on something outside of school for a few hours. These activities can be done alone, with a friend or with a group. All of these hobbies are opportunities to learn new skills, to simply relieve stress, or to help you to discover a new passion!
Take a one time workshop or sign up for a series of classes. Hintonburg Pottery has a wide selection of classes for beginners where you can create a beautiful piece of pottery to bring home! One time workshops start at $75.
Interested in drama, music, dance, painting, drawing and pretty much any other form of art? The City of Ottawa has a course for you. Learn a new skill and get to know people in your community! Courses range from $24 and up to fit any budget.
The Ottawa City Woodshop offers a wide variety of courses for all skill levels. Learn to build anything from a toboggan to a coffee table. Courses start at $150, but provide invaluable lessons and a beautiful product to bring home. Also, if you enjoy woodworking you can build your own creations at the shop by getting a monthly membership.
Choose from a huge selection of premade figurines, mugs, vases and pots and get creative. Paint to your heart's desire and pick up your glazed and fired item a week later. Ceramics start at $17 a piece.
Coyote Rock Gym was Ottawa’s first rock climbing gym. It has five dedicated bouldering areas, which make it a great place to learn the basics. A basic intro lesson for first time climbers is free, and for just $40 you can get a two-hour lesson that covers basic climbing techniques, climbing terminology and more.
Beaver Boxing Club is one of the most affordable sports memberships you will find in Ottawa. It is a not-for-profit organization with incredible student membership fees. Drop in for a technical boxing class for just $12, or join for a month for $42.22 with their student discount.
Drop in for an Elevate Yoga class for $20 plus a 20% student discount. Elevate offers classes for all skill levels which makes it a great place to learn. Also, Elevate offers a volunteer program where you can work for 3.5 hours per week in exchange for unlimited yoga classes. This is a great opportunity for students on a low budget.
Do you love Italian food? La Bottega Nicastro has a large variety of cooking and wine classes to choose from. Learn about food from different regions of Italy and enjoy a three course meal after. Their experiences start at $60.
Giving back to your community can be extremely rewarding. Volunteering is an excellent way to get out of your routine, meet new people and help out those in need. Find a cause that speaks to you!
10. Teach yourself a new skill online
Taking classes might not be in everyone’s budget. Thanks to the Internet, there are thousands of online resources regarding any hobby you might be interested in. Here are a few you can check out for inspiration:
As you can see, there are endless opportunities when it comes to finding a hobby. Hobbies offer you a time to be creative and de-stress during the stressful school semester. I hope this article helped inspire you and if it did, be sure to share it with your friends! For more content regarding things to do in Ottawa visit https://www.rebeccastiletto.com/.
As a fourth-year BCom Marketing student, I never could have imagined that the end of my semester would be suddenly shifted from in-person lectures to online learning. While the adjustment was at first stressful, it is certainly necessary so that we can all practice social distancing.
After two full weeks of this “distance learning” thing, I think I’ve finally got a handle on balancing productivity and self-care by trying to stick to a productive schedule. Here’s how my days of studying at home are going:
9:00 a.m.
I try not to sleep past 9:00 a.m. in the mornings in order to avoid that groggy feeling. I start off with a few stretches to some of my favourite tunes. Then, I usually make tea and oatmeal for breakfast.
9:45 a.m.
This is my 15-minute window to scroll through social media, text friends and family, and just relax before starting a day of studying. I’ll also go through my playlists to decide the type of music I want to listen to throughout the day. The right type of music will help you focus and stay motivated. I highly recommend Spotify’s Brain Food playlist that’s specifically designed for studies.
10:00 a.m.
Once I open up my laptop, the first thing I do is check-in with my teammates on various group projects. It’s important to stay updated on everyone’s progress to help the team feel supported, and stay on track to meet deadlines. One of my groups recently started using Google Hangouts, which is a great tool for group video calls and screen sharing.
11:00 a.m.
Depending on my priorities, I’ll usually take the late-morning to work on assignments like my Business Ethics essay or watch online lectures. Yesterday, I learned about paid advertising in the online lecture for my Digital Marketing class!
1:00 p.m.:
After a couple hours of studying, it’s lunch time - be sure to eat something nutritious and rich with vitamins to strengthen your health. Sometimes I check out EatingWell’s website for hundreds of quick and easy healthy recipes. I try to make lunch even more fun by scheduling video lunch dates with friends and co-workers so that you can eat and chat together, virtually, to avoid feeling lonely or isolated.
2:00 p.m.:
I’ll take the next 3 hours to be as productive as possible, knowing that after 5:00 p.m., I start to get distracted easily. Being productive doesn’t mean non-stop work though. I try to take 10-minute breaks after every hour of work to breathe, move around, or step outside. I love using the short guided meditations from the non-profit, Smiling Mind app, which has hundreds of meditation programs for free.
5:30 p.m.:
Depending on upcoming deadlines, I might need to do more work into the evening, but I am always sure to go on a walk in my neighbourhood before sunset. Whether you go on your own with music, while chatting on the phone with friends, or with family, the fresh air is sure to brighten your spirit and clear your mind.
For the rest of the evening, I try to connect with my friends and family over video calls, plan my schedule for the next day, and watch some TV, of course. Netflix Party is an awesome extension so that you can watch Netflix “with” your friends, from anywhere in the world.
Regardless of what your distance learning routine is, the important thing is that you have a routine that will help you feel normal and stay organized during the remaining of this unprecedented semester. Your schedule should include time to connect with your loved ones and with yourself so that you can maximize your study sessions and ace the rest of the semester. Even if you stray from your schedule, it’s alright - simply try to refocus when you catch yourself getting distracted, and don’t add too much pressure on yourself. The University of Ottawa and the Telfer School are here to support you through this crazy time.
You can schedule phone appointments with our Career Centre on Career Launch, contact the Co-op office at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it., and access remote mental health support here. Stay healthy and happy studying, #TelferNation!
In an effort to keep the Ottawa community as healthy as possible and the coronavirus (COVID-19) from rapidly spreading, the University of Ottawa has implemented measures to maintain “social distancing”.
Ottawa restaurant, Dreamland Cafe, located on Preston Street in Little Italy, has chosen to close their restaurant to the public. However, they stay open with special hours to make delicious meals ready for delivery or pickup at the back. Dreamland Cafe expanded their online menu (including homemade pasta sauce) and lowered their prices to help out during this financially difficult time. You can order from them using UberEATS, since Uber has decided to waive delivery fees to also assist the community during this time.
Like Dreamland, Luxe Bistro, located in the Byward Market, has taken a similar approach. They will be closed to the public, but are open for take-out by providing their food via UberEATS, DoorDash, and offering "drive-through" and personal home delivery service. They are even offering a few grocery staples to customers in order to keep grocery stores from getting too busy.
Although many food stores and restaurants made the difficult decision to close, La Bottega Nicastro did what they could before closing up shop. They donated over $1,000 worth of food to Operation Ramzieh, a crisis Relief team that has assembled to assist seniors and other vulnerable Canadians during the COVID-19 crisis.
Many other restaurants making an effort to serve the community with the availability of their food include:
As we are all advised to stay inside, many gyms and fitness studios have closed in the city to help reduce the spread of germs. One Ottawa dance studio has come up with an idea to help citizens stay active, while participating in online live video dance classes. Dance Fusion Studio has emailed their dancers providing virtual classes via Zoom to help you “dance away in your living room” while you are staying inside.
In addition, popular Ottawa yoga studio run by co-entrepreneurs Amber and Jen, Pure Yoga, is hosting yoga sessions on their online platform, where they have over 150 classes available. During this time, they are offering the first two weeks free, and a discounted price using specific promotional code.
Other Ottawa fitness and wellness businesses that are adapting to these new circumstances include:
Wallack’s Art Supplies is a store on the corner of Bank Street full of art supplies for those of you who are painters, sketch artists, and do-it-yourself enthusiasts. They too have closed their store due to advice from public health officials, but their online store remains open with both pick-up and delivery options available.
Local bookstore on Bank Street, Black Squirrel Books, is putting together and delivering packages of mystery books for their customers. According to the Ottawa Citizen, “Customers can select any genre they’re interested in — mysteries, fiction, history, self-help, children’s books, etc. — or simply order a surprise box. With either option, customers have no idea of what specific titles they’ll receive.”
Many other local businesses have modified their business models to serve the many needs and interests of the Ottawa community, such as:
4. Keeping Us Healthy and Protected from the Virus
Several local businesses are stepping up to the plate when it comes to staying healthy by using their existing resources. For example, Perth distillery, Top Shelf Distillers, has been producing hand sanitizer to combat the depleting amounts in stores. They launched a “crowdfunding campaign to fund the production, procurement and scale of batches of hand sanitizer as the already overwhelming demand grows,” which was extremely successful as they exceeded their fundraising goal in just one day, sharing their story on CTV News.
Another distiller contributing to sanitation efforts is Dairy Distillery in Almonte, located about an hour outside of Ottawa. The company is creating two products: a surface sanitizer, and a large format hand sanitizer with a pump. They wanted to share these products with members of the community, including health clinics, hospitals, veterinarian hospitals, and charities.
In addition, members of the University of Ottawa are finding a way to directly help healthcare workers stay protected from the virus. At Makerspace on campus, Midia Shikh Hassan, a manager at the university’s Centre for Entrepreneurship and Engineering Design (CEED), is using 3D printers and laser cutters to manufacture vital personal protective equipment. CEED can create 10 to 20 face shields every two hours, and plans to make even more equipment needed with feedback from physicians from The Ottawa Hospital.
You can support our local businesses by purchasing gift cards, shopping online, or ordering take-out or delivery items.
What local businesses have you noticed making a change during this time? Let us know some of your favourites and what they are doing to support the Ottawa community.
As of Wednesday, March 18, 2020 all in-person classes and labs in the current (Winter 2020) term will be moved to distance and online learning formats for the rest of the semester. We understand that this may increase stress and anxiety, so we’ve put together a quick list of tips to help you manage your studies from home.
Maintain self-care: First and foremost, taking care of yourself will allow you to succeed throughout these weeks. Get into a daily routine that works for you, eat and sleep properly, take breaks when needed, and try some at-home exercises such as yoga, body-weight workouts, or stretching.
Create a dedicated workspace: You might not be used to watching online lectures or making notes from home, so it is important to create a comfortable space for you to maximize productivity. Try to stay away from your bed (which won’t promote focus), and work at a table with a comfortable chair as if you were at school. You can even decorate the space with some cute plants and art that you already have at home.
Make a plan: It’s easy to get distracted and lose track of deadlines at home. Start off by building a calendar with all of your important dates, and then figure out a to-do list prioritized by date and/or importance. Having a visual to look at when you’re feeling lost will help to keep you on track.
Use group communication tools: Being at home can be isolating, so be sure to keep in touch with group members, classmates, and friends via digital tools through group chats and direct messages. This will help you feel more supported.
Ensure that you have access to everything you need: In order to stay on top of your work, make sure that you have consistent access to Wi-Fi. Sometimes, connections can be interrupted, and technology mishaps occur all the time. You can take measures to save work or important files often. You can also share your documents online in cloud-based drives, so that you can access them from anywhere while using Wi-Fi. We suggest you save contact information of professors and classmates in case you need to reach them due to missing information or technical difficulties.
Finally, don’t be afraid to ask for help. We are all entering uncharted territory and need to support one another. Stay in touch and stay healthy - we will see you soon #TelferNation!
Telfer School of Management Bachelor of Commerce students Joy Xu, Leah Salzman, Lina Salama and Madison Woo, better known by their collective pseudonym “Employees of the Month” at the competition, brought recognition to the program by winning 1st place at the 5th annual Diversity and Inclusion Case Competition. In all five years since the competition’s founding, a Telfer team has won first place each time, with “Employees of the Month” representing Telfer at the fifth edition. The competition took place last Saturday, February 29th, at Export Development Canada (EDC), one of the founding partners of the event.
The group’s ideas, which the judges found to be refreshing and grounded in the reality of today’s world, earned them a shared $5,000 prize that was presented at the evening awards gala. This was the first year that the competition was open to not only MBA students, but also to third and fourth-year undergraduate students. The latter showed they were up for the task, as two of the four finalist teams came from undergraduate programs.
A new edition this year in the spirit of renewal and innovation, this fifth edition of the competition started on Friday evening, February 28th, at a networking launch event at Bayview Yards. An interactive activity hosted by second founding partner, Deloitte, was definitely the highlight of the evening, according to many participants. The Deloitte Greenhouse team offered the students who were present an opportunity to attend four workshops that were each as useful as the next. Participants were invited to discuss real diversity and inclusion issues both in the workplace and in everyday life.
For this year's competition, which could count on the support of Royal Bank of Canada (RBC) for the first time, the participants received the case analysis two weeks in advance, which marked a new direction for the case competition. Twelve teams from 10 different universities across Canada had to develop a strategy to recruit, retain, and develop employees of visible minority groups working for the Bank of Canada (the official author of the case study) by highlighting barriers to equal access.
According to Professor Catherine Elliott, Director of the Telfer MBA program, this new format enabled the teams to bring more depth in their analyses and increase the quality of the cases in the first round of presentations. “The bar keeps getting higher!” said Catherine; “Diversity and inclusion is now part of CEOs’ vocabulary, and is receiving more and more visibility as a topic in businesses. We can expect to host more teams and businesses involved in this subject, as a result, for the years to come.
The Competition
The purpose of the first part of this case analysis, which was presented before an audience for the first time this year, was to select four teams for the final round. This is where Joy Xu’s team stood out from the crowd, and this time the finalists had only 75 minutes to prepare before tackling a new problem posed by the Bank of Canada regarding employment equity data.
“Everything we learned in case resolution was really helpful to us, and each of us was able to put our own resources to work for the team, to determine exactly what employees needed”, Joy told us in the moments following the “Employees of the Month” victory. There was also the fact that two team members had to join the team just a few weeks before the start of the competition, and so the four of them were particularly pleased with this excellent outcome.
Another Telfer team, composed of Aditya Bhatkal, Allison Caverly, Camille Sigouin and Lisa Filter, all four MBA students, also performed well on the first round, but were unable to qualify for the final. The classmates were still happy to have had the experience and pleased with their presentation to the judges.
Competition Winners:
1st Place: Telfer School of Management, uOttawa, BCom
2nd Place: Schulich School of Business, York University, MBA
Tied for 3rd Place:
Memorial University of Newfoundland, Undergraduate; and
DeGroote School of Business, McMaster University, MBA
The steering committee is already planning the 6th edition of the event, which will take place in early 2021. Any organization with an interest in diversity and inclusion issues and topics is invited to contact the Telfer Graduate Programs Office to discuss possible participation in next year’s competition at:This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
If you know an alumnus or alumna whose efforts deserves to be recognized, nominate them for an award.
There is no shortage of exemplary alumni at the Telfer School of Management. In 2019, Mari Teitelbaum (MHA 2010), Marc Tassé (MBA 1997) and Luc Fortin (BCom 1990) were awarded the Trudeau Medal for their leadership, initiative and contributions made not only to the world of business and health care but to their communities and alma mater. Derek D. Ricci (BCom 2002) was recognized with the Young Achiever’s Award for his personal and professional achievements in an exceptional period of time.
This is your chance to tell us about a Telfer alumnus that you feel is deserving of our Alumni Awards. Details on the two award categories, as well as the nomination form can be found below.
The nomination period opens on January 30, 2020. These recognitions will be awarded at the next Gala of Excellence, in Ottawa, on October 17, 2020.
The awards selection committee is composed of representatives from the Telfer School, the Telfer School of Management Alumni Association, the MBA Alumni Association, the MHA Alumni Association and the Executive MBA Alumni Association.
The deadline for nominations is June 15, 2020 at 12 p.m.
The 2020 CEOx1Day program, organized by Odgers Berndtson, has finalized its placements with four of Telfer’s Bachelor of Commerce students in the semi-finals. This challenge includes a selection process, and the top winners will win a day to spend with any CEO participating in the program. After several rounds of a competition selection process, one Telfer student made it to the top two Ottawa finalist spots.
We would like to congratulate the following BCom students for their progression to the semi-finals round:
Ciara Carey: 4th-year, International Management
Farah Osman: 3rd-year, Marketing
Joy Xu: 4th-year, Accounting
Rylan Williams: 4th-year, International Management
Odgers Berndtson, a global executive search firm, started this program as a world-wide initiative that connects third and fourth-year students with top CEOs. To find the next generation of Canadian business leaders, Odgers Berndtson has selected 20 students to shadow some of Canada’s top CEOs.
Students discover the inner workings that build company success, such as fostering a culture of collaboration and innovation.
CEOx1Day has brought in new companies to match with students for the program’s 7th edition, including:
Odgers Berndtson works with a broad range of clients and integrated talent solutions. The CEOx1Day program was the organization’s way of investing in the development of Canada’s future leaders.
This Year’s University of Ottawa Finalist
Ciara Carey, this year ‘s finalist, shared the details on her journey from application to final placement. She listed some of the opportunities that led her to feel more prepared going into the various competing rounds:
“I feel extremely fortunate for the different opportunities and teams I’ve gotten to be a part of throughout my Telfer undergraduate experience (BSA, JDCC, etc). I’ve learned many hard skills as a result of my involvement; however, what I’m most thankful for are the soft skills I have developed.
Coming into university after having played competitive basketball rigorously, I thought I understood work ethic and teamwork, but these extracurriculars ended up being a whole other test of what it means to be part of something bigger than yourself. They taught me to self-reflect, work on seeing the bigger picture, and how to act with humility. Most importantly, I’ve learned how to be a better teammate.
Due to my extra-curricular involvement, I had many experiences that I could pull from to demonstrate my leadership abilities, that I wouldn’t have had otherwise.“
Application Process
The application process for this year started in early October 2019, which the Canadian Association of Business Schools (CABS) added as a requirement for all Jeux Du Commerce Central (JDCC) delegates. After the application, an online leadership assessment was conducted by Hogen Assessments. Next, the applicant is drawn for a telephone interview with an Odgers Berndtson executive search professional. The last step was a half-day semi-finalist evaluation at the Odgers Berndtson’s office. Challenges, workshops, and exercises were used to assess the interpersonal and communication skills of the candidates, as well as their teamwork skills, problem solving abilities, and leadership potential.
The Motivation to Apply
As a JDCC delegate and this year’s JDCC Coordinator, Ciara submitted an application to the program, as she “thought shadowing a CEO for a day would be an amazing experience. After reading the descriptions of the CEOs offered in the region, I was excited by the idea of spending a day with Sasha Suda and learning about her journey.” Ciara shared, “I am especially interested in learning more about how the National Art Gallery operates in general, and the leadership abilities that are needed as a CEO. Furthermore, I’m curious about the organization’s strategic goals and the role Mrs. Suda plays in achieving them. I would also love to hear about her personal journey, and her opinion about the impact that art has on the community.“
Tips for Future Applicants
Applying to a program of this magnitude can be intimidating at first, but certainly worth while. With the right tips, you can work towards hopefully obtaining a finalist position. Ciara shared her advice for students applying for next year’s CEOX1Day program:
“An obstacle you might face is an internal struggle deciding to actually apply. Similarly to when underclassmen ask me for advice about getting involved in Telfer, my biggest advice for folks interested in CEOx1Day is to ‘just go for it!’ Don’t be afraid to put yourself out there and don’t be afraid to ‘fail’ (everything is a learning opportunity). For CEOx1Day, I think it definitely helps to be honest and authentic, especially when it comes to the Hogan Assessment portion of the selection process.”
Ciara also shared that she is happy to get in contact with any students that may be looking for advice for their future application!
We hope Ciara has an insightful day at the National Art Gallery, and look forward to learning more about her experience.
Written By: Alexander Campbell, Telfer MBA Candidate
From January 3rd to 6th, a group of 17 talented MBA students from the Telfer School of Management travelled to Hamilton, Ontario to compete in the 2020 MBA Games. The MBA Games is one of the largest student-run competitions in Canada, where delegates come together from across Canada to compete in three areas: Academics, Athletics and Spirit.
In Academics, our “Wildcard” case competition team took on a case about Corporate Social Responsibility and advanced to the finals, placing them in the top four among all MBA programs across the country. The team was comprised of Candyce Yue Sun, Jason Tsang and Matt Gibbons. We also fielded teams in the Finance, Marketing and Strategy categories.
Wildcard Team
In Academics, our “Wildcard” case competition team took on a case about Corporate Social Responsibility and advanced to the finals, placing them in the top four among all MBA programs across the country. The team was comprised of Candyce Yue Sun, Jason Tsang and Matt Gibbons. We also fielded teams in the Finance, Marketing and Strategy categories.
In Athletics, our volleyball team played four hard-fought games but did not advance past the round-robin. Our basketball team notched a victory against the Haskayne School of Business (Calgary) but also was not able to advance.
In Spirit, we rocked some impressive dance moves at the opening ceremonies, found a creative way to crack an egg with our Rube Goldberg Machine, and came within a second of knocking the host, DeGroote School of Business, out of the Minute-to-Win-It competition.
Lastly, and perhaps most importantly, the team was able to raise a total of $870 for the MBA Games’ charitable partner, Empowerment Squared, an organization that empowers youth to realize their potential and achieve their dreams through mentorship, access to post-secondary education, information literacy, and sports and recreation.
All the team’s successes over the weekend were made possible by generous contributions from our sponsors: The Telfer School of Management, QMR Consulting, and Welch LLP.
Written by Alex Dalcourt, fourth-year Telfer Bachelor of Commerce student
I almost missed my first class of the semester...I caught a cold and have dark circles under my eyes. So why do I still have an unwavering smile? All of this is a welcomed sacrifice, since I had the privilege of spending the first weekend of the new year in Montréal at the Jeux Du Commerce competition alongside 82 fellow Telfer students. The slogan for this edition of the games was: #expérienceJDC—and wow, it was quite an experience!
I was part of the Debate team, and though we did not win (we lost in the quarter-finals), I am nonetheless proud of our performance. We held weekly practices since the start of the academic year, and we all improved tremendously under the supervision of our extraordinary coach.
As well, the other Telfer teams that I saw present (Marketing, Entrepreneurship and the Surprise case) were all terrific. It is clear that the entire Telfer JDC team learned many practical concepts that will be useful throughout our professional careers.
Memories Worth Much More than a Trophy
“So Alex,” friends ask me, “why was this weekend such a success, if you didn’t win?” It’s simple: because I have memories that are worth much more than a trophy. (Yes, the trophy would have been a nice bonus, but regardless...).
This academic competition is a powerful catalyst for building friendships with other Telfer students during bus trips, meals, galas, while waiting in hotel rooms, through the lack of sleep, and the jokes that are only funny because of sleep deprivation, and so on. I came out of this weekend with 81 new friends whom I will have the pleasure of seeing during and between classes in the Desmarais Building. I also came back with songs like Sam Hunt’s “House Party” stuck in my head because it was played non-stop on the bus, as well as with increased knowledge of horoscopes thanks to my new friend, and with a better idea of where various Québec universities are located in the famous Belle Province.
The atmosphere surrounding this competition promotes mutual support and collegiality among participating universities; it gave me a unique opportunity to connect with people from across Eastern Canada—whether they were from the University of Moncton, the John Molson School of Business at Concordia University, and Université Laval. I had the privilege of spending time with them during the many hours we spent in isolation, playing Werewolf Hangman, and card games.
A Competition, After All
I will always remember the debates my team and I had—after all, this competition had an academic goal!
The topics were sometimes a little obscure—for example, the debate on the Canada–United States Safe Third Country Agreement, where we did not have Internet access to find out its specific content. However, all in all, we did rather well, and I’m very proud of that. As a result of the critical analysis skills and general knowledge we gained during our practices, we were ready to tackle almost any case that could have been thrown at us with a fresh mind and strong team spirit.
In short, this impressive competition (with 1,300 participants and organized by students) was a genuine success, in my opinion, both for my team and for the entire delegation. So, am I tired? Definitely! But am I happy to have participated in the 2020 Jeux du Commerce? That's for sure. Fatigue will dissipate, but the memories of this #experience will last forever.
About the Author:
Name: Alex Dalcourt
Email address: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. LinkedIn
Instagram: @alex.dalcourt
Born in Hearst, Ontario, Alex Dalcourt is a 4th year student at the Telfer School of Management at the University of Ottawa in the Bachelor of Commerce and Juris Doctor program. He currently works as a mentor at the Telfer School and as a tutor at the University's Faculty of Law. In addition, he was co-president of the 16th edition of Place à la Jeunesse, an academic competition managed at the Telfer School.
Through months and months of training, coaching, practice, and simulation, our JDCC team brought home 3 wins!
From January 3 to 7th, 2020, nearly 130 students represented the Telfer School of Management at the two largest undergraduate case competitions in Canada. These competitions are comprised of over 10 universities, and students can compete in either academics, sports, or social categories.
Management and business students across Canada spend months searching for the best candidates, placing them into categorical teams (such as marketing or finance), and help them practice their competition skills to compete against top students across the nation. In terms of the academics component, teams of three are given three hours to develop a case resolution that they then share with a panel of judges during a 20-minute presentation. Only the top three teams receive recognition and awards at the closing ceremony.
Jeux Du Commerce
This year, JDC was hosted at HEC Montréal in Quebec, where Telfer students were competing against 13 other schools in Québec. With a team of 82 students, Telfer brought home:
2 VIP Awards
Andre Caissie - Accounting Case
Charles Doray - Surprise Case
1 Team MVP (4 people)
Quinn St. Pierre
Sammy Najm
Olivia Yap
Angela Monfleury
Students are selected for VIP awards by academic judges for standing out in their category and presentation.
MVPs are awarded only to 1 person per category but in this case, was given to one team: the social team.
Jeux Du Commerce Central
At JDCC, Telfer students travelled to St.Catherines, Ontario to compete at Brock University, where Telfer students were competing against 11 other schools from Ontario. With a team of 46 students, Telfer brought home:
3 Podium Awards
1st place - HR case (Joy Xu, Aman Sidhu, Soumaya Esanhaji)
3rd place - Debate case (Samuel Benhamou, Aadi Koundal, Joseph Salem, Omar Al Salaq)
3rd place - Wildcard case (Bobby Wong, Dylan Budimir-Hussey, Soumaya Esanhaji)
2 VIP Awards
Bobby Wong - Entrepreneurship case
Dylan Budimir Hussey - Finance case
1 MVP
Amede Fontaine - Sports team
The Telfer Competitions Committee (TCCT) is the student association that selects and prepares undergraduate delegations for both JDC and JDCC. They are the students that reach out to all the coaches, which significantly impacts the team’s success. They also provide all the practice cases and run the case simulations.
Leah Salzman, President of TCCT said:
“I would like to commend the hard work of every delegate that participated this year. I would also like to recognize the outstanding work of both the JDC Coordinators and JDCC Captains. Without them and the delegates, none of this would be possible. Lastly I would like to thank the Telfer faculty for their ongoing support.”
We look forward to cheering on our Telfer students again at next year’s JDC and JDCC competitions! Now, TCCT is getting ready for the next case competition, Happening Marketing, taking place in Spring 2020.
The pressure of going back to school and managing your time for a new year and semester after the holidays can feel overwhelming. It is important to take the time to ensure that you’re staying healthy and organized to avoid major stress and exhaustion.
Here are some management tips for success this semester:
1. Take care of yourself: Self-care is more than a weekly face mask! Taking care of your mental and physical health is key to success in every facet of your life:
Sleep: You’ve probably heard it a hundred times, but the importance of sleep cannot be stressed enough. Get at least 7 hours per night to have a well-functioning brain by the morning. Read the benefits of a good night’s rest in this Medical News Today article.
Hydrate: When you’re thirsty, drink water. When you’re bored, drink water. When you’re tired, drink water. There is never a bad time to drink water! Try to always have a reusable water bottle with you, which you can refill at our many water stations across campus.
Mental health: Be sure to prioritize your mental health, because a healthy mind makes a healthy you. The University of Ottawa offers a variety of mental health counselling services including therapy, workshops, and group sessions. Check the uOttawa Mental Health and Wellness website to keep up with their schedule of free events such as yoga, reiki, and pet therapy.
Exercise: You already know this, but exercise is essential for a healthy body and mind. Here’s a list of super easy ways to stay active throughout the busy semester, like taking the stairs over elevators.
Eat well: The key to a nutritious diet is variety. Be sure to have a ton of colours on your plate from vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and proteins. Get more information on eating well and tips for a balanced diet from the Heart and Stroke Foundation.
2.Get organized: Organization is more than colour-coding your accounting notes. There are simple tasks and tools to keep you on track for success.
Set goals: Set short and long-term goals for your personal and professional development. Take it a step further by writing down and tracking the little steps that will lead you to achieve your bigger goals.
Use a planner: Whether it’s a hand-held agenda or a digital calendar, it can be super helpful to have a visual representation of your upcoming deadlines, meetings, and events. Check out this list of some of the top calendar apps for 2020.
Prioritize and reprioritize: Now that you have your scheduled planned, you can figure out what are the most important things to work on every day. Even after you’ve decided these priorities, situations might change and you might need to reprioritize - that’s okay! The ability to be flexible enough to adapt your to-do list when needed is a great skill that you will use throughout your career.
3. Meet with an Academic Specialist: As a Telfer student, you have access to professionals who specialize in helping you plan your BCom degree and career path afterwards.
Changing your course sequence: Don’t worry if you need to make changes to your course sequence. Whether you want to ensure you have all the credits to graduate on time or faster, change your specialization, or go on international exchange, our Academic Specialists can help you to plan all your semesters so that you take the right courses at the right time.
Sign up for a meeting: Set up a chat with a Telfer Academic Specialist at the Student Services Centre to discuss your academic progress. Visit the offices at DMS1100, give them a call at (613) 562-5805, or send them an email at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Whether you want to adopt a new lifestyle or simply implement baby steps towards change, we wish you all the best with your growth and learning in 2020!
Over the last few weeks, the Bachelor of Commerce 4th-year students completed their respective capstone courses. As a team, students must conduct a live case study on a specific issue related to a real company. The finalists of each discipline must then present their work in front of a panel of professionals and classmates.
Intopia From November 8 to 10, 4th-year students participated in the Intopia Strategy Simulation, as part of their Strategic Management class. The aim of the simulation is for students to apply strategic management concepts in an online-simulated world, where they are required to make quick decisions in a determined period and negotiate with their peers in order to grow their business over the weekend.
Congratulations to the members of the winning team: Katya Berezovskaia, Robert Mackenzie Duncan, Patrick Kaminski, Tsoi Yuen Lau and Evan Naylor
Michel Cloutier Marketing Competition On December 3, the Telfer School of Management hosted the Michel Cloutier Marketing Competition, a live case competition, where fourth-year marketing students are required to present a marketing plan which aims to solve a real-life issue. This year's cohort created marketing strategies for the University of Ottawa's Alumni Engagement team.
Congratulations to the winning team: Jia Zi Chen, Jiana Bandojo, Kyenshak Zakka, Will Vincent, Michael Vice and Fiona Ing.
Finance Capstone All finance students must take the Equity Valuation course in which they undertake a case analysis to estimate the value of a real company and elaborate an action plan to enhance the company’s economic performance. On December 4, finalists presented their results in front of a panel while other students created posters explaining the company’s financial value. This semester's teams analyzed a case on Canopy Growth.
Congratulations to the winning team of the case competition: Tsoi (Jack) Lau and Mackenzie Duncan.
Congratulations to the winning team of the poster competition: Rushika Khatkar, Nourhan Mohamed and Pierre-Andre Smith.
Accounting Capstones On December 4and November 25, the finalists of the accounting competition presented their analysis of a company and report on related accounting issues.
Congratulations to the winning team of the English accounting section: Robin Cheung, Adib Hossain, Kushalsingh Romooah, Ziyad Zeidan, Yasr Said and Leah Salzman.
Congratulations to the winning team of the French accounting section: Laurence Vaillancourt, Alexandre Plouffe, Tina Samaha and Myriam Joanisse.
Job shadowing is cool, but in honour of Telfer’s 50th birthday, we thought it would be more fun to try a “reverse job shadow”.
Earlier in 2019, Telfer accounting alumna of 1980, Marlene Patrick spent a day with current finance student, Nourhan Mohamed. Throughout the day, they learned just how dramatically the school has changed in the 43 years since Marlene attended the university!
When Marlene walked through the doors of the Desmarais building, she immediately loved the bright sunlight shining through the large lobby windows. This was a pleasant surprise given the historical building on Wilbrod Street that used to be home to the Faculty of Commerce.
The ladies started their day by attending Nourhan’s Operations Management lecture. While many of the course names have changed - Operations Management was called Production back in the 1970s - they discovered that the first and second-year courses back then still exist in today’s Telfer curriculum. Marlene also noticed that female students made up over 50% of the class. Her graduating class only had 17 women out of 57 graduates.
Walking through campus after class, Marlene felt nostalgic seeing her old University of Ottawa buildings like Morisset and Montpetit, where Telfer students still have classes today. However, there was nothing nostalgic about exploring the new STEM and CRX buildings that opened in 2018. The bright colours and innovative design gave Marlene a warm welcome, but she was especially in awe of the Richard L’Abbé Makerspace in the STEM building, where students can design, build, or 3D print their creations.
At the end of their day, Marlene shared some of her photos from her time living in uOttawa’s Thompson residence, on campus, and at graduation with Nourhan. What they realized is that despite the immense changes in technology, appearance, and even school name that have happened at Telfer over the last 43 years, one thing certainly has not changed - the kind and innovative community that students contribute to #TelferNation every single day.
The Gee-Gees celebrated the 2018-19 class of Academic All-Canadians on Wednesday, November 20. The annual reception celebrates the student-athletes on varsity, varsity club, and competitive club teams who competed for uOttawa while also achieving an annual GPA of 8.00 or higher, or studying at the graduate level.
In 2018-19, over 220 student-athletes achieved this prestigious recognition. Each one represents a story of commitment, dedication, and passion for athletic and academic success. For Brendan Jacome, a Finance major on the men’s hockey team, it’s a story of hard work and recognizing one’s strengths.
Brendan Jacome is a 24-year old from Caledon, Ont. Now in his fourth year at uOttawa, Brendan is a key player for the Garnet and Grey on the ice and brings his competitive spirit to his course-work as well.
“Roughly half of my classes are math-based and that is one of my strengths. If I don’t get a question I have a desire and a drive to find the right answer, so I’ll sit and I’ll work on it until I get it,” explains Jacome. “I have to make sure I fully understand that before I move on. You don’t treat it as a chore, you treat it as something that’s going to make you better.”
Getting better is a process that happens academically and on the ice. “If you work really hard at something, and you have a goal set out, there’s a good chance that you’ll be able to achieve it. I think that’s a very valuable outlook that can carry over to many situations.”
At Telfer, Brendan enjoys interacting with his classmates while also having his hockey teammates to support him. “I have people in my group from all over the world. It’s cool to see how we do things differently sometimes but at the end of the day, everyone is focused and wanting to do well. I also have some great professors with good real-world experience and they are very engaging.”
“Lots of guys on our teamwork really hard on their school and a lot of my roommates are in finance too. Our coaches also want to make sure that we succeed. If we have to miss something because of a conflict with the school they are understanding.” There are eight members of the men’s hockey team who earned Academic All-Canadian status in 2018-19.
On the ice, Brendan achieved an interesting statistic last season: he did not take a single penalty. Partly in recognition of that, but also as a nod to his overall quality of play (Brendan was fourth on the Gee-Gees in points and third in goals scored and is an excellent penalty kill player), he won the national award for Most Sportsmanlike men’s hockey player.
“My role is to go out and score points, not to agitate guys. I’m more useful for my team on the ice than in the penalty box! But I like to work hard and make sure I play a good game in all facets.”
That ability to be multifaceted has also been recognized on campus. Brendan won the Gee-Gees President’s award for outstanding commitment to academics and community involvement in addition to athletic performance. With an AGPA of 8.38, he is also active in team efforts to help the local hockey community with clinics and is a visible advocate for the Movember, Hockey Gives Blood, Do it for Daron, and Pride activities that the Gee-Gees take part in.
Brendan anticipates completing his studies at uOttawa this spring. Both the hockey world and the world of finance have opportunities awaiting.
“I’d like to go on and play pro hockey next year. More than anything though I just want to help the team win this year. Right now I am taking it one year at a time and I’ll see what happens. I have had some good internships in the last couple of summers with good firms in the commercial real estate field. I left on good terms and have good relationships, so those doors are open for the future for sure.”
The evening of Monday, November 25th marked Telfer student non-profit organization, CASCO’s 20th annual gala. That’s a full generation raising over $600,000 in funds for the kids at the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO). This year, CASCO President, Michaela McLoughlin, and her hard-working team raised $62,005 for CHEO, funds that will go towards youth mental health initiatives.
The 2019 Gala theme of “The Ripple Effect” came to life at the event with inspiring dancing, singing, and modelling from University of Ottawa students who rehearse every weekend in the fall to prepare for this night. The theme of the gala was moving as each performance was connected to the overall idea that one small action can create a ripple effect that impacts others and can even change the world. The narrator of the show eloquently explained how values such as courage, perseverance, and love have been emulated by many influential leaders such as Mother Theresa, Gandhi, Terry Fox, Malala Yousafzai, Ellen DeGeneres and more.
The CASCO team’s involvement doesn’t end at its spectacular gala though. Students work throughout the entire year to put on unique fundraisers that lead up to the final event. These give students the opportunity to give back to the community while having fun at sports tournaments, paint lessons, bake sales, trivia nights, and more.
CASCO was founded in 1998 by Telfer alumni, Alexandre St-Jean and Tuan Nguyen to honour their friend, Eric Danis who passed away from Leukemia. Every year since then, Telfer students have put in countless hours of work and passion towards the cause, and they’re not done yet.
Congratulations to the entire CASCO team and cast on another successful year and gala!
Dean François Julien and Vice-Dean of Programs & Executive Director of the Telfer Centre for Executive Leadership (CEL) Julie Beauchamp are pleased to announce the appointment of Guy Laflamme and Jean Desgagné as Executives-in-Residence at the Centre.
The Centre for Executive Leadership is part of the Telfer School of Management, and is focused on delivering innovative executive development programming for our clients. The Centre’s clients include public, private and not-for-profit sector organizations in the Ottawa region, across the country, and internationally.
Guy Laflamme
Guy Laflamme is an international keynote speaker with 25 years of experience in high-visibility marketing and production roles for a variety of organizations including the Department of Canadian Heritage, the National Capital Commission, and Casino du Lac-Leamy, among others. He completed his MBA from the Telfer School of Management in 1989, and taught at the Telfer School as a Part-Time Professor for 15 years. He has received the Trudeau Medal in 2005, the highest honour given by the Telfer School of Management to its alumni.
In 2018, Laflamme was a recipient of the Alumnus of the Year Award, which recognizes the outstanding achievement of a University of Ottawa alumni member within the last year. This year, we asked Laflamme to take the role of Honorary Chair for the 50th anniversary of the Telfer School of Management. Laflamme led the Ottawa 2017 project, celebrating 150 years of Canada. The $40 million dollar program of major events and festivities brought in $300 million dollars for the city of Ottawa. That success earned him a nomination to the Order of Ottawa and a Lifetime Achievement Award from the Tourism Industry Association of Ontario. Radio-Canada and LeDroit named him “Personality of the Year” for his vision, boundless imagination, determination and enthusiasm.
Jean Desgagné
Jean Desgagné who has recently been appointed as CEO of Stablecorp Canada and as a Board member of CAA Insurance and Echelon Insurance, was formerly the president and CEO at TMX Global Solutions, Insights and Analytics Strategies. As a Chartered Professional Accountant and a proud graduate of Telfer School of Management (BCom ‘86), he currently serves as a member of the President's Advisory Council for the University of Ottawa, and Chairs the Dean's Advisory Board (Toronto) at Telfer.
As the first donor of its capital fund, Desgagné also contributed to the creation of the Telfer Financial Research and Learning Lab. He also acts as a mentor for the Telfer Capital Markets program, serving as a judge of multiple finance competitions over the years, as well as a notorious speaker at countless events.
Desgagné and his wife started the Desgagné-Soden Family Scholarship Fund for female commerce students, in 2009. “While I applaud all the work that goes on to get women in senior roles,” he says, “I’m acutely aware that we need to get the pipeline going at the beginning.” “It’s a win- win for the students, for the school, and for me,” he says. “I can look back and say I did something good here.”
He also received the Trudeau Medal from his alma mater in 2009, as well as the Queen's Jubilee Medal in 2002 in recognition of his service to the community.
At the Telfer School of Management, we have several networking events going on throughout the year - many of which you don’t want to miss! The whole “networking” concept can be daunting, but it is a valuable step in building professional connections, and ultimately helps in your career search. That is why we want to make sure you are ready to succeed at your next networking event at Telfer.
We have over 200 events going on throughout the year. Here is a list of some of the upcoming events and workshops you should be sure not to miss:
Telfer Networks: Held annually in January, this event enables all students in our BCom or MBA programs to meet with employers who are looking for part-time, summer, contract or full-time workers. This year, practice your networking skills while finding out directly from employers what skills, academic background, and qualifications they are looking for. Sign up to attend on January 23rd.
Small Group MBA Workshops: The Career Centre hosts workshops for MBA students to work together on their career skills throughout the year.
Job Search Skills: This workshop is designed to help you map out an effective job search strategy. Learn more about exploring your interests, strengths and career values, how to establish your job search criteria, and discover various job search techniques. Attend the next one on January 21st.
Let's Talk Networking and Coffee Chats: Career advice publications state that a large proportion of all available jobs are not advertised. To compete for these "hidden" jobs, you need to add a key component to your job search, career and personal life: networking. During this small group session, you will have the opportunity to learn valuable insight on how to build and maintain professional relationships and cover topics such as first impressions and personal branding. You can sign up to attend the next chat on March 4th.
Explore Sports Management Career Journeys with OSEG: Want to learn more about a career in sports management? Join the Ottawa Sports and Entertainment Group (OSEG) on January 17th for a panel discussion at TD Place, a chance to network and chat with the OSEG team members, and a discounted ticket to watch the Ottawa 67's game. Don't forget to bring copies of your resumé!
If you want to prepare to attend these events, we have a few helpful tips you can use:
Check the Telfer Career Centre website regularly for blogs about networking, resume, and interview tips.
If you know the professionals who will be attending the events ahead of time, do some research about them on LinkedIn to prepare some smart questions that you want to ask.
Practice. Practice. Practice. The more you network, the easier it will become!
The Telfer Career Centre is a useful resource open to all students at the Telfer School of Management. No matter what program you are in, the Career Centre will always have a ton of events and tools available through Career Launch that you can use to your advantage.
On November 9th, 2019, 90 students from francophone high schools across Ontario came to Ottawa to participate in the business case competition, Place à la jeunesse at the Telfer School of Management.
Each year, Place à la jeunesse is organized by Telfer students to introduce high school students to the business world, and prepare them for university. At this year’s 16th competition, 30 teams were selected from 90 schools to test their business case skills. The students competed in one of four categories; marketing, accounting, entrepreneurship, or debate.
The event started the evening before the competition, where Telfer students led workshops on PowerPoint, problem-solving, and presentation skills to coach the high school students who had never been in a business environment before. The next day, the teams received their business cases, created solutions, and presented to the judges. Winners received scholarships to the University of Ottawa from sponsors that added up to $82,500.
Telfer is thrilled to congratulate the winners of each category:
Marketing
1st place: Emma Iusan, Vanessa St-Denis et Julianne Lacelle from ÉSC L’Escale
2nd place: Ashley Edouard, Elyse-Anne Bordeleau et Saïma Altimo from CC Samuel-Genest
3rd place: Kara D’Arcangelo, Chloé Emery et Christian Ricard from ÉSC Thériault
Accounting
1st place: Marika Brunet, Emma Phillips and Annabel Clément from ÉSC L’Escale
2nd place: Mélodie Chartrand, Jade Poirier and Julien Lemieux from ÉSCR de Hawkesbury
3rd place: Alexa Caron, Keenan Roy and Emma Bertrand from ÉSC Thériault
Standout competitor: Marika Brunet
Entrepreneurship
1st place: Lyra Sheldon, Cameron Chevalier and Mathias Lazure from ÉSC. E.J. Lajenesse
2nd place: Alexis Jeaurond, Laurie Boucher and Maxim Sauvé-Rozon from ÉSP Le Sommet
3rd place: Patrick Ibrahim, Simon Willemsma and Cyril Fayek from ÉS Père-René-De-Galinée
Debate
1st place: Lia Charleois, Cassandra Joly and Catherine Vaillant from ÉSCR de Hawkesbury
2nd place: Nathalie Shuh, Sarah Clouston amd Anne-Sophie Autale from ÉSP. Le Sommet
3rd place: Delhia Mainville, Kassandra Marleau and Marie Luciani-Grimaldi from ÉSC de Plantagenet
Best Presenters
Marketing: Kara D’Arcangelo
Accounting: Mélodie Chartrand
Entrepreneurship: Maxim Sauvé-Rozon
Debate: Marie Luciani-Grimaldi
The Entrepreneurs’ Club (TECDE) has been hosting the Elevator Pitch Competition as a part of Global Entrepreneurship Week for over a decade, showcasing top talent and innovation among uOttawa student-entrepreneurs. This year’s competition offers ten companies, competing in two divisions, an opportunity to pitch their business ideas for a chance at a prize pack valued at over $35,000; with $20,000 in cash prizes and over $15,000 in additional services including law (offered by LaBarge Weinstein LLP), accounting (offered by Logan Katz) and incubation space (offered by Invest Ottawa).
Throughout the years, the competition has grown both in popularity and in awareness amongst the Ottawa business community. Back in the first few years of the competition, there was one category which was only for companies that were already established. When Professor Stephen Daze, Entrepreneur in Residence at the Telfer School of Management got involved in the event, he pushed for the formation of a second “Validation” category. Professor Daze recently explained the evolution of the competition, and shared that the new category “allows the opportunity to promote that it's important to validate your ideas before you just create a business. By showcasing the top five companies at this stage, [we] demonstrate to everyone else in the room what they need to be doing as next steps for their business ideas.”
Over the decades, TECDE, the Telfer School of Management, and the competition’s sponsors have been able to help countless companies launched by uOttawa students. Two of these companies include Hoppier, co-founded by Telfer alumnus, Cassy Aite, and Welbi, founded by Telfer alumna, Elizabeth Audette-Bourdeau. These two bright co-founders will both be joining the 2019 competition as judges.
Aite, co-founder and CEO of Hoppier shared that: "the Elevator Pitch Competition gave Hoppier the opportunity to connect with a network of people and receive funding to help the company grow in a time when we needed it most. Hoppier was able to grow into a self-sustaining company, achieving over 6 figures in sales in its first year. Today, 2 years later, Hoppier employs over 20 people and is used by companies across Canada and the United States." The ability to create an impact in the lives of students and their companies over the years is the reason why TECDE continues to host this flagship event and strives to make improvements year over year.
In addition to the two category prizes, TECDE will be featuring a People’s Choice Award where the audience will vote on their favourite startup to be awarded a $2000 cash prize!
Join TECDE on Tuesday, November 19th in DMS 4101 to hear the 2019 finalists pitch their ideas and support our uOttawa student-entrepreneurs.
My time at Telfer taught me how to work hard and push beyond my limits. Not long after graduating, I earned my Certified Internal Auditor (CIA) designation. To me, this was an accomplishment worth celebrating. It has continued to pay dividends over the years, providing me with a number of professional opportunities. I strongly value continuous growth and learning, which is why giving back to Telfer means so much to me, and why I am honoured to be receiving this award. It demonstrates that you do not have to wait to make a difference. When you give from your own abundance, you can contribute time or money at any age and regardless of the resources at your disposal.
Volunteer Donor of the Year
Jodie Harrison
I am an extrovert by nature, I love working with people and having a chance to impact their lives. It is something of a recurring theme in my life. It is what I liked about Telfer: the opportunity to meet other professionals, to be mentored. That connection is important. That is why I volunteer. The Executive Mentorship Program allows you to take a student under your wing and help them with career counselling and networking. It is very rewarding. As was chairing Telfer’s 24th Annual Golf Tournament: We set up a family scholarship for a student from Northern Ontario, where I am from. I am honoured and humbled by this award, and thankful for opportunity to be able to give back and help the next generation.
Loyal donor of the year
Marie Fortier
I started in Commerce, but in 1969, I discovered a new program existed – Masters in Health Administration – and I never looked back. I got a lot of satisfaction in my first 10 years at the old Ottawa General Hospital and when I became CEO of what was then the Hull Hospital. However, my impact was limited to one city, so I took a low-level government job in Indigenous Health. It stimulated me into thinking about the country as a whole. This eventually served me well as Associate Deputy Minister and Deputy Minister in my work with minority language communities, resulting in organizations that continue to make a big difference today. I am very proud of that. It was the main reason I was appointed to the Order of Canada in 2016. I feel partly humbled and partly grateful for this recognition.
Five notable alumni will be recognized by the Telfer School of Management by receiving Trudeau medals, the Young Achiever's Award and the Dean's Philos Award for their outstanding contributions to the world of business, healthcare, community and their alma mater at the 2019 Gala of Excellence. The Gala will be held at the Shaw Centre on Saturday, October 19, 2019 and this event also serves as an opportunity to collectively celebrate the Telfer School and highlight the graduation anniversary of the classes of 1969, 1979, 1994 and 2009.
Trudeau Medals
Luc Fortin, BCom 1990
Although going to the University of Ottawa for Business was an eleventh hour decision for me, it was one I will never regret. The Telfer School of Management gave me the fundamental skillset I needed. More importantly, it peaked my curiosity and completely opened my eyes to this horizon that was Finance. For me, the best way to achieve success is by being collaborative, being eternally optimistic and most importantly helping to unleash people’s potential. When you start leveraging the strengths and complementary skillsets of the whole team, it can be a very, very powerful thing!
Marc Y. Tassé, MBA 1997
My Telfer journey started in 1986 as an undergrad. It’s 2019, 33 years later, I’m still there — and I’m very happy to still be there. I have spent my professional life working in forensic accounting, fraud detection, anti-corruption and anti-money laundering. There is a lot of negativity that comes out of my day to day but I find optimism in my academic life, especially when I see that the new generation of students actually rejects unethical behaviors. The core values that we need in the business world right now are integrity, ethics, and transparency. At Telfer, we promote those values. I am confident that what I am sharing my students will be remembered and applied. This, to me, is certainly a major cause for celebration.
Mari Teitelbaum, MHA 2010
As I am an electrical engineer by training, I had 15 fun years in the high-tech field. I enjoyed the work, but needed something more meaningful. A friend recommended the Telfer MHA program. It was perfect, and I luckily landed at CHEO for my residency. What drives me is that there is an endless amount of work to do to become a truly patient-focussed system of care. I believe innovation and technology are fundamental in that transformation. To get there, I celebrate people that move beyond their comfort zone to reach their potential. It is magical when committed, smart, hard-working group of people find that rhythm, and that is what I am in this for.
The Young Achiever's Award
Derek d. Ricci, BCom 2002
For me, there is no real secret to success. No shortcut. It is just hard work and taking everything one day or one task at a time. Telfer most importantly taught me about working in teams and the importance of presenting your ideas clearly and succinctly. This has helped me in everything since, be it graduating Law School, making full equity partner in six years, negotiating settlement of a $500 million mining dispute, or joining an elite global network of fraud and asset recovery specialists. I have the privilege of working with a group of truly gifted and amazing colleagues who share my passion for the law, so I share this award with them. At our firm, the work comes before any individual accomplishment.
The Dean's Philos Award
Bernard Raymond, BCom 1981
I am a native of a small village in Abitibi Témiscamingue, where the words "community" and "solidarity" were important. Education has always been one of my priorities; I have been a member of the Board of Trustees of Aylmer Montessori School and Joan of Arc Academy in Ottawa, president of major donations for the University of Québec, made a donation towards admission scholarships at Telfer, and participated in their mentoring program. Inspired by my son, Alexandre, who lives with an intellectual disability, I am proud to have created my own foundation to help people living with intellectual disabilities and their families. Through this foundation, my wish is to ensure the perpetuity of a tradition of giving and sharing.
Entrepreneurship is about more than just starting a business. Entrepreneurship is also a mindset and lifestyle. Before the week starts, you don’t have to go far to find the entrepreneurial spirit in our community! Our university is home to many budding innovators. Here is some advice that some student-entrepreneurs want to share with students interested in entrepreneurship:
While completing her degree in Management Information Systems and Analytics (now renamed Business Technology Management) at Telfer, Alina started HireFast, a SaaS company that reads through millions of data points on Github to source top developer talent for recruiters within seconds.
Alina shares, “starting your own business is an exciting process that leaves you tangled in tons of information about the best next step to take for your business. As a result, tons of great entrepreneurs get stuck in the quicksand known as analysis paralysis. The best way to stop yourself from sinking further is to get ‘out of the building’ and talk to your users about your idea and about your competition.
Two years ago, Management and Entrepreneurship student, Logan launched his startup, Point3D Commercial Imaging, a B2B company that creates media experiences to allow audiences to digitally navigate a space as if they were actually there.
Logan adds that “everyone wants to be successful, but only a few are willing to put in the work to make it happen. From my experience, failing is a key part of the process, but more importantly, it is how you learn from failure that determines your success."
Marketing alumnus, Andres started his own digital agency, Noetic Marketer while he was studying Marketing at Telfer. Now he runs his company from Toronto.
Andres shared some meaningful advice: “entrepreneurship is about adding value to people’s lives through a business or an organization. Is your business making people’s life easier, more enjoyable, more affordable, or profitable? You don’t need a ground-breaking idea or a lot of money to achieve this, all you need to do is care, think critically about this question, and continue to push that agenda. So, don’t overcomplicate entrepreneurship, and put your energy into nurturing your mindset and learning new skills. The idea will come to you as you become passionate about starting your business.”
Check out the uOttawa Global Entrepreneurship Week event schedule to register and connect with some of the brightest and most creative people in Ottawa!
The Telfer Impact goes beyond the classroom. There are countless stories of students and alumni who have truly made a difference through their involvement, community engagement, entrepreneurial vision, and hard work. Over the last 6 weeks, we’ve shared some incredible stories of Telfer students developing into the next generation of leaders:
The CASCO Impact
20 years ago, two inspired Telfer students founded the non-profit organization, CASCO. Every year, Telfer students team up to host spectacular events that raise money for families at the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO). CASCO has donated over $560,000 to the cause ever since.
The Growcer Impact
After visiting communities challenged with food insecurity in Northern Canada, two Telfer BCom alumni, Alida Burke and Corey Ellis created a hydroponic system that grows produce in controlled shipping containers. From there, the business, The Growcer Inc. was born. Today, the company is part of Invest Ottawa’s accelerator program, and its systems are being sold across Canada, empowering communities around the globe to grow their own produce.
The PhD Impact
Telfer PhD candidate, Alex Chung researches the design of wearable technology that influences human behaviour change. As a result of the balanced program, Alex has been able to lead an active and fulfilling life, while impacting the future of wearable technology.
The Unscented Company Impact
BCom alumna, Anie Rouleau is living her dream, running her own eco-sustainable, B Corp certified cleaning product business, The Unscented Company (TUC). Through her innovative business model, Anie has caught the attention of the public with her Dragons’ Den deal to sell TUC products in 500 Canadian Tire stores across Canada.
The MBA Impact
After discovering the world of administration while working at Montfort Hospital, Mélanie Potvin decided to elevate her experience with an MBA in French at Telfer. Now she has the crucial knowledge and confidence in her leadership role as Project Manager for the Orléans Health Hub at the hospital.
These are just a few stories of the meaningful change that Telfer Students are creating. What will be YOUR impact?
The CEOx1Day program from Odgers Berndtson offers student-leaders the opportunity of a lifetime: a chance to spend a day with a top Canadian CEO.
For many management students, the ultimate career achievement is to earn the title of Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of an organization. While being a CEO is a much sought-after position, the job is complex and constantly changing. This one-day event offers third and fourth-year students a unique opportunity to explore a CEO’s role at their respective company.
Last year, there were two Telfer students who advanced far into the program:
Audrey-Anne Délage, semi-finalist
Nayaelah Siddiqui, finalist
International Management and Entrepreneurship student and CEOx1Day finalist, Nayaelah earned one of 18 competitive finalist spots, getting to spend an inspiring day of learning and mentorship with Teresa Marques, CEO of the Rideau Hall Foundation. Nayaelah shared that she “had the opportunity to learn lots of different things” from meeting Former Governor General David Johnston, spending time at the Senate of Canada, and spending one-on-one time with Marques.
Nayaelah faced an intense and eye-opening selection process. To get her day with Teresa Marques, she went through four selection phases: Application, Online Leadership Assessment, Phone Interview, and In-person Evaluation. Nayaelah recalls that she “didn't know if [she] would be the finalist, but just getting through so many rounds gave [her] the confidence boost to never give up and be [herself]. There is a lot to learn even if you don't make it all the way!”
The Telfer MBA was a huge catalyst for change in the career of our graduate Mélanie Potvin, who is now project manager of the Orléans Health Hub at Montfort Hospital.
After graduating from the University of Ottawa with a bachelor’s degree in physical therapy, Mélanie began her career in the health care system. Following several years working in clinical services at the Montfort Hospital and in the Ottawa community, she landed a job in the field of occupational health and safety. This position exposed her to the administrative side of the health care system, sparking a desire to learn more about management. That’s when she decided that an MBA was what she needed to boost her career.
During the application process, the Telfer School of Management contacted Mélanie to determine whether she was interested in completing her MBA in French. The opportunity to benefit from scholarships for this program, but especially to use her mother tongue, really appealed to her and she jumped at the opportunity to do her graduate degree in French.
Thanks to her experience in the healthcare system, and Telfer’s MBA and MHA (master’s degree in health administration) courses, Mélanie has learned how to work on the system and its various challenges. Her educational and practical experiences have provided her with the skills needed to manage complex projects.
Beyond project management, Mélanie has also developed her skills in oral presentation, leadership, human resources, and other management disciplines that are important in her new role.
Mélanie can now proudly say she has what it takes to make an impact at work and in her daily life.
Much more than just a company selling soaps and household products, TUC is trying to redefine the very concept of cleanliness by focusing on innovation and eco-design.
For Anie, sustainable development is not only a fundamental value, it is in the DNA of Unscented Co. From research and development, to minimalist, recyclable and plastic-free packaging, to re-filling stations at local retail partners, to the very furniture of its offices made from recycled materials, every decision is guided by this eco-responsible corporate philosophy.
Her innovative re-definition of the consumption model was not an immediate success, but her patience and strong convictions will have finally paid off in a market where until recently, the environment was not considered an issue."It will have taken a video of a turtle with a straw stuck in its nose for people to wake up," she told us during our interview. "Now we are seeing a real willingness on the part of people to change their consumption habits, and business is starting to move," Anie concluded.
On that note, her business is definitely moving. On October 10, 2019, Canadian Tire announced on a CBC episode of Dragons’ Den, that they would bring TUC products into their 500 stores across Canada. Although Anie was already seeing some craze for her products in local markets, a national distributor such as Canadian Tire will allow her to amplify her message, and together, they will have a real opportunity to change the country's consumption habits.
Her story is an inspiration for the business community that proves that when you have strong convictions, you can make your dreams come true. Once again Anie, congratulations, and we are very proud to have a graduate among us who has such a great impact on our world! #TELFERNATION
The Telfer Financial Research and Learning Lab located in the Desmarais building at the University of Ottawa is used as a key tool to educate students about capital markets.
This lab is recognizable with its real-time stock exchange ticker tape, multiple televisions displaying world news, and 11 Bloomberg terminals available for students. The lab is open to all University of Ottawa students daily from 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 p.m.
Each Bachelor of Commerce student in the Finance specialization requires the use of Bloomberg technology in capstone and mandatory finance classes as well as in extra-curricular programs, workshops and competitions.
The Bloomberg terminals provide students with the ability to retrieve past historical pricing data, review past financial statements of publicly listed companies, acquire in-depth industry analysis, and track macro-economic trends.
Students are able to enhance their resumes by taking the Bloomberg Market Concepts Certification, an 8-hour self-paced e-learning course that provides a visual introduction to the financial markets. This course covers economics, currencies, fixed income and equities, and retails for $249 USD, but is FREE to all students with a valid University of Ottawa ID.
Also, the Financial Research and Learning Lab is the first of its kind in Canada to be recognized as a Bloomberg Experiential Learning Partner (ELP). This means the lab hosts a number of workshops such as “Financial Literacy”, “Key Functions in Bloomberg”, “FactSet Overview” and an “Introduction to Capital Markets”. This is a four-part series that helps students learn and practice technical skills in finance.
Recently, this lab has become part of the University Affiliation Program (UAP) from the Chartered Financial Analysts (CFA) Institute. They are a global association of investment professionals that offer the CFA designation, the Certificate in Investment Performance Measurement designation, and the Investment Foundation Certificate.
As a result of joining the UAP, 10 new scholarships will be awarded this year to select Telfer students. The Manager of the Financial Research and Learning Lab shared that “the scholarship for the CFA designation will be awarded to students who demonstrate excellent academic standing, who have a passion for finance, and have strong career aspirations for capital markets.” Students who are interested in getting their CFA designation and who would like to receive a scholarship are encouraged to talk with the lab manager if they have any questions or if they demonstrate a strong interest in the tools that the Financial Research and Learning Lab has to offer.
In addition, to the variety of opportunities and scholarships offered with access to the lab, there is also a variety of ongoing workshops available throughout the year, led by industry professionals such as Vice Presidents, Portfolio Managers, and Asset Management professionals from leading institutions.
This lab also enables students to compete in an annual Telfer Simulation Trading Competition. Top competitors of the simulation are invited to compete at the Roman International Trading Competition (RITC) in Toronto, where students compete against schools from around the world. The simulation is effective in providing students with real-life experience in a financial trading environment. Last year, Telfer’s team placed third at the RITC.
Alexander is a PhD candidate at the Telfer School of Management, in the Health Systems specialization. His research interests lie in applying analytics and management information systems methods to health-related issues, more specifically to the area of mobile health technologies.
He holds a Master’s degree in Systems Science with a specialization in Environmental Sustainability from the University of Ottawa, and an undergraduate degree in Biology from Carleton University. His master’s thesis focused on the formal definition, measurement, and simulation of coastal community preparedness for severe environmental events.
Following his Master’s degree, Alex worked as an independent management consultant and researcher while also teaching part-time at the Telfer School of Management. He has had the opportunity to work on topics that include: applying real-options analysis and financial modelling to the solar energy industry in Ontario and modelling how organizations use social media in order for them to anticipate problems that may arise later on. Alex also has an interest in fisheries management and has been involved in several projects with government and private industry on the management of Canadian fisheries and coastal areas.
Alex is a member of the Canadian Association of Management Consultants’ Eastern Ontario Chapter Council where he is responsible for marketing and social media. During his free time, he enjoys travelling, playing volleyball, and riding and restoring his many bicycles.
Alex holds the Lilian and Swee Chua Goh Doctoral Scholarship, the first admission scholarship created by donors for PhD candidates at the Telfer School of Management.
Find out more about the Telfer PhD program.
It is almost that time of year again - when the uOttawa Gee-Gees and Carleton Ravens storm the football field. Our Gee-Gees football team is ready to claim Pedro the Panda - the coveted trophy. For the upcoming 51st Panda Game, the university rivalry is as strong as ever with over 20,000 fans expected to attend and show their support.
This year’s team roster includes 12 Telfer School of Management students:
Christopher Cyril, Management as Defensive Back
Daniel Oladejo, Management as Wide Receiver
Peace Tshilombo, Accounting as Wide Receiver
Chris Ciguineau, Accounting as Defensive Back
Cody Cranston, Management as Defensive Back
Cédric Amessan, Finance as Defensive Back
Jackson Hyland, Accounting on the Offensive Line
Frednick Eveillard, Accounting as Wide Receiver
Michael Pezzuto, Accounting on the Defensive line
Raphael Gagné, Marketing as Linebacker
Ryan Malvaso, Finance as Wide Receiver
Jeremy Pryde, Marketing as Running back
Many of these athletes found their Telfer education to be useful when applied to the football field. Wide receiver, Daniel Oladejo says “the lessons I’ve learned pertaining to teamwork and communication have had nothing but positive impacts on my Gee-Gees experience. It’s always nice when classroom learning points actually have real-life applications and, in team settings, the things I’ve learned have been proven to be very useful.”
Being a student-athlete is a large responsibility. Gee-Gees defensive back, Cédric Amessan notes that “to be able to perform in both the sport and the academic side of life, we have to be more organized and work more than the majority of our classmates.” However, the experience is well worth the effort. Defensive back, Cody Cranston’s favourite part about being a student-athlete is “meeting so many amazing people. Sports brings together different people of different walks of life, many times people you'd never cross paths with.”
The Telfer student-athletes are feeling ready and excited for the big game. Defensive back, Christopher Ciguineau shared that “it’s going to be a tough game, but [he is] confident that [their] hard work will allow [them] to win the game”.
We are looking forward to watching the 2019 Panda Game on October 5th at 1:00 p.m. The Telfer School wishes the Gee-Gees good luck on the field!
At the Telfer School of Management at the University of Ottawa, we believe that it is through hands-on learning experiences and community support that we can help our students reach their goals, accelerate their careers and make a positive impact on our collective future.
This is the case for The Growcer Inc. - an Ottawa-based social enterprise co-founded by Corey Ellis and Alida Burke, two Telfer BCom Alumni. The pair came up with the idea for their modular hydroponic growing systems after having visited remote communities who face food insecurity in Northern Canada.
The plug-and-play hydroponic system gives produce everything it needs to grow in a controlled environment, built inside retrofitted shipping containers. These enable northern communities, schools, Indigenous and regional governments, as well as other businesses and non-profit organizations to develop more self-reliant and sustainable local food systems.
Through Telfer opportunities and extra-curricular activities such as the E-Foundry course and Enactus, Corey and Alida were able to travel the world, understand the challenges communities face, and build their business. Enactus is a student-led organization that uses the power of entrepreneurship and business, to help solve social problems. In 2017, the University of Ottawa became one of The Grower's first customers and acquired one of the systems to grow local food that’s now being served in our own cafeteria.
Now, The Growcer has over 15 employees and operates out of Invest Ottawa’s accelerator program at Bayview Yards.
As a leading Canadian Management School focused on creating the world's next generation of leaders and influencing sustainable organization performance through the leadership of our graduates and the impact of our research, we believe it is our duty to stand in solidarity with the global climate strike movement.
The Telfer School of Management is organizing a delegation of staff members and students to participate in the activities planned on the day of the global climate strike happening this Friday, September 27th.
The Telfer delegation will leave the Desmarais building at 10:20 am on Friday, to join the thousands of Canadians who will march in solidarity to demand action on climate change from our world leaders.
Students will not be penalized in any way and are invited to participate in the march. While classes are not cancelled, professors are being asked to make available online, all class material that is to be covered and to push assignment deadlines for any assignment due on September 27. Tests or exams will not be rescheduled and students who wish to join the Telfer Delegation are asked to contact their professor to find out the special arrangements planned for missing the test or exam.
#TELFERNATION is proud to be part of this global movement. Join us tomorrow and take a stand for the future.
Best,
Dean François Julien
SCHEDULE FOR TOMORROW:
Friday, September 27th
10:00 a.m. - Gather in the DMS lobby (Creation of signs for march)
10:20 a.m. - Walk to Tabaret Lawn (University of Ottawa)
10:30 a.m. - Gather at Tabaret Lawn (University of Ottawa)
11:00 a.m. - Gather in Confederation Park
11:30 a.m. - Leave Confederation Park
12:30 p.m. - Arrive at Parliament Hill #ClimateStrike (Approximate time)
Corey Ellis is the Co-founder and CEO of The Growcer, a company he started three years ago with the goal of providing a tool for northerners to grow food. As Co-Founder and CEO, Corey leads sales, community engagement and business development activities, maximizing social impact in the communities The Growcer operates in. In addition, Corey oversees the research and development function of the organization, ensuring continuous improvement in customer offerings.
Corey is an alumnus of Enactus, an international leadership development organization focused on the next generation of socially-conscious entrepreneurs. His unique perspective as a social entrepreneur has helped him understand how to enable community-level impact through profitable market-driven business models.
The Growcer is a social enterprise that empowers remote Canadian regions to grow fresh produce locally using modular hydroponic systems. Growcer systems are specifically designed for Arctic regions, enabling local food production with a steady stream of affordable fresh produce grown in outdoor temperatures as cold as -52°C. Our company also provides ongoing services to allow local entrepreneurs to own & operate their own systems, and additional supports to enable better nutrition for the community, including meal packages, a series of food education and kitchen literacy tools, and an automation system that cuts labour requirements by over 80%.
Why not use a strong leadership to create inspiring, socially and environmentally innovative businesses? Proactive, Anie Rouleau didn’t have to ponder this question long.
A Montrealer born to a business-oriented family, Baléco’s Founding CEO knows how to do business without compromising her values and convictions. That’s why she chose to redefine the notion of clean by creating a line of ecofriendly home and body care products designed for conscious living.
In 1992, Anie graduates from the University of Ottawa with a degree in Business, majoring in Finance. She joins Hydrocom International, the family business. Quickly made Vice-President, she leaves Quebec to start Hydrocom USA in Birmingham, Alabama. When the family business is sold, she is offered the role of President for Maclean Power Systems’ Canadian branch, before becoming President at Société de Gestion du Commensal.
Trilingual, open to the world, Anie runs on new challenges. Her values guide her choices. Fervent defender of local sourcing, she sits on different committees, including Made in Montreal. Women leadership and ethics being causes close to her heart, she is a mentor for young women in business. She is also part of Quebec entrepreneurship promotion groups.
Anie strongly believes that a business’ social values are no obstacles to its profitability and financial viability. That is why she is a BCorp ambassador, giving conferences on this new business model. HEC, UQAM, and ETS also invite her as a guest speaker to discuss the importance of including one’s values at the heart of one’s business management.
Mother of two, Anie is driven by her desire to protect future generations. By investing in innovation and eco-design within an industry which sets his sight far from sustainable development issues, she seeks with Baléco to define tomorrow’s business as a transparent entity, respectful of its employees, the community and the environment.
Tammy Labelle was appointed Chief Information Officer (CIO) on March 12, 2018 at Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC).
In her new role, Tammy is driving the evolution of the PSPC information management and information technology strategy. As CIO, Tammy leads the maintenance of technology operations and key government-wide projects in support of government priorities and departmental service improvements. In addition to her role as CIO, she is also responsible for common Government of Canada services such as shared human resources, information management (GCdocs), shared case management services, finance (FreeBalance and Integrated Financial and Material System) and the Shared Travel Services program.
Before that, Tammy was Assistant Deputy Minister of the Integrated Services Branch where she led several government programs and initiatives, including public opinion research; publishing and depository services; the Canada Gazette; Electronic Media Monitoring Services; advertising; MyGCHR, GCSurplus, seized property management, the Canadian General Standards Board, as well as the PSPC Client Service Strategy.
Tammy has extensive experience in developing and implementing large-scale business programs, computer applications and infrastructure systems. She joined the department in February 2014 as Director General of MyGCHR, where she led the successful implementation of MyGCHR, a new human resources system, across the federal government.
Additionally, Tammy was appointed by the President of the Treasury Board to the Board of Directors of the Federal Public Service Health Care Plan Administration Authority, effective June 2016.
Tammy has a master’s degree in business administration from the University of Ottawa and is a certified information technology project management professional.
Over the past 20 years, CASCO, a Telfer student non-profit organization, has inspired the Ottawa community to give back to the families at the Children’s Hospital of Eastern Ontario (CHEO). Every year, a hundred students from the Telfer School of Management come together to host events to support and fundraise for CHEO. Through the hard work and dedication of the uOttawa CASCO team, over $500,000 has been raised for CHEO.
The CASCO non-profit organization was founded by two students in the BCom program at the Telfer School of Management in 1998. Their mission was to raise money for their friend who had passed away from Leukemia. Today, a fourth-year BCom student, Michaela McLoughlin, is running CASCO as this year’s president, with the help of 51 students on the executive team. Michaela joined CASCO three years ago when she discovered that the daughter of a family at work was being treated for brain cancer at CHEO. Since CASCO was an initiative that fundraises for CHEO, she decided to join so that she could make a direct impact.
CASCO’s mission for this year is to grow its presence in the Ottawa community. The executive team is working with CHEO to create more events to support the families at CHEO. The non-profit’s main event, the CASCO gala, features students from the Telfer School of Management in an evening of song, dance, and fashion. Telfer students, business professionals, and community members come together to support CHEO and see a year’s work come together on stage.
Find out more about the involvement of Telfer students in the student club CASCO, their impact on CHEO, and their pursuit of making an impact in the Ottawa community:
During this case competition, teams examine emerging challenges and propose solutions pertaining to issues of diversity and inclusion in organizations. This innovative competition exposes future leaders to business change and growth opportunities, due to the diverse nature of the Canadian workforce. Sixteen teams from universities across Canada will be competing to solve a unique case for the chance to win $8,750 in prize money.
While most teams participating will be enrolled in an MBA program, we also encourage 3rd and 4th-year undergraduate students in business/management to register. One team of 4 members is permitted per university. Teams will be registered on a first come first serve basis.
Register here to save $200 when you sign up before November 15th, 2019.
I am a native of a small village in Abitibi Témiscamingue, where the words "community" and "solidarity" were important and "giving back" was part of everyday life. These family values have greatly influenced the person I am today, and still colour all my decision-making. After a few years in a chartered accountant's office, my training at the Faculty of Administration at the University of Ottawa allowed me to join Multivesco's team, a tightly knit, socially engaged team that I identified a lot with.
I have been involved with several community organizations in the Outaouais region since the beginning of my career. Since education has always been one of my priorities, I have been a member of the Board of Trustees of Aylmer Montessori School and Joan of Arc Academy in Ottawa as well as president of major donations for the Université du Québec en Outaouais. I also made a donation to go towards admission scholarships to the Telfer School of Management in addition to having participated in their mentoring program.Inspired by my mentor at Multivesco, Mr. Camille Villeneuve, and my son, Alexandre, who lives with an intellectual disability and is on the autism spectrum, I am proud to have created my own foundation, the Alexandre Charron Raymond Foundation, to help people living with intellectual disabilities and their families.
Through this foundation, administered by my other three children, my wish is to ensure the perpetuity of a tradition of giving and sharing.
My time at Telfer taught me how to work hard and push beyond my limits. I took advantage of the co-op program, which was really valuable because I got to ‘try on’ different jobs. By the time I graduated, I had a year’s worth of internal audit experience and was able to get a great job right out of school.
Not long after graduating, I earned my Certified Internal Auditor (CIA) designation. To me, this was an accomplishment worth celebrating as it enhanced my credibility as a young auditor. It has continued to pay dividends over the years, providing me with a number of professional opportunities. Today, I have the training and experience to assess governance, risk and control processes and recommend areas for improvement. That’s what I love about my job: I have the opportunity to learn about different activities within an organization and meet new people every day.
I strongly value continuous growth and learning, which is why giving back to Telfer means so much to me, and why I’m honoured to be receiving this award. It demonstrates that you don’t have to wait to make a difference. When you give from your own abundance, you can contribute time or money at any age and regardless of the resources at your disposal. Don’t take your skills or your time for granted; think about what you have to offer and what kind of contribution you want to make, and act on it.
Starting a brand new life in an unfamiliar country, with new people, sites, and cultural norms is a courageous life decision. We are pleased to welcome new international students every year to the university and excited to see when these new students choose an education at Telfer.
As your new home, we want to make sure that as an international student at our school, you feel welcome and prepared for daily life in Ottawa.
That is why the University of Ottawa has anInternational Office that is designed to provide support, tips, and resources to international students while they prepare to come to Ottawa and for the duration of their studies. Additionally, at Telfer, we offer resources and services to help enhance theTelfer experience.
Here is a list of helpful tools and services from uOttawa’s International Office and from us at the Telfer School:
Details for prospective students: Information about life in Ottawa, studying at our university, and admission essentials are provided for students considering uOttawa in thisquick link. You can also use this Government of Canadatool to check your eligibility to come to Canada.
Information for newly admitted students: For ournewly admitted students, the International Office provides information relating to academic accommodations, immigration documents, admission offers, housing, orientation, health insurance, arrival on campus, and more.
Tips and resources for current students: Students already attending uOttawa can use thisquick link to find immigration, health insurance, and international mentoring centre information.
Information sessions: If you are a first-year international student this year at Telfer, you can attend one of themandatory information sessions on September 3.
Telfer Career Centre tools: The Career Centre at Telfer has developed theInternational Career Mentorship program and launched a global career portal calledHighered to help with your Canadian job search. The Career Centre also hosts many job search workshops, and provides a number ofimmigration resources.
Telfer Student Information: The Telfer Graduate Office has listed helpful resources forInternational Candidates in regards to studying, living, and working in Canada.
International Student Coaches Program: We have created the International student coaches program to assist with your transition into a Canada university.International Student Coaches program. You will be matched with a senior student who will work with you to help you succeed and answer any questions you may have.
We hope you are ready for a new school year! Feel free to get in touch with the Telfer Undergraduate Office, Graduate Office, or Student Services if you have any questions.
Since you are new to the Telfer School, we wanted to provide some helpful tips and resources for your next four or more years at the University of Ottawa. Starting a new life at university is a great milestone in your life. This new experience can be exciting, scary, fun, and nerve-wracking, and there are so many things to think about.
Let’s get you started by setting you up with a list of these kinds of things right here:
Living with roommates in residence: When moving into residence, you may be living with a new roommate or two. This is a big change for everybody, which is why uOttawa prepared a list of roommate tips to help you achieve your best #reslife.
Familiarize yourself with our campus: Welcome to your new home away from home! The uOttawa campus can appear large and daunting at first, but we have a useful list to help you become better acquainted with campus.
Choose an orientation activity: Choose from a list of orientation times to learn about adjusting to your new home. You can attend a university-wide session, or learn more about your specific faculty.
Find your new favourite grub hub: Here is a list of top 5 food places on campus so you can find your new favourite spot to eat.
Navigate around campus: Not the best at directions? That’s okay - find your way around campus with our interactive map.
Learn about SASS: SASS (Student Academic Success Services) is a free network of services designed to provide tools and information to guide you on a path to academic success. These services include student mentoring, counselling, coaching, academic writing help, and academic accommodations.
Take a break with pet therapy: That’s right - there is a spot on campus where you can unwind and spend time with dogs! Keep an eye on the uOttawa pet therapy schedule for the next puppy lovin’ session.
Keep track of important dates: From exams to breaks, this link will be your best friend when you need a quick answer.
Get ready for the Great Rivalry: At the University of Ottawa, we take pride in our school, especially when it comes to sports. We aren’t the only university in the city, which means we have a rival: Carleton University. Gee-Gees vs. Ravens games are some of the most exciting events of the year, so make sure you grab your garnet and grey!
Understand your uOttawa gym membership: As a student at the university, you are welcome to use the two gyms on campus - Montpetit and Minto Sports Complex. There are quite a few perks that come with having a uOttawa gym membership, so take advantage of them while you can!
Stay active with uOttawa Health Services: The university's Health Services offers many free activities to provide a study break and encourage well-being with yoga, cooking, reiki, meditation and more.
Meet with a Telfer representative: We have a handful of staff members at Telfer who offer advice to first-year students. Set up an appointment with one of our representatives to chat about academic life, extra-curricular activities, schedule balance and more.
We hope you have an amazing first year at the Telfer School of Management. We are available to answer any questions or concerns while you complete your studies.
As you can see there are many fun activities and perks to keep up with at the university. Feel free to come back to this list anytime!
It's time for a new school year, so we have created a checklist for our new and returning Telfer students to get you started.
Set up your uOttawa Student Card: If you are a new student, be sure to collect your new student card in the University Centre building or online. If you are a returning student who has lost a student card, deactivate it and get a new card or check the University of Ottawa lost and found.
Collect or renew your U-Pass: The U-Pass is a mandatory bus card for all full-time undergraduate and graduate students at the University of Ottawa. You can get or renew your U-Pass in the University Centre building (UCU) student lounge (located on level 0). To renew your pass, you must tap it at a recharging station in the UCU.
Get your Gee-Gees Pass: The Gee-Gees Pass gives you access to 100+ varsity events and exclusive access at uOttawa sporting events. If you live in residence, it is already included in your residence fees.
Attend a Mandatory Information Session on September 3: All first-year students need to go to a mandatory information session to learn important information about being a new student. You can also ask questions of our staff members at the session.
Join a club(s) or activity at uOttawa: The University of Ottawa has a huge variety of clubs and extra-curricular activities for you to choose from. Watch out for Clubs Day during Welcome Week along University Private.
Sign up for a Telfer student club(s): Telfer has 17 different student-run clubs and associations that you can join each year. During uOttawa Welcome Week, you can get to know these clubs on University Private, or in Morisset Library on the first floor at Clubs Day.
Take part in intramural sports: A great way to keep up with a sport you enjoy while making new friends is to join or start your own intramural team at uOttawa.
Try out for a Gee-Gees sports team: If you are more serious about a certain sport, you could try out for a Gee-Gees varsity sports teams.
Stay safe with the SecurUO safety app: The university has worked to develop a new app for students to keep you safe and informed of key security information. You can download the app to your mobile device to use while on campus.
The University of Ottawa and the Telfer School offer a variety of student services, career help, activities, sports, and volunteer opportunities. The Telfer Student Services staff are happy to help you learn about these opportunities.
Passionate about helping others achieve their goals
I’m an extrovert by nature, I love working with people and having a chance to impact their lives. It’s something of a recurring theme in my life.
It’s what I liked about Telfer: the opportunity to meet other professionals, to be mentored. That connection is really important — it rounds off the hard work and gives you the foundation to grow in your life and career. I can think of so many times where a past connection through Telfer has come back to be part of my life as a client or as a mentor.
In fact, it was through their Connexions work-study program that I ended up at BMO Nesbitt Burns. I stayed for 13 years – and returned after six years elsewhere – because I’m passionate about helping families achieve their goals. I get a real sense of accomplishment out of hearing someone say “I feel comfortable about my retirement because you helped me get there”. That’s really impacting someone’s life and that’s something to celebrate.
It’s also why I volunteer. The Executive Mentorship Program allows you to take a student under your wing and help them with career counselling, networking, and answering questions in a safe environment. It’s very rewarding. As was chairing Telfer’s 24th Annual Golf Tournament: We set up a family scholarship for a student from Northern Ontario, where I’m from. We raised enough for it to be endowed immediately.
I’m honoured and humbled by this award, and thankful for opportunity to be able to give back and help the next generation.
I started in Commerce, but in 1969 I discovered a new program existed – Masters in Health Administration – and I never looked back.
There’s no question that formal education gives you credentials and opens doors, but it’s only the base. You build on that foundation with your experience, your successes and, especially, your failures. If you make no mistakes at all, you’ve probably not done much.
I got a lot of satisfaction in my first 10 years at the old Ottawa General Hospital, and when I became CEO of what was then the Hull Hospital. However, my impact was limited to one city, one hospital, and I knew there was something bigger I could do, so I took a low level government job in Indigenous Health.
I jumped into that and I saw how basic the services were for Indigenous peoples in some places. It stimulated me into thinking about the country as a whole. You can’t just think of your own narrow mandate or perspective — you have to see and understand other points of view, even if you don’t necessarily agree on everything. Respect and collaboration are key, especially for tackling today’s more complex public policy issues.
This eventually served me well as Associate Deputy Minister and Deputy Minister in my work with minority language communities across the country, resulting in organizations that continue to make a big difference today. I’m very proud of that. It was the main reason I was appointed to the Order of Canada in 2016.
I feel partly humbled and partly grateful for this recognition. I didn’t realize I’ve been contributing for over 40 years! It’s like compound interest — no matter how small the contribution, if you are consistent and faithful and stay the course, it can be appreciated to an extent you never thought possible.
Every year, we recognize outstanding Telfer School of Management donors in order to demonstrate our appreciation and create meaningful relationships with those in our community who choose us amongst a sea of giving opportunities. This year, the Telfer Donor of the Year awards will be presented at our annual Gala of Excellence on October 19, 2019, along with the celebration of our anniversary classes (1969, 1979, 1993 and 2008) and the presentation of our Alumni Awards.
Congratulations to our 2019 Donor of the Year awards recipients:
Loyal Donor of the Year:
Marie Fortier (MHA 1972)
Marie Fortier has been actively involved with her alma mater for over 30 years and is a past Trudeau Medal award recipient. In 2016, she was awarded the Order of Canada for her contributions to health care and health planning as a public servant and hospital administrator. Her expertise in health care has improved the lives of thousands of Canadians. To learn more about Marie and her desire to continuously impact the lives of others, click here »
Young Donor of the Year:
Sarah Parr (BCom 2011)
For Sarah, growth and continuous learning are essential values. That's why, since graduation, Sarah has not failed to demonstrate her strong commitment to enhancing the student experience at the Telfer School of Management. It is thanks to generous donors like Sarah that the Telfer School is able to continue to enrich the opportunities available to its students. To learn more about Sarah, click here »
Fundraising Volunteer of the Year:
Jodie Harrison (BCom 1999)
As a BCom graduate of Telfer School of Management, Jodie Harrison has consistently demonstrated her interest in volunteer work. Her main motivator in volunteering is the desire to have a positive impact in other people’s lives. That is why, in 2018, she accepted to be co-chair of the annual golf tournament and helped raise over $30, 000 for the Harrison-Comtois Family Admission Scholarship benefitting students from Northern Ontario newly admitted into an undergraduate program at Telfer.
To read more about Jodie and her passion for volunteerism, click here »
Glen Orsak, Director of Executive Programs at the Telfer Centre for Executive Leadership is pleased to announce the appointment of Ms. Linda Lizotte-MacPherson as Executive-in-Residence at the Centre.
Ms. Lizotte-MacPherson is a recently retired senior executive that currently serves on boards, and provides coaching, teaching and strategic advice to senior executives in the Federal Government and industry. She brings a unique blend of experience and an exemplary track record of leadership in both government and the private sector at the CEO, COO, CIO and Deputy Minister levels. She has led complex organizations, launched start-ups, and managed large transformation and information technology programs throughout North America. Amongst many prior executive roles on her resume, Linda was most recently the President of the Canada Border Services Agency, President of the Canada School of Public Service and Commissioner of the Canada Revenue Agency. In the private sector, Ms. Lizotte-MacPherson was President of two Canadian subsidiaries, Sapient Canada Inc. and AMS Management Systems Canada Inc., and she held a number of senior executive positions with Digital Equipment of Canada (DEC). She was also the first Chief Executive Officer of Canada Health Infoway, where she successfully launched the corporation.
Drawing on her impressive credentials and experience, Ms. Lizotte-MacPherson will advise Telfer on developments and opportunities in key markets that are served by the Centre for Executive Leadership. As an Executive-in-Residence, she will help to create and lead forums and programs that engage executives to develop their leadership capacity and advance change initiatives that they are leading in their organizations, networks and communities. Her extensive experience as an executive and practitioner will bring real-world experience to Telfer programs that help leaders to develop their skills in the practice of leadership.
The Telfer Centre for Executive Leadership is part of the Telfer School of Management at the University of Ottawa and is focused on delivering innovative leadership development programming for executives and senior leaders in its client and partner organizations. Telfer clients and partners consist of organizations in the public, private and not-for-profit sectors in the National Capital Region, across the country and internationally. The Centre offers over 30 leadership programs and workshops for executives as well as the Telfer Executive MBA and the Telfer Master of Business in Complex Project Leadership (MBCPL).
For me, there’s no real secret to success. No shortcut. It’s just hard work and taking everything one day or one task at a time. I can tell you I struggled in my first year at Telfer. University was a big adjustment from high school in North Bay. But thanks to great teachers and hard work, I found my groove.
Telfer taught me about business, but more importantly about working in teams, the importance of presenting your ideas clearly and succinctly, and hitting deadlines. This has helped me in everything since, be it graduating Law School, making full equity partner in six years, negotiating settlement of a $500 million mining dispute, or joining an elite global network of fraud and asset recovery specialists.
I love facing challenges. Like the one that every new case brings. Meeting new clients, learning about new businesses, working with world leading experts in their field and putting a story together for the judge.
Everything I do involves working in a team. Everyone – young lawyers, senior lawyers, clerks and assistants – has an important role to play on every case. I believe that attitude is critical. There is no stopping team players that have a can-do attitude and take on new challenges with enthusiasm. I have the privilege of working with a group of truly gifted and amazing colleagues who share my passion for the law, so I share this award with them. At our firm, the work comes before any individual accomplishment.
As I am an electrical engineer by training, I had 15 fun years in high tech. I enjoyed the work, but needed something more meaningful. I realized technology in healthcare hadn’t reached its potential, and a friend recommended the Telfer MHA program. It was perfect – an MHA really shows a commitment to a sector, is valued in the field and provided me the foundation I needed as I adjusted my path.
Lucky me, I landed at CHEO for my residency.
What drives me is that there’s an endless amount of work to do to become a truly patient-focussed system of care. I believe innovation and technology are fundamental in that transformation — not just improving things incrementally, but making some big leaps in changing the way that people stay healthy.
To get there, I celebrate people that move beyond their comfort zone to reach their potential. I love seeing a high performing team come together. It’s magical when really committed, smart, hard-working group of people find that rhythm.
As an example, when CHEO and SickKids went live with EPIC, becoming the first to implement the gold standard of electronic medical records in Canada for kids, it was truly a team effort. To see everyone pivot and focus on the achieving a common goal was absolutely a lesson that we can accomplish pretty much anything when we work together. We recently became one of the top 1% of digital hospitals in Canada, and it has helped make CHEO a safer, better, more effective hospital. We leveraged technology to support people in evolving the standard of care, and that’s what I’m in this for.
My Telfer journey started in 1986 as an undergrad. In 1992, when I did my MBA, I was lucky enough to be able to network with people in my region who were well connected. In 1993, when I was working at Deloitte, Telfer put trust in me and gave me the opportunity to become a lecturer. It’s 2019, 33 years later, I’m still there — and I’m very happy to still be there.
I’ve spent my professional life working in forensic accounting, fraud detection, anti-corruption and anti-money laundering. As you can imagine, there’s a lot of negativity that comes out of my day to day. Fraudsters are becoming more and more sophisticated. My job is to always be at the forefront of global and emerging financial crime and anti-corruption issues and to spread awareness about it — it’s a never-ending process. Sometime, it can be depressing, therefore I celebrate every time I see reason for optimism.
I find optimism in my academic life, especially when I see that the new generation of students actually rejects individual and corporate unethical behaviors. They are clear that they are on the lookout for corporations and organizations that shows good governance, nothing less. For me, this is wonderful because I see the role of the University as helping that change take place.
In an age where allegations of unethical behaviour in the social medias can be as damaging as a conviction, one of the major risks the corporations and organizations are facing is reputational. In my view, what really matters is integrity, ethics, and transparency. Those are the core values that we need in the business world right now.
At Telfer, we promote those values. And I am confident that what I’m sharing my students will be remembered and applied. This, to me, is certainly a major cause for celebration.
Going to the University of Ottawa for Business was an eleventh hour decision for me but one I will never regret! Prior to that, I was focused on getting into med school. The recruiting numbers were against me, so I knew I needed to pivot. At the time, the market had little demand for a biology major. It was all about business and finance. Here we are, almost 30 years later, and I’ve never looked back.
The Telfer School of Management gave me the fundamental skillset I needed. More importantly, it peaked my curiosity and completely opened my eyes to this horizon that was Finance. It equipped me with that sense of discovery that you need to scratch beneath the surface and really look into things to get the answers you need.
I’m not your traditional operator: I’m a fixer. I’m driven by challenges. I like to come in, make tough choices, reshape businesses and set vision and strategy. And, like most of my peer CEO’s, I’m really driven by success. For me, the best way to achieve that is by being collaborative, being eternally optimistic and most importantly helping to unleash people’s potential.
I believe celebrating success is indispensable in building a winning culture. When I started out in the industry, TD didn’t really have a Markets business. It was covered by other investment dealers/banks. When I left in 2010, TD Securities had risen to be one of the top investment dealers in Canada and was now a fierce competitor to those same dealers. I take tremendous pride in having contributed to building that great business.
That was the appeal of joining TMX, to be able to challenge the status quo and build businesses again. To help a siloed organization break down barriers, be more collaborative, and unleash the full potential of an integrated entity. To have more of an “enterprise” view of the business. When you start leveraging the strengths and complementary skillsets of the whole team, it can be a very, very powerful thing!
The groundbreaking report profiles the state of small business supports for women entrepreneurs in Ontario, and advances recommendations to create more inclusive entrepreneurial ecosystems. Telfer faculty Dr. Barbara Orser and Dr. Catherine Elliott collaborated with Dr. Wendy Cukier, Director of the Ryerson Diversity Institute to conduct the gender-based assessment of Ontario intermediaries.
The i2 conference brought together a spectrum of influencers, including leaders of small business and innovation support organizations and industry networks, academics, policymakers and champions of Canadian entrepreneurs. Attendees interacted with women enterprise experts who are employing good practices to support equality, diversity and inclusion. Workshops enabled participants to build a portfolio of diversity assessment tools and client support resources.
Entitled “Putting i2 into Action”, the first plenary panel focused on the multiple ways that practitioners employ inclusive innovation to engage diverse entrepreneurs and drive impact. Moderated by Dr. Wendy Cukier (pictured far left below), speakers discussed institutional barriers in supporting women entrepreneurs, and the challenges facing women in scaling their firms. Ruby Latif described an organizational level challenge as "We often function in silos, and organizations are constantly trying to reinvent the wheel.”
Panellists included (from left to right):
Karen Greve Young, CEO of Futurpreneur
Ruby Latif, Founder at Milieu Strategy and Consulting
Melissa Cook, Program Manager at PARO Centre for Women’s Enterprise
Sonya Shorey, VP Strategy, Marketing, and Communications at Invest Ottawa and Bayview Yards, and
Denise Christopherson, CEO of YWCA Hamilton
Inclusive Innovation Changemakers
A second panel was comprised of more changemakers, individuals who are leading interventions to support women in multiple entrepreneurial ecosystems. Moderated by Lynda Partner (pictured far left below), VP Marketing of Pythian, panellists discussed their personal journeys in creating change, and how their organizations are spearheading interventions to support women in Ontario and around the world. Some of these challenges, according to Victoria Lennox, President of Startup Canada, include a lack of political support, cultural barriers, and difficulty expanding international initiatives.
Panellists included (from left to right):
Stephanie Dei, National Coordinator – Canada, WE EMPOWER Programme at UN Women
Sandra Altner, CEO of Women’s Enterprise Centre of Manitoba and Chair at Women’s Enterprise Organizations of Canada (WEOC)
Petra Kussan-Murch, CEO of LiisBeth and Founder of the Entrepreneurial Feminist Forum
Anne Christensen, Director, Development and Partnerships at the Canadian Bureau of International Education, and
Victoria Lennox, Founder and President of Startup Canada
In closing off the panel, speakers shared advice. This included using failure to create success, and the lessons learned the next time around. Stephanie Dei, National Coordinator – Canada, WE EMPOWER Programme at UN Women advised to not be afraid to dream and envision your ideal world. Lynda Partner of Pythian then summarized the conversation by identifying collaboration, communication, education, persistence and passion as key values that lead to success as an entrepreneur and changes within organizations that seek to support women entrepreneurs.
In the words of Barbara Orser “The vision of the Ontario Inclusive Innovation Action Strategy is to make Ontario the most innovative and inclusive ecosystem in the world. This is achievable.” The report documents gaps between the practices of small business intermediaries and the needs of Ontario women entrepreneurs. Recommendations include: building equity and inclusion assessment criteria into all government agency funding requests for proposals; expanding the mandates of innovation centres to include process, organizational, marketing, and product innovations; encouraging collaboration among mainstream and women-focused support organizations; and recognizing that inclusion requires change at the social, organization, program and individual levels. The report has already sparked online discussions in Ottawa and other Ontario communities.
Kelly Medora Elliott (BCom 2005) is a partner at global law firm Dentons in the Real Estate and Banking and Finance groups. In addition to her law practice, where she provides legal counsel and strategic advice to clients, Kelly is also the Canada Director of Practice Support & Optimization at the firm.
Being naturally ambitious and career-minded, Kelly has enjoyed taking on progressively more senior leadership roles at Dentons, where she has led numerous complex transactions and managed a broad range of client projects. More recently, Kelly’s work leading the 20-person Practice Support & Optimization team has provided a transition into the firm’s management, giving her the opportunity to leverage the business fundamentals she learned at Telfer.
As a testament to her success at Dentons, her growing professional profile, and personal commitment to mentoring and influencing young women in her network, Kelly was named a 2019 recipient of the Ottawa Business Journal’s Forty Under 40 award, which recognizes accomplished and rising business leaders in the National Capital Region.
Kelly’s passion for business started early. She recalls having ongoing discussions with Professor Koppel about her career, which remain among her fondest memories from her time at Telfer. As she approached graduation from the Telfer School, she knew she wanted to pursue additional studies, and eventually decided to study law at McGill.
Women in significant leadership roles, such as Dentons’ Canada CEO and CFO, Beth Wilson and Andrea Nicholls, respectively, inspire Kelly. Her desire to see women “sit at the table” with decision-making capabilities in large organizations has motivated her to set and achieve her own professional goals.
Kelly’s advice to recent graduates is to be kind to themselves, and never lose sight or give up on their dreams. “We need to challenges ourselves to aim really high, while acknowledging the bumps and mistakes that will confront us along the way,” says Kelly. What’s most important, she says, is to learn from your mistakes, not throw in the towel during the hard times, and embrace the advice of strong mentors when they push you to keep reaching.
Given her accomplishments and success in her field so early in her career, Kelly Elliott will undoubtedly leave her mark on the practice of law in Canada.
Connect with Kelly Elliott on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kellymedoraelliott/
Strategic leader, developer and builder, François Vaqué is an accomplished business pioneer whose career path was enriched by his MBA from Telfer.
With a Bachelor in International Commerce from Rouen and in Economics from the Université du Québec à Montréal, François chose to pursue his studies at Telfer because of the diversity of its students as well as its faculty expertise.
The MBA program gave François the opportunity to meet potential employers, which allowed him to work at Newbridge Networks and participate in the development of its marketing function. Later on, François worked as product manager at Future Electronics, before launching his own company named Marketingisland.com. His work experiences provided him with the knowledge necessary to become Vice-President of marketing and communications for KPMG and Davies Ward Philips & Vineberg. These prestigious positions strengthened his reputation as a business professional with a vast expertise in communications and marketing, and led him to become Vice-President of public relations and corporate affairs at Citoyen.
Even though François has a successful career, he strongly believes in the importance of achieving a healthy work-life balance. He explained that what matters most to him is working hard, having a good career and finding a balance between his personal and professional life. He developed this perspective during his studies at Telfer, because his cohort taught him that you could work hard while still having fun. François is inspired by social implication, which is why he gives back to his community through art foundations. Furthermore, he is engaged with his alma mater by organizing alumni events and being a speaker at Telfer conferences to show his recognition to the faculty that shaped him.
He encourages students to engage themselves, whether that be in nonprofit organizations, with family or at work in order to have a balanced and rewarding life.
A passionate and driven leader, Alyssa Bourjolly is a promising third-year BCom student studying in accounting. She was inspired to study at the Telfer School because of its international recognition and faculty expertise, two key elements in providing an excellent education in Alyssa’s opinion.
Alyssa understands the importance of getting involved and how crucial it is to flourish personally and professionally. She has been involved with the School in many ways, from joining the Telfer Accounting Club (TAC) to working as Director of student engagement for the Telfer Student Council (CéTSC).
Most recently, Alyssa was elected President of the CéTSC! She is responsible for the daily operations of the Council and ensures its Executive members are fulfilling their responsibilities. Some of her tasks include serving as the liaison between the Council and the faculty and being the chief spokesperson and official representative of the CéTSC and its 13 clubs.
Alyssa benefits from her involvement, by meeting new people and creating long-lasting relationships that have greatly contributed to her student experience. She urges everyone to do the same “as it allows you to develop great academic, social and professional skills”.
Alyssa has achieved a lot since she started studying at the Telfer School, but her proudest accomplishment is being able to balance her studies, work and volunteer work. She manages to work three part-time jobs and volunteer at the CéTSC, all while maintaining a good GPA as a full-time student!
Her success would not have been possible without the support of her parents who believe in her ability to succeed in any initiative she undertakes and never fail to encourage her hard work.
Five years from now, Alyssa hopes to work in an accounting firm where she will have the opportunity to put into practice the skills she gained from Telfer – and we have no doubt she will find success in this field!
On Wednesday, May 8, 2019, senior government and private industry leaders filled the University of Ottawa’s Tabaret Hall for Telfer’s 3rd annual, full-day seminar dedicated to successful complex project execution.
Accomplished leaders from diverse organization including the Department of National Defence, IBM, the Canadian Space Agency, CHU Sainte-Justine, Accenture, and West Midlands Police delivered presentations on how they approach the challenges and best practices of some of their organization’s most dynamic and intricate programs.
Patrick Finn, ADM Materiel, DND opened the seminar with his insights on leadership in project delivery. Accenture’s David West, and West Midlands Police’s Alexandra Shariff collaboratively spoke on the ‘how and why’ the UK’s ‘West Midlands police 2020’ business transformation and reorganization were so successful. DND’s Isabelle Latulippe discussed how to manage a project when the technology needed, threatens to become obsolete due to prolonged project cycles. Other speakers included Col. Jeremy Hansen with the Canadian Space Agency who spoke on the complexities of human space flight, and CISSS Montérégie-Est - CHU Sainte-Justine’s nursing director Claude Fortin discussed practical elements of change management implementation and stated, “The healthcare system is a highly complex ecosystem composed of several elements eminently based on relationships with a high level of interdependence. A hospital, for example, is a 24/7 organism, you cannot shut down one part of a hospital to proceed with an isolated program".
The day highlighted winning business strategy and transformation techniques, as well as discussions on how to build integrated high-performance teams. Characteristics such as honesty, compassion, integrity, and empathy in conversations were needed in building strong lasting relationships and a positive working environment.
Originally the seminar, as part of Telfer’s MBCPL, was reserved solely for the program’s candidates. It quickly became, however, a popular knowledge sharing forum. The ability to deliver complex programs are increasingly sought-after skills that move beyond the iron triangle, especially when projects and initiatives no longer follow systematic lifecycle that is fixed and linear, have quickly changed the scope, and multiple stakeholders with different objectives.
More specialized training is needed to bring a Canadian solution to a Canadian context. The Telfer School of Management’s Executive Master of Business in Complex Project Leadership seeks to bridge the gap and connect candidates to what matters academically and professionally, enhancing their career and their value in their workplace environment, giving them the advanced skills and confidence to be successful leaders and deliver successful program outcomes. Candidates are exposed to a lifelong network of accomplished leaders and practitioners.
Save the date for next year’s seminar in May.
For more information about the program, updates and this event, please click here.
The Toronto Telfer Alumni Network (TTAN) is a group of alumni whose goal is to connect Telfer alumni and current Telfer students in the Toronto area. The TTAN believes that the experiences and sense of community formed as Telfer students are potent tools that can propel one forward in their career, enriching professional relationships, networks, development opportunities, and career opportunities. “We have noticed that there is a need to support and guide young Toronto alumni as many of them can lose touch after university, despite having a desire to stay connected”, explains Alex Dettman, President of the TTAN. Therefore, the TTAN works to connect Telfer alumni and students in Toronto to foster a continued sense of community, professional development, and support in navigating career opportunities. Run by a group of passionate alumni volunteers, TTAN also works to build an even stronger bond between the Telfer School of Management’s alumni associations and their alumni.
The TTAN held their launching party on May 2, 2019 at the EY Tower in Toronto, ON, where members of the Telfer community were invited to meet the network’s council members and learn more about their mission to connect Toronto alumni.
If you are looking to build your network, connect with alumni, find a mentor or mentee, and have an unforgettable experience along the way, then the TTAN is for you!
Here is an overview of the team:
President: Alex Dettman
VP Operations: Christopher Weatherhead
VP Strategic Partnerships: Aziz Garuba
VP Communications and Marketing: George Khalife
VP Events: Nick Detmer
VP Student Engagement: Aryan Habib
VP Alumni Engagement: Daniel Shannon
VP Mentorship: Laura Denham
Executives: Aurélien Leftick, Ellen Dalicandro, Sarah Nancoo and Aamer Siddiqui.
You can connect with TTAN through their group on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/groups/13650317/
For any questions relating to the TTAN, please e-mail This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
On May 13 2019, the Telfer School welcomed Helen Angus, Deputy Minister of Health and Long-term care for our CEO-In-Residence Lecture Series.
Helen Angus was appointed Deputy Minister of Health and Long-Term Care in June 2018, after having most recently served as the Deputy Minister of Treasury Board Secretariat and the Secretary of Treasury Board and Management Board of Cabinet.
During the CEO-In-Residence lecture series, Ms. Angus spoke to a class of MHA students about her career path and the lessons learned along the way. She also gave a presentation on “Health Transformation in Ontario”. It was especially timely as the government of Ontario rolls out its plans for Health Care reform. In her presentation, she focused on the challenges facing the ministry, and explained her vision for Connected Care. The aim is to offer better caregiver experience, patient and health outcomes, value and efficiency, and provider experience.
Ms. Angus’s long career in leading innovation and change, as well as her exceptional leadership skills and long history of experience in health planning and policy are all elements that contributed to the success of this event.
The Employee Giving program is an annual initiative run by the University of Ottawa, which seeks to engage faculty, support staff and retirees in support of student-focused initiatives. These donations focus on enhancing the student experience with scholarships, financial aid and research programs. This year marks the eighth year of the campaign, in which the Telfer School saw its most successful participation rate to date.
The co-champions of the Telfer Employee Giving Campaign, Kimberly Duthie and Michael Mulvey, set out to obtain 101 donors this year, and they are proud to announce that they exceeded their goal with 109 donors! Not only did Telfer see the largest number of donors in 2019, it also represents a 60% participation rate, which is also a record number at the Telfer School. This means that, for the third year in a row, the Telfer School has the highest participation rate of any Faculty of the University of Ottawa.
We would like to thank our volunteers, without whom the success of the Employee Giving Campaign would not have been possible:
Andrew Latty
Sheetal Gandhi
Carla De Ciccio
Kathy Cunningham
Linda Bellemare
Alexandre Bélanger
Margaux Carson
Amanda Richardson
Mercedes Zanon
Jennifer Hyland
Finally, we would like to thank all the faculty members, support staff and retirees who participated in this campaign. You truly make a difference in the lives of our students.
As an aspiring entrepreneur, Cyril Moukarzel was looking for a school that would teach him the business skills needed to start and run a successful business. He was attracted to the Telfer School’s international recognition and faculty expertise, as well as its strong alumni network. These elements made Telfer the best fit for him.
The Telfer School has had a tremendous impact in Cyril’s professional and personal life. He explained the Professors helped guide him in his career path and provided him with the necessary skills to thrive in the business world. In fact, it is with the help of Professor Gurprit Kindra that he changed his major from entrepreneurship to marketing. This decision had a significant impact on his career, as he was able to learn about the digital marketing landscape, enabling him to “bootstrap startups from the ground up and grow them into revenue generating businesses”. Furthermore, during his time at Telfer, Cyril recalls several amazing experiences, like the time he won first place at the Telfer Elevator Pitch competition. He explained this accomplishment gave him the validation and the motivation he needed to pursue a career in Entrepreneurship.
When asked about how the Telfer School helped shape him into the person he is today, Cyril explained how the School helped launch his entrepreneurship career. It is thanks to the Telfer School that he was able to take part in the Startup Garage Accelerator. The program helped him acquire the funding necessary to get his first startup off the ground. The startup, called eCelery, is an “online marketplace where hungry food lovers can order authentic ethnic meals from chefs cooking in their own kitchens”. Without this program and the Telfer School, Cyril would not have been able to grow his startup to 40 chefs and gain hundreds of monthly sales in just a few months. Cyril also explained the individuals he met during his studies helped him get to where he is today.
After eCelery, Cyril worked as the head of Marketing for a few startups, where he was put in charge of growing their sales and customer base. He also participated in the Techstars Accelerator Program in Berlin for 3 months, which helped him hone his marketing and entrepreneurship skills before he could start his next venture. Cyril aspires to create a positive impact and change the world with his companies. He is achieving this goal with his current company, LifeDNA. LifeDNA is a personal genomics company that analyzes your DNA and creates a customized regimen of dietary supplements based on your unique genetics. With a growing team and some of the best advisors, LifeDNA created the most personalized supplement line in the world. In this regard, Cyril recalls that Telfer connected him with the Entrepreneurship community in Ottawa and taught him essential business skills, which helped him make this positive impact.
Connect with Cyril on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/cyrilmoukarzel/
Learn more about LifeDNA: https://www.lifedna.com/
Alida Burke was born and raised in Ottawa, and made the decision to study at the Telfer School of Management to have a positive impact in her community. She recently completed her fourth year of studies, specializing in Accounting. Alida has always been interested in making a positive impact in communities across Canada, which is why she joined Enactus in her first year of studies. Enactus is a student club at Telfer aimed at building social enterprises to tackle social and environmental issues in our community. During her fourth year, she held the Vice-President of Finance position. Through Enactus, Alida met another student who shared the same passion as her for the wellbeing of Canadian communities. Together, they created their own startup called The Growcer.
It all started when Alida decided to do something about the issues regarding food security in the Northern communities of Canada. Her company provides state-of-the-art farming systems that allow people to grow fresh produce with ease all year long. These systems are suitable for virtually any temperature, and do not require any farming experience to operate. What is interesting is the fact that this business lets people grow produce in a sustainable way, while still making profits year-round. You can find one of her farming systems at the University of Ottawa, near the Morisset library. Alida even appeared on the show “The Dragon’s Den” with her business partner to pitch her business, where she astounded everyone with her ability to manage such a revolutionary business while still studying at Telfer.
Not only has Alida been involved in Enactus, she has also been a Telfer Peer Mentor, a Career Centre ambassador and a Teaching Assistant for Financial Accounting! When she is not getting involved in her community, you can find Alida hiking in Gatineau Park and finding great local bookshops. Her involvement in the Telfer community has granted her many opportunities, and allowed her to meet likeminded people who have strongly enriched her student experience. Alida encourages everyone to do the same!
Her current work aspirations are to obtain her CPA and to work in a field she is passionate about, which is currently at The Growcer. Her impressive accomplishments lead us to believe she will undoubtedly find success in any field she chooses to pursue.
We wish Alida luck with her future endeavors!
Connect with Alida Burke: https://www.linkedin.com/in/alidaburke/
During their final year of undergraduate studies, the Telfer Bachelor of Commerce students must complete their respective capstone courses. A capstone project is an academic experience where students conduct a live case study on a subject that targets a specific issue. The students must present their conclusions in front of a panel of judges and peers. The students in Finance, Accounting, and Marketing participate in these final presentations at the end of their studies.
Michel Cloutier Marketing Competition
On April 2, the Telfer School of Management hosted the Michel Cloutier Competition, a live case competition where fourth-year marketing students are required to present a marketing plan to solve a real life issue. This winter, the students’ mandate was to present to the Ottawa Senators a marketing plan for the Sens Student Army, aiming to attract more student to the Senators’ games. We were happy to welcome members of the Ottawa Senators Executive team as our esteemed panel of judges.
Congratulations to the winning team: Amy Wakerell, Mariah Thom, Maxime Alarie and Véronique Sabourin.
Finance Capstone
All Finance students must take the Equity Valuation course (ADM 4350) in which they will undertake a case analysis to estimate the value of a real-life company and elaborate an action plan to enhance the company’s economic performance. This semester, students had to work on the children’s entertainment company Spin Master. This year a sum of $1,400 dollars was allocated to the first place winners. The students also had to create posters to explain the company’s financial value.
Congratulations to the winning team of the case competition: Yining Hou, Yufeng Zhang and Bohan Li.
Congratulations to the poster competition winning team: Amaresh Parameswaran, Sagar Kaushal and Ashok Baldeo.
Accounting Capstone
This winter, accounting students enrolled in the ADM 4340 course were tasked to analyze a company and report on accounting issues. This year, the case study was about the Valeant Pharmaceutical case (now known as Bausch Health). The winning team has received a sum of $2,000.
Congratulations to the winning team: Natalija Karajovic, Matthew Kreuk, Peter Li, Garrett Reed and Kyle Weedmark.
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Aziz had been a very shy kid, but when he joined the Telfer School of Management, he quickly realized that he had to find ways to be heard and present if he was to succeed in a business career. Therefore, he emersed himself fully in the university experience. To challenge his comfort zone, Aziz signed up for the Telfer Entrepreneurs’ Club (TECDE), and became VP Finance and eventually President of the Telfer Student Council (CéTSC)
At the beginning, making a difference meant to take small but important steps to enhance the student experience within the student council and for clubs at Telfer. Aziz helped to spruce up and paint the outdated student council office, which was situated in the basement of the Vanier building at the time. Later, he was able to influence the university student association to direct more funding to Telfer student clubs to help improve student activities.
One of the engagement activities that mostly tapped into Aziz’s passion was his involvement with the Canadian Association of Urban Financial Professionals (CAUFP). He was the president of CAUFP for two years and, more recently, sat on its advisory board. He leveraged his Telfer education and helped the organization increase corporate sponsorship. Through some of his strategic and leadership insights, the organization added a lot of value to the community: “We elevated this non-for-profit organization and built on the importance of having a representation of Black professionals on Bay Street,” says Aziz.
Aziz shared that these principles can also be applied to the workplace: “It is not that we need to recruit BIPOC people to fill this diversity situation, but it’s because they bring a whole different perspective that can help the bottom line.” Many Canadian corporations came to this sudden realization when the Black Lives Matter movement erupted in 2020, but Aziz agrees that a lot of progress is still needed.
“Representation matters,” Aziz says, especially for our younger generations. “Young people may make a decision about the career choices just by the mere fact that they have seen someone that looks like them in that workspace,” he adds. Aziz continues to set an example through his passion for diversity in the corporate community and leads his inspiration podcast with conviction as he brings key stories of notable professionals to life.
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