From classroom to colleagues: Telfer professors awarded the King Charles III Coronation Medal

Who doesn’t love a full circle moment?

Telfer professors Daina Mazutis and Jonathan Calof are both recipients of the prestigious King Charles III Coronation Medal. Now colleagues at the Telfer School of Management, professors Mazutis and Calof share a richer history than pursuing a professional career at the same school.

Inspired connections through the Telfer MBA program

After completing her undergraduate degree at Carleton University and spending a few years working in Montreal, Professor Mazutis’ next step was to enroll in the MBA program at the University of Ottawa. There she met Professor Calof while completing his Competitive Intelligence and International Business courses. It was Professor Calof’s supervision of a directed reading which inspired her to get involved in research.

As an MBA candidate, Professor Mazutis was an excellent student. While receiving high praise in Professor Calof’s class, Professor Mazutis was active in the student community as a member of Telfer’s MBA Student Association. From strategy simulations to the highly anticipated Intopia weekend and the yearly MBA games, Professor Mazutis was a highly engaged student.

Professor Calof was impressed. “The obvious stories would be of her academic exploits but what was impressive was how giving she was to others, her commitments to fellow students, to the University.” Following her time in the Telfer MBA program, Professor Mazutis returned to industry work for a short period before applying to the PhD program at the Richard Ivey School of Business, supported by a letter of recommendation from – you guessed it – Professor Calof.

When asked about her biggest takeaway from Professor Calof’s teachings, Professor Mazutis highlights his approach to learning, using real situations or case studies as classroom examples. On connecting his research and teaching to real world practice, she says: “Professor Calof creates impact not just with his students, but also with the multiple businesses, communities and networks with which he is involved.”

From student to colleague

When Professor Mazutis was ready to launch her academic career at Telfer, Professor Calof was one of her champions. Professor Mazutis’ hard work and passion for sustainability and ethics, complemented by her continued support of community and volunteer initiatives in and around the faculty, made her the perfect candidate for a faculty position.

“I believe in recruiting the best people for the job and Daina was by far the best. When one of the best wants to come home to our faculty, that speaks volumes about this place.” enthuses Professor Calof.

For Professor Mazutis, returning to Telfer reminded her of a transformational period in her career and personal life. On top of creating lasting friendships, her time at uOttawa inspired her career shift from industry to academia after seven years in advertising and marketing roles.

“I hadn’t thought of it before then - that there was a profession where I could get paid to learn and read and write and think for a living! It truly is a privilege.”

Recognizing their commitment to service and sustainability

This medal was created to commemorate His Majesty King Charles III’s Coronation on May 6, 2023, and honours 30,000 Canadians who have made exceptional contributions to society through their commitment to service, the environment, and inclusivity.

This award is administered by the Office of the Secretary to the Governor General and prospective recipients are nominated by partner organizations. Designed by the Canadian Heraldic Authority and manufactured by the Royal Canadian Mint, this medal is the first in Canada to commemorate a coronation.

Jonathan Calof: A man of many roles

Professor Calof, UNESCO co-chair on anticipatory systems for innovation and venture creation, was nominated by Senator Andrew Cardozo in recognition of his dedication to academic excellence, strategic foresight and community service.

While serving as President of The Alliance of Sector Councils (TASC), Senator Cardozo engaged Professor Calof and his competitive intelligence research to help forecast future skill needs and develop a methodology that could be used to better predict the end of the economic crises in the early 2000s.

Professor Calof also teamed up with Andrew Cardozo in the establishment and growth of the Pearson Centre for Progressive Policy where he headed up the centre’s Future of Canada program. When Andrew Cardozo was elevated to the Senate, Professor Calof was named Vice-Chair of the centre.

Professor Calof was also recently named uOttawa’s Special Adviser on antisemitism for his professionalism and advocacy in Ottawa’s Jewish community. A beacon of comfort and support for Jewish students, faculty, and staff, Professor Calof continues his efforts towards developing a long-term plan for addressing antisemitism on campus, creating a more inclusive environment for all.

Through his research on foresight and competitive intelligence, Professor Calof highlights the benefits of joint activity between competitive intelligence professionals and foresight professionals. His contributions to this research area are significant; he not only publishes in both topics but teaches and provides advice. As a board member of the Strategic Consortium of Intelligence Professionals (SCIP), he was part of the signing of an affiliation agreement between the Association for Professional Futurists (APF) and the SCIP.

When asked the best piece of advice for students looking to pursue careers in academia and research, Professor Calof shares “It’s even better than you can ever imagine, but you better be a self-starter”.

Daina Mazutis: A champion for sustainable practices

Professor Mazutis holds the Professorship of Ethics, Responsibility and Sustainability (ERS), is director of the Telfer Green Academy and co-lead of the Centre for Sustainable Impact (CSIID). She was nominated for the medal through Universities Canada by Telfer’s research office for her commitment to shaping a more sustainable and equitable Canada within the academic, research, and business communities she serves.

Professor Mazutis is a leader in driving sustainability across campus as she works to integrate economic, social, and governance (ESG) principles into business education and practice. She is at the core of Telfer’s efforts for advancing the United Nations' Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) on environmental protection and social equity, spearheading workshops, educational panels, and initiatives like SDG Week across the University of Ottawa.

She has been fundamental to the integration of ethics, responsibility and sustainability principles into teaching and outreach at Telfer. Under her direction, almost 900 Telfer students have participated in the Community Service Learning (CSL) program as part of ADM4317/4717 Leadership, Strategy & Sustainability. Students work with community partners like not-for-profit, social enterprises, and charities on a strategic problem related to social or environmental sustainability. These students have successfully delivered more than 130 strategic consulting reports and completed over 27,000 of volunteer hours.

She is currently working to launch a graduate research lab for students interested in social and environmental sustainability. In collaboration with the Green Academy, Professor Mazutis is also putting together a series of SDG-themed Hackathons in the form of credit intensive weekend courses.

Holding multiple Social Science and Humanities Research Council grants, Professor Mazutis’ currently leads groundbreaking projects on sustainable urban development. Through studying One Planet Living initiatives, she hopes to help support businesses transition to net-zero emissions, learning how to incorporate circular economy principles into their strategic decisions.

On top of her research, Professor Mazutis has supervised, co-supervised or sat on the committee for 18 graduate students whose research topics are focused on making businesses more sustainable. A final connection? Professor Calof currently sits on the thesis advisory committee for one of Professor Mazutis’ PhD students.

Congratulations to both Professor Calof and Professor Mazutis on this incredible achievement!