Telfer names Chris and Mike Weatherhead (BCom’12) Young Donors of the Year

“Being born a twin, you get an eternal competitor,” jokes Chris Weatherhead in a joint interview with his brother Mike. Despite the friendly competition, there is always room for teamwork—together, the brothers established the Weatherhead Family Scholarship at Telfer, creating a family legacy. 

Chris (BCom’12) is a Vice-President at CIEL Capital, a Toronto-based private equity firm. Responsible for go-to-market operations, Chris oversees client-facing teams, and the digital transformation of sales & marketing technology across the portfolio group of companies. Beyond his impressive career, he actively contributes to the Toronto Alumni Engagement Council and is a former Gee-Gees varsity track and field athlete.

Mike (BCom’12) is the Vice President of Strategy at the Ottawa Education Group. A proud advocate of experiential learning and entrepreneurship, he addresses the future landscape of work, partnering with international innovation centers. He is the former president of the Telfer Marketing Association and competed in varsity track & field with his brother. After graduating, he worked at Telfer for 3 years as the Graduate Recruitment and Marketing Coordinator and was also the President of the Telfer Alumni Association before moving to Australia. 

Through their generous lifetime scholarship contributions, Chris and Mike are empowering the next generation of business leaders at Telfer. Both are passionate investors committed to giving back and engaging with their alma mater. Telfer is proud to name Chris and Mike Weatherhead (BCom’12) our Young Donors of the Year.  

Philanthropy at any age: The Weatherhead Family Scholarship

It is remarkable to establish a scholarship in the family name at a younger age. Chris and Mike had good reasons to start giving back as early as possible, empowering current Telfer students. 

“Chris and I are both fortunate to have been very involved at Telfer,” says Mike. The two actively participated in extracurriculars, competed as Gee-Gees varsity athletes, and joined the student council. Moreover, they continued to engage with their alma mater beyond graduation. 

“We realized every student should have the opportunity to do the same. We are fortunate to have had a strong support system around us that helped our careers. This is our way to give back to students who may not have the same,” says Mike. 

“My BCom challenged me to think bigger”

During his BCom, Chris learned about structure and discipline in class. However, it was the community that made the experience special: meeting others, sharing ideas, and practicing presentations at Jeux de Commerce (JDC) and other case competitions.

Chris learned not to accept the status quo, to push and challenge the default. “I asked myself, is this what I want to be doing? How can I think bigger? I learned there is more out there through meeting like-minded people and having practical experience at a younger age,” he adds. Today, he is glad to have developed his creativity while still in school and uses the skills daily in his job. 

Get involved with extracurriculars

Mike also benefitted from the structured courses, expanding his business vocabulary and overall acumen. He leveraged the “above and beyond opportunities,” from attending networking events to participating in student clubs. Not to mention the varsity track and field team the brothers competed on.

“Students often overlook this, the parties, the networking, the bus trips, they all set the foundation for your future outside the classroom,” says Mike. Taking advantage of everything the BCom had to offer, he got rare exposure to the real world a lot sooner. This is why the brothers decided to give back. 

The duo encourages students to be as curious as possible: to reach out to CEOs and to be honest and open, directly asking for mentorship or a coffee chat. “99% of people will open up their world to a student but won’t pick up the phone when you graduate. This is your one time to be as demanding as possible,” says Mike. “You have four years to shape and help yourself, and you will face reality one way or another.”

Student experiential learning

Four years after finishing his BCom, Mike moved to Australia to obtain his MBA. He began working as a management consultant and continues to run his own business alongside his full-time job today. Eventually, Mike found himself in the education space. In 2023, he joined the Ottawa Education Group (OEG) as a Director of Student Learning and this year took on the role of Vice President of Strategy. 

“Everything we do at OEG revolves around experiential learning,” says Mike. “My biggest memories from Telfer are the Michel Cloutier Competition and JDC. But both academics and experiential matter—theory meets practice is a must. I still remember my professors. Peter Koppel had a profound impact on us both.”

The late professor figuratively went outside the classroom for his students, sharing wisdom from both his professional career and personal life, and opening up about his background. The brothers also fondly remember David Large, the Capital Markets Program, and the JDC Preparatory courses. 

Stay curious

Beyond the shared BCom experience, Chris’s journey differs from Mike’s. He built his career as an enterprise sales leader in the SaaS market, developing marketable infrastructure for disruptive & new business entrants into the Canadian market. He is now the Vice President of CIEL Capital.

“Working in private equity, once you remove the investment aspect, we are ultimately running a portfolio of companies, SMEs in CIEL's case,” says Chris. "This is not dissimilar to a business adopting an enterprise technology; you are building out a roadmap on the process and its impact on the organization. The difference between Fortune 100s and SMEs, which really are the backbone of the Canadian economy, is that we have groups of really passionate people that get to wear multiple hats and create immediate impact.”

Alumni engagement: Giving back to the alma mater

To succeed in this fast-paced environment, one has to be curious. How do you develop the skill of curiosity? Well, by testing things out, failing fast, and trying again. 

“It’s why I joined the Alumni Council,” says Chris. Loving his experiential learning at Telfer, he forged bonds and learned how to be curious through the student clubs and meeting people who thought differently. 

After graduation, both brothers felt a void where Telfer used to be. Used to the daily student experience, they wanted more post-graduation support for themselves and other graduates. 

That’s why Chris is working hard to continue offering this experience to post-graduates, improving alumni engagement, creating networking opportunities, and fostering curiosity. 

Chris and Mike Weatherhead's advice to current Telfer students

When the brothers studied advertising at Telfer, they learned about scheduling TV spots during the formative years of YouTube and digital programming. While the foundation of advertising remains the same, the duo implores students to look beyond the classroom and at the world around them. As the academic curriculum evolves, students have the biggest opportunity to springboard themselves as entrepreneurs—while still studying.

“The world will outpace education,” says Chris. “Study in school, learn as much as you can, but definitely make an effort to seek out what’s happening around you. Right now, that’s the ethos of machine learning, AI, and modern technologies.”

Chris still remembers growing up without the internet and only getting a cellphone in grade 12. Today’s kids are born into a completely different digital landscape and have the opportunity to take matters into their own hands to stay ahead of the curve.

Always continue learning

Mike echoes his twin: “The foundations are covered in business school, but you need to be more enterprising as a student today. Make every connection and attend every event. I cannot stress enough that this is the difference for success.”

Weaving in his experience at the OEG, Mike also values micro-credentials—short, impactful programs on topics such as AI readiness and the best use of these new tools. LinkedIn Learning is another free avenue for students. 

“Find areas you are passionate about and dive deeper,” says Chris. “Many of us now work remotely in a global workspace, competing against everyone. Your specialized skills can help set you apart.” 

Your career is not a linear path

The brothers are both passionate about their jobs but they had no idea this is where they would end up today. 

Chris has always been good at problem-solving and figuring out how to get a good product into the right people’s hands. Today, he’s found the perfect place for his skill—problem-solving for Canadian businesses and developing go-to-market strategies. 

Meanwhile, Mike gets bored very quickly—a great motivator for creating meaningful change. If he doesn’t see progress, he looks at his next endeavour. He finds a challenge he resonates with and puts his resources into improving it. 

“Did I think I would be in education for over a decade? Not quite,” he says. “It’s a love/hate relationship with academia but there is so much to improve for students and employers. I commit myself to positive change and every day wake up with a goal in mind to keep going.”

The critical value of flexibility, curiosity, and adaptability

It’s not just Mike who gets bored quickly; it’s a common trend in the modern world of short-form videos and bite-sized pieces of information. Similar to encouraging students to be curious and creative, Chris has the same advice for business owners: “The average tenure of an employee is a year and eight months. People aren’t bored with your company, but with the work they’re doing and are looking to the next project.”

Chris has worked on digital transformation with the largest banks in the world and many Canadian businesses. He’s learned that small companies can compete well for talented employees because many people don’t want to work for a large traditional organization, they want to go into startups to hone their skills. 

Companies should offer flexibility and creativity to employees in the workplace. At the beginning of their career journeys, students should find their passions, remain flexible and adaptable, continue to be curious, and seek change. 

This is precisely why Chris and Mike decided to foster student experiential learning: when people are curious, they want to keep learning. And the brothers can invest in developing talent early on, even potentially hiring Telfer students in the future. 

“The scholarship is a legacy,” adds Mike. “I have a young daughter, and I’d love for her to support this when she grows up. We are fortunate to have been as involved, and this is our way of helping the next generation.”

Telfer is grateful for the Weatherheads’ generosity, and we are excited to see how their commitment to experiential learning and extracurriculars will shape the future of many more students. With Chris and Mike leading by example, the next generation of Telfer graduates is in excellent hands.