“I’m not looking at fashion through a Canadian lens, or even a Western lens, but a global lens,” says Imran Amed (BCom'97). Indeed, he doesn’t even look at it through the eyes of someone who grew up steeped in fashion. Mr. Amed started Business of Fashion as a personal blog while he was working as a management consultant with zero fashion training. Today, his London-based site is the go-to source for news-hungry glitterati.
In an interview on Fox Business Network, Aspire CEO and former MBA student Mohammed Ashour makes the case for eating bugs as a way to meet the world’s growing protein requirements. His company, the Aspire Group, runs a cricket farm in Texas and a palm weevil larvae operation in Ghana, both aimed at creating a sustainable insect-based food industry. Mr. Ashour says that both insects are “extremely nutritious, and have a high amount of protein, iron and other micro-nutrients; and utilize an extraordinarily low amount of resources to produce.”
Dr. Anoop Kumar (IMHL’15) has published a new book, Michelanglo’s Medicine: how redefining the human body will transform health and healthcare. The book offers a refreshing look at the human body not just as a bunch of organs, but rather as “a masterpiece, waiting to be discovered.” Dr. Kumar proposes a new approach based on his experiences as an ER doctor, as well as the eastern philosophies he grew up with.
West Vancouver-based PNG Gold has announced the appointment of Wesley Marstaller (BCom'05) as Executive Vice President of the corporation. Before coming on board at PNG Gold, Mr. Marstaller served in several capacities at the Macquarie Group, then as COO of the Rennie Group. PNG Gold CEO Greg Clarkes praises Mr. Marstaller, saying that his expertise will help with “building the management group necessary to achieve the Company’s near and long term goals.”
PNG Gold is a mining company specialized in gold exploration in Papua New Guinea.
As the world’s population increases, the pressure to find an ecologically-feasible protein source is mounting, so former MBA student Mohammed Ashour of the Aspire Food Group is bringing a foreign concept to the US: eating insects. Long a staple protein source in many countries, bugs offer a bigger protein hit, and require fewer resources than traditional livestock does.
is the founder and editor-in-chief of online fashion news hub The Business of Fashion (BoF), which has overtaken the venerable Womens Wear Daily as the industry’s main news source. But it wasn’t a hidden desire to be a designer that made him start blogging about fashion; he was always more interested in the business side of things. Or, as he says, “I was less drawn to what Michael Jackson wore than how his latest album was performing on the Billboard charts.”
On March 15, 2017 our #DesautelsFamily came together to raise money for both our Faculty and ۲ݮƵ University as a whole.
A big thank-you to all those in our community who helped make this year’s #۲ݮƵ24 a success!
Did you know that Desautels graduates alone gave a remarkable $187,000 to ۲ݮƵ?
Whether you are a student, a graduate, a parent, or you work at Desautels, you made a difference for our University. You set records, you inspired others to get involved, and you supported our community. Thank you so much!
Monia Mazigh became a household name when her husband, Maher Arar, was detained and held without charge in the US, then deported to Syria in 2002. As Arar suffered in a Syrian cell, Mazigh’s persistent campaign to get him released not only brought Arar home, it also resulted in a Commission of Inquiry, which cleared him of wrongdoing — and it changed Mazigh’s life. She went on to run for the federal NDP in the next election, and has been working in civil liberties and as an author ever since.
Aldo Bensadoun (BCom'64, LLD'12) is stepping down as chairman of the company that bears his name, as is CEO Patrik Frisk — but continuity won’t be a problem: Bensadoun’s son, David, is taking on the CEO job, starting this April.
In its 2016 financial results press release, Mississauga-based Profound Medical announced the appointment of Samira Sakhia (BCom’90, MBA’01) to its Board of Directors. Ms. Sakhia is also a member of the and serves as President of Knight Therapeutics. Prior to that, she was CFO of Paladin Labs, which she helped sell to Dublin-based pharma giant, Endo International.
The second edition of the Next Einstein Forum is on! The NEF’s goal is to find 54 next-generation science and technology prodigies to help kick-start a new African renaissance. NEF founder Thierry Zomahoun (EMBA ’11) says that “The NEF Ambassadors, part of the NEF Community of Scientists, bring a fresh, local perspective, in addition to their growing expertise in science and technology.”
La Matanie’s local economic development agency is getting $255,000 in financial support from the federal government. François Rioux (EMBA ’10), president and founder of the Fonds d’innovation et de développement local de la Matanie (FIDEL), welcomes the cash injection, which helps bump the fund to almost $1.2 million.
SmartCEO magazine has named asset management firm Star Mountain Capital to its 2017 New York Future 50 awards list. Star Mountain founder and CEO Brett Hickey will be presented with the award at the Future 50 Gala on March 16. Mr. Hickey was previously President of Aegis Capital Group and an investment banker at Citigroup.
Star Mountain Capital is an up-and-coming lower middle-market asset manager. The Future 50 Awards showcase companies that are playing a notable role in the region’s economy and future.
Alain Brunet (EMBA’11) got his start at the SAQ as a retail part-timer in 1981, and climbed the ranks to become the CEO in 2013. Over the years, he has seen the Quebec wine market grow from a field dominated by white wines like Hochtaler to a mature scene where you can find specialty wines galore at the SAQ, or amazing private imports at any fine wine bar.
Mr. Brunet sat down with Bill Zacharkiw of The Montreal Gazette to discuss pricing, availability and the direction he sees the SAQ taking in the future.
The Desautels Management Achievement Awards
Members of the Desautels community came together in February to celebrate this year’s recipients of the Desautels Management Achievement Awards (DMAA), Mitch Garber (BA’86), CEO, Caesars Acquisition Corporation, and Norman Jaskolka (BCom’76, DPA’78), President - Aldo Group International, The Aldo Group Inc.